The United States women’s national team squeaked into the knockout rounds, but the shaky form the massive pre-tournament favorites displayed during the group stage has caused a shift in the Cup-winning odds.
The USWNT was the +225 pre-tournament favorite at BetMGM. Those odds shifted to +250 after the team’s draw against the Netherlands in the second match and have lengthened even further to +400 with the USWNT facing a potential date against Sweden in the Round of 16.
That drops the Americans into co-favorite status at the book along with Spain and England. Japan is now +800, followed by Germany at +900 and co-host Australia at +1000.
The story is similar at DraftKings, where Spain and England are the co-favorites at +400 and the USWNT has dropped to +450 — down from +300 before the tournament began and +275 before their scoreless draw against Portugal on Tuesday.
The relative struggles by the Americans so far have resulted in a good outcome for both books.
The USWNT leads the 32-team field with 81 percent of the total Cup winner bets and 91 percent of the money wagered at DraftKings, where no other team has drawn more than 4 percent in either market. They also lead the way by a large margin with 56.4 and 78.6 percent of the action, respectively, at BetMGM.
“The USA women advancing to the knockout round will continue to drive interest from bettors in the World Cup,” said Seamus Magee, BetMGM’s sports trading lead. “The low-scoring USA matches have been good outcomes for the sportsbook.”
RATINGS DISASTER?
On the flip side of the equation is FOX Sports, which will almost certainly suffer a significant ratings hit.
If the USWNT had won Group E, they would have played their first knockout round match at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday night. With a win, their following match would have been on Thursday, Aug. 10 at 9 p.m. ET.
Those time slots were agreed upon by FOX Sports in collaboration with FIFA before the tournament began, the broadcaster confirmed to Front Office Sports, and all game slots are locked in.
With their second-place finish in Group E, the Americans will now play at 5 a.m. ET on Sunday morning, and a potential quarterfinal match would be played at 3:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 11.
The USWNT failed to win its group at the Women’s World Cup for the first time since 2011. The result is a likely Round of 16 date against Sweden, which scored wins against the Americans in each of the past two Olympics.
USWNT POTENTIAL REMAINING SCHEDULE
–Round of 16: Sunday, Aug. 6 at 5 a.m. ET
–Quarterfinals: Friday, Aug. 11 at 3:30 a.m. ET
–Semifinals: Tuesday, Aug. 15 at 4 a.m. ET
–Final: Sunday, Aug. 20 at 6 a.m. ET
–Field Level Media