The United States men’s national team are a big long shot to win the World Cup in Qatar.
The U.S. are as long 250-1, in the same range as Poland, at overseas sportsbooks. Stateside, where patriotic betting is in effect, the U.S. are listed at 100-1 at Caesars Sportsbook, where Brazil are the favorites at 15-4, followed by Argentina at 5-1 and France at 13-2.
The long odds have not dissuaded fans of the red, white and blue from plunking down more than a few bucks on the USMNT. At Caesars, more money has been bet on the U.S. to win the World Cup than on France, the defending champions.
The largest bet on the U.S. reported by Caesars came in last week from a bettor in New York, who risked $5,000 on the Americans at 100-1. The USMNT have attracted the third-most money wagered overall on DraftKings’ odds to win the World Cup, behind only Argentina and Brazil.
“The U.S. is always going to get the lion’s share of action,” said Adam Pullen, assistant director of trading for Caesars Sportsbook. “But I don’t expect them to win.”
The larger action is on the favorites, Brazil and Argentina.
Argentina had attracted the most money wagered on Caesars’ odds to win the tournament, while Brazil have attracted the most bets. BetMGM reported taking a $150,000 on Brazil to win the tournament at 4-1 odds.
England’s Harry Kane is the favorite, at 8-1, to win the Golden Boot, the honor given to the tournament’s leading goal scorer. France’s Kylian Mbappe is next at 9-1, followed by teammate Karim Benzema (11-1). Brazil’s Neymar and Argentina’s Lionel Messi are each 12-1 while Christian Pulisic, at 125-1, has the best Golden Boot odds of any American.
The U.S. open Monday in a Group B game against Wales before taking on England and Iran. The U.S. is listed as a slight -120 favorite to advance through group play and reach the knockout stage.
“I’ve got a bad feeling they don’t get through this group,” Eric Biggio, trader for Caesars Sportsbook, said in a company release.
Approximately 20.5 million American adults are expected to bet a combined $1.88 billion on the World Cup, according to survey results released Tuesday by the American Gaming Association.
