Upset potential, star player props and knockout drama headline four quarterfinal matchups as the race for the World Cup semis begins
And then there were eight.
Forty-eight teams to start, three weeks of thrills, upsets, titanic individual performances, tens of thousands of fans in major arenas and fan fests across three continents, travelling caravans of fans, roaming city to city – it’s been a marvelous spectacle, and it’s blowing by so quickly.
For sportsbooks, there’s never been anything like it – record handle, with USMNT’s loss to Belgium on Monday the most-bet soccer match in the history of U.S. sports betting. It’s been that way across the sports-betting terrain, in Canada as well.
Now there are eight teams, the quarterfinals starting tomorrow, with France versus Morocco, followed by Spain versus Belgium Friday, then Norway versus England and Argentina versus Switzerland on Saturday.
In World Cup betting at Betway, France is the favorite at -182 against Morocco (+500), with the draw priced at +280. In the other quarterfinal, Spain is -163 against Belgium (+400), with the draw also at +280.
England is the betting favorite at -115, with Norway at +320 and the draw priced at +250. Defending champion Argentina is -143 at Betway, with Switzerland at +400 and the draw at +240.
Watching both France and Morocco, it’s hard to bet against France, justifiably the tournament favorite at Betway at +200 to win the World Cup.
It got a little dicey against Paraguay, where they won off a Kylian Mbappé penalty kick in the 70th minute, their offensive magic stymied by a Paraguay squad that sat back and defended. France can hurt you in so many ways, and while Morocco was so impressive against Canada – laying back in that first half, drawing Canada into a trap, then unleashing and blowing them out in the second half – it’s tough to go against France in the quarterfinal.
Spain sits +400 in tournament winner futures, tied with Argentina, and they certainly got the job done against Portugal, albeit not exactly a convincing win. Portugal seemed like a different team in Dallas than the one that won that thrilling Round of 32 match in Toronto over Croatia.
This one has the makings of an upset, since the Belgians are buoyant, coming off the dramatic win over USMNT on Monday. We’ve yet to see Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo come alive in the tournament.
For England versus Norway, defensive issues on the defensive side for England is something to keep an eye on, making Erling Haaland shots, shots on target and anytime scorer markets to keep an eye on.
England is favored, but the market is still giving Norway a lot of love, at +320. England’s defensive shuffle, the pressure of a knockout game, and Norway likely to spring Haaland early means set-piece props (corner kicks, free kicks, penalty kicks, throw-ins) could be active markets.
Argentina is coming off the epic 3-2 win over Egypt, where they were down 2-0, led by Lionel Messi. So, can we expect an emotional letdown, like Portugal, after beating Croatia?
What about Argentina and their lack of defensive prowess – giving up two against Egypt, and two against Cape Verde in the Round of 32. Can Switzerland limit quality chances over 90 minutes?
Argentina’s attacking talent, led by the aforementioned Messi, the tournament leader in scoring, with eight, makes anytime goalscorer, first goalscorer, shots on target and assist props the markets to follow in this one.
Mbappé and Haaland are next for the Golden Boot at seven goals apiece.
