Despite having Marta, Brazil is considered a longshot
The seventh edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup will start next Friday (7 June), in France. Besides the host nation, United States and Germany show up as favourites to claim the title. On the other hand, Brazil is considered a longshot to win this tournament even withthe talent of forward Marta, a six-time Best FIFA Women’s Player award winner.
First things first
Before you go any further, head on over to the Oddsshark website, find your favourite betting site and get your own account up and running using your credit card. As a new customer and with the FIFA Women’s World Cup set to take place next Friday, there should be a wide range of promotions and special offers available to you.
Where should I be investing my money?
First up, let’s talk about the United States. In seven editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Americans have never been out of the semi-finals and appeared in four of seven finals, winning in 1991, 1999 and 2015. Also, the team was defeated only twice in their last 40 matches (lost to France and Australia).
Once again, Alex Morgan will play a major role – the 29-year-old forward comes to the competition with impressive 162 appearances, 101 goals and 40 assists with the team. Another player worth mentioning is forward Carli Lloyd, who will play her fourthWorld Cup. She was a key figure in a campaign that led the team to win the tournament in 2015. All these factors bring the Americans as the clear favourites for another title, set at 4.50.
Up next is France, with the same 4.50. This will be France’s third Women’s World Cup and their best chance to make their first final – they finished fourth in 2011 and fifth in 2015. Besides the fact that host nations always have a boost when competing in front of their crowd in international competitions, they count on the performance of players like Eugenie Le Sommer, Amadine Henry, Wendie Renard and Sarah Bouaddi –they are all stars of French club Lyon, who recently won the UEFA Women’s Champions League against Barcelona.
Germany is also considered one of the favourites, at 6.50, according to Oddsshark. The team, led by midfielder Dzenifer Maroszan, showed an impressive offensive performance, having scored 33 goals in the last 11 matches. They are the only country to win consecutive Women’s World Cups, in 2003 and 2007, and were also the runner-up in 1995.
England, Japan and Netherlands appear as dark-horse candidates
Three dark-horse candidates are England, Japan and Spain. The English women’s squad have never earned a major tournament winbut has shown improvement after finishing on third place in the last Women’s World Cup and making to the semi-finals of the 2017 UEFA Championship. Some of their key players ate defenders Lucy Bronze and Steph Houghton, goalkeeper Karen Bardsley and forward Toni Duggan. They are at 7.00 to win the title, right after Germany.
Japan appears to be a little further at 15.00, but don’t take them for granted. The Japanese squad has beaten the best teams in the world over the past decade – which includes Germany and the USA to win the 2011 World Cup. They were also the runner-up four years later, losing a rematch against the Americans. The retirement of key players like Homare Sawa, Shinobu Ono and Aya Miyama might be an issue as they try to advance to the knockout stage.
As for Spain, the 2019 Women’s World Cup seems to be the perfect moment for them to break out with their best ever international performance. The squad has striker Jenni Hermoso as one of their star players – she was the top scorer of the Spanish Women’s League this season, with 24 goals for Atletico de Madrid. The Spaniards appear with a 26.00 chance.
Brazil appears one step below title contenders
The presence of six-time Best FIFA Women’s Player Marta is not a guarantee that Brazil will have a shot for the title. After winning the 2018 Copa America, the Brazilians had only one win in the last 11 games, which included nine consecutive losses in friendlies. Marta seems to be the only star in a team that dreams to at least repeat the runner-up performance in the 2007 World Cup and the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. Their odds are at 26.00.
FIFA Women’s World Cup outrights:
USA – 4.50
France – 4.50
Germany – 6.50
England – 7.00
Australia – 15.00
Netherlands – 15.00
Japan – 15.00
Canada – 21.00
Spain – 26.00
Brazil – 26.00
Sweden – 26.00
All other teams – + 30.00
