Credit: Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports
World Cup 2022 is later this year, and despite the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) having never been close to winning the tournament, and not even competing in the 2018 edition, they are a popular bet to win it all this winter.
On Wednesday, the USMNT did something they were unable to do four years ago and actually qualify for this year’s tourney. And in classic US soccer fashion, they did so with a loss. Luckily for them, the team needed to lose by a whopping six goals to be forced into a play-in game against New Zealand to qualify. The team avoided all of that and will get an automatic birth to fall short again when the FIFA tournament games start in November.
Yet despite the team’s horrid history on the grandest stage of soccer, and their pathetic showing four years ago, folks are willing to drop down their hard-earned money for one of the most famous long shots in this latest edition of the most popular tournament in the world.
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On one popular betting site, sports fans are seeing something they like in the current odds that give the USMNT a +8000 chance to stun the world — and probably the universe –and win the World Cup 2022 in December when the finals will take place. A stunning 30% of recent World Cup betters are hoping coach Gregg Berhalter and his squad can help them get a down payment on a new car.
For the uninitiated on betting numbers jargon, an individual can put down a bet of $100 on the USMNT, and if they were to win it all, they would cash out to the tune of $8,000, or a profit of $7,900.
Currently, the favorite to take home the Jules Rimet Trophy is France at +550. Just over 9% of bettors favor them. Next is England at +700 (9.6%) and then soccer superstar Lionel Messi and Argentina at +1000 (8.2%).