FIFA World Cup Betting: Bodog Backs Canada

FIFA World Cup betting

With FIFA World Cup 2022 set for November and December in Qatar this year, teams are getting ready to compete at the highest level of international soccer. It’s an exciting time for the national Canadian squad, as they’ve qualified for the tournament for just the second time in history. In order to accomplish this, they had to beat Jamaica in Toronto in March, which they did in dramatic fashion, winning 4-0. We’re proud to see our boys involved in the FIFA World Cup betting.

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It’s been a long 36 years since Canada’s only other appearance at the World Cup in 1986. Canada sports fans will be eager to finally get a chance to bet on their country in the upcoming tournament. There’s no need to wait until November to place bets, though. Soccer World Cup odds are open for business already in our sportsbook. We’ll go over Canada’s past qualification, examine their starting XI and discuss their odds heading into FIFA World Cup betting.

Canada’s History at the World Cup

Canada’s men’s soccer team has historically struggled on the international stage. Despite attempting to compete in the FIFA World Cup in ‘58, ‘70, ‘74, and ’82, Canada qualified for the first time in 1986 when 17 countries were battling for the second CONCACAF berth (Mexico automatically took one position because they were hosting). They managed to secure their ticket when they beat Honduras 2-1 in Newfoundland in September 1985; their qualifying record included five wins and three losses.

Canada was part of Group C in that World Cup, along with the Soviet Union, France and Hungary. Unfortunately, they were doomed to an early exit, as they lost all three games in the first round, scoring zero goals and conceding five. Players had a tough time playing in the high-altitude conditions in Mexico, despite some players training ahead of time in Colorado Springs to prepare for it.

Since then, Canada’s men’s soccer has experienced just one major milestone before their most recent World Cup qualification: they won the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2000. After making it to the finals, they faced Columbia and won 2-0, thanks in part to forward Carlo Corazzin and goalkeeper Craig Forrest.

Team Canada Players

FIFA World Cup betting: Alphonso Davies

Canada has lots of young new talent on the team, and without doubt, their most dynamic player is Edmonton-born Alphonso Boyle Davies. The 21-year-old sensation splits his time between Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and his national team. Davies has won the Canada Soccer Player of the Year award in three of the last four years, thanks to his speedy pace and exceptional dribbling skills. Davies has registered eight assists in 13 appearances in the 2022 qualification games and will be instrumental if Canada are to make an impression in the FIFA World Cup betting.

Raised in Ottawa, Jonathan David is another young force on the team. He’s a well-rounded player who has scored nine goals and tallied five assists in 15 starts for the qualifying games. 22-year-old David is part of the Lille roster in Ligue 1 and was the recipient of the Canada Soccer Player of the Year award in 2019—the only year Davies has missed out since 2018.

While David and Davies are the most skilled of the young players on the team, Brampton, Ontario-born Cyle Larin is the team veteran and is still performing exceptionally well at the age of 27. He has fortified his position as the team’s all-time leading goal scorer by scoring 13 goals in 16 appearances in Canada’s qualifying matches. Larin is a forward on Club Brugge in the Belgian Pro League.

We can’t leave out Toronto-born Steven Vitoria, who has been a stalwart for Team Canada’s defence. He has made 32 appearances for his country since 2016 and 11 appearances in this year’s CONCACAF World Qualifying matches. Vitoria is the club captain of Chaves in the Primeira Liga and is an exceptionally skilled ball handler.

Soccer World Cup Odds

In April, all of the competing nations were divided into four pots of eight, with each pot representing a different competitive level. Canada is ranked No. 38th and was thus placed in the fourth pot along with Cameroon, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Wales, Costa Rica and Australia.

From there, one team was randomly selected from each pot to form a group, and Canada was placed in Group F. As a result, Canada’s first round will be a round robin against Belgium (No. 2), Morocco (No. 24) and Croatia (No. 16).

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As the lowest seed in the group, Canada’s first opponent will be Belgium on November 23 (2 PM ET), and at press time Canada is a +850 underdog against the Euro powerhouse (-335); alternatively, you can bet on the draw for +420. On the second match day on November 27, Canada will face Croatia at 11 AM ET. The disparity isn’t quite as pronounced in this matchup, with Canada checking in as a +340 underdog against the 2018 FIFA World Cup runners up; the draw is available at +245. Odds are not yet available for Canada’s matchup against Morocco that’s scheduled for December 1 at 10 AM ET.

The futures market is another good place to back Canada in the 2022 FIFA World Cup betting. Here you can bet on countries to win outright; Canada is mid-range for that bet at +12500. There are also odds for the winner of the Golden Boot award, and Jonathan David and Cyle Larin are available at +10000 odds each.

Lots of other betting opportunities can be found on the futures page. You can bet on each nation to advance from the Group Stage; Canada is the biggest underdog in Group F at +275. You can alternatively bet on teams not to advance.

World Cup betting is a good way to get invested in the outcome of the tournament, whether that means selecting a softer bet, like picking a nation to advance from their group, or a wild prediction, like who will win the tournament outright. Fill out your bet slip and enjoy the games—it could be another 36 years before we get this opportunity again.

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