World Cup Final Betting Preview

World Cup final betting preview

After four quick weeks, we’ve reached the World Cup Final. On Sunday, Argentina will take on the defending champions, France, in what will be a thrilling matchup of soccer powerhouses. On the French side, Kylian Mbappe has been the driving force of France’s offensive attack, while Argentina has relied on superstar Lionel Messi to lead the way. World Cup Final betting is open for business in Bodog’s sportsbook, with lots of fresh World Cup odds available for everything from the matchup itself to the potential recipients of the various FIFA awards.

WORLD CUP FINAL BETTING

World Cup Final Betting: Argentina vs France

In a rematch of the 2018 World Cup Round of 16 game that saw France emerge victorious against Argentina on their championship run, they will once again go toe-to-toe. France will look to defend their crown with a half-intact roster from the 2018 championship run, while 35-year-old Lionel Messi pushes for what will almost certainly be his last shot at World Cup glory.

France’s Path to the World Cup Final

To get here, France emerged from Group D as the top seed as expected and was placed against Poland in the round of 16. France out-possessed Poland, and Olivier Giroud opened scoring late in the first half. Kylian Mbappe heated up late in the second half, scoring a brace. Poland managed to respond with just one late goal, leaving France to move forward.

In the quarterfinals, France was matched up against England. Although France had been outplayed by the midpoint of the game, they had superior possession and more shots; after 90 minutes, they left the field with a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Olivier Giroud. That led to France matching up with the gutsy Morocco team in the semifinals, and their World Cup odds were starting to look very appealing. Despite being out-possessed for large segments of the game, France scored two unanswered goals, which came from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani. Antoine Griezmann was the linchpin in France’s victory against Morocco, as he created more than double the chances than any other player on the team.

Argentina’s Path to the World Cup Final

Argentina’s path to the final started with an embarrassing 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in the group stage. Fortunately for them, they regrouped and finished as the No. 1 seeds in Group C. The round of 16 matched them up with long shot Australia, who they beat 2-1, with Lionel Messi scoring the first goal. The quarterfinals pitted them against the Netherlands and proved to be a contentious game, with a questionable referee who handed out 18 yellow cards and was later removed from the tournament. Argentina built up a 2-0 lead in that game and saw it slip to a 2-2 tie when the ref gave an extra 10 minutes of regulation time. Argentina nevertheless won in penalties.

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Argentina’s semifinal game against Croatia – who had just beaten favourites Brazil to leave the World Cup final betting wide open – was less contentious. Messi played a flawless game, converting a penalty and helping to set up Julian Alvarez for two goals. Croatia failed to make it on the scoreboard and will settle for the third-place playoff against Morocco (+200) on Saturday where they’re +135 favourites, with a +245 draw option.

France’s Roster

Antoine Griezmann has been the answer the team was looking for when injuries prevented midfielders Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante from joining the World Cup team after helping win it in 2018. To fill the void, manager Didier Deschamps moved Griezmann to midfield where he has been incredibly effective. In France’s game against Morocco, the opposition managed to block Mbappe and Giroud, but could not account for covering Griezmann, who played a major role in Hernandez’ opening goal, and was critical in defending against Morocco’s offensive attack.

France is still hoping to see 2022 Ballon D’or winner Karim Benzema return for the final. In training, he sustained a thigh injury and hasn’t suited up for any of the world Cup games to this point. Since Deschamps didn’t order a replacement, it’s possible that he is holding out for Benzema for the final, but nothing has been confirmed at this point.

Argentina’s Roster

Argentina will be getting a boost of their own, with the return of two suspended players, in addition to midfielder Angel Di Maria. After receiving their second yellow cards, defenders Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel had to sit out Argentina’s semifinal game. Di Maria, meanwhile, went down with a thigh injury in Argentina’s group stage match against Poland and has played less than 10 minutes in the last three games. The coach has stated that he believes Di Maria will be okay to play for the final.

World Cup Final Betting

Enhance your World Cup experience by filling out a bet slip prior to gameday. +175 odds for each side offers great value (get a $175 payout for a $100 bet), but you can also take the draw (+205) if you think penalties will determine the winner. The over/under is set at 2 goals at press time, with the over listed at -125 and the under at +105.

Team futures let you bet on who you think will be the top goal scorer for either team. At press, Mbappe is a heavy -800 favourite for France, while Messi is an even heavier -3300 favourite for Argentina. Team goal totals are also available.

Flip over to the Tournament Futures to see bets for the Golden Ball Winner. This award goes to the best overall player in the World Cup tournament, and the top contenders are Messi at -600, Mbappe at +350 and Griezmann at +1200. The Golden Boot is a bit more cut-and-dry, as it goes to the player who scores the most goals in the tournament. Right now, Messi and Mbappe are tied for the most goals at five a piece and lead the odds board at -135 and +120 respectively.

On the defensive end, the best goalkeeper in the tournament earns the Golden Gloves award, and you can bet on this in our sportsbook. Emiliano Martinez (Argentina), Yassine Bounou (Morocco), Hugo Lloris (France) and Dominik Livakovic (Croatia) are all available as betting options with various odds. Cast your vote on the bet slip and we’ll see you on gameday.

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