FIFA World Cup Betting Preview: USA Odds Analysis and What Do They Need to Do

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The USA has officially qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and now they know most of their path to the knockout round and beyond. With the groups nearly set, pending the June playoff games, odds have been released for most of the World Cup action.

Fans will have plenty of options to bet on international soccer leading up to, and during the World Cup in November and December. There will be options to bet on the winners of every game, the winners of groups, and the overall winner. Fans will also have options to take prop bets on games, individuals, and teams. Let’s have a look at our FIFA World Cup Betting analysis of the USA Team Odds.

United States Betting Analysis and their World Cup Odds

Odds for Team USA

At MyBookie, the United States enter the World Cup at +10000 to win it all for the first time. They have the 15th best odds overall, out of the 32 teams in the World Cup. Team USA ranks ahead of their CONCACAF rivals Mexico (+15000) and Canada (+15000).

The Americans are in Group B with England, Iran, and a yet to be determined team from Europe. The fourth team in the group will either be Ukraine, Wales or Scotland, whoever emerges from the June playoff. The playoff was delayed when Ukraine was invaded by Russia earlier this year. MyBookie doesn’t currently have odds to win Group B since the final team isn’t known. England is likely to be the favorites to win the group since they have the second-best odds to win the World Cup at +550.

The Americans will open the World Cup on November 21 against the playoff team. Then they will play England on November 25 and finally Iran on November 29. None of those games have odds up yet since the final opponent is unknown. Expect the US to be favored against iran, underdogs against England, and the opening game will depend on the opponent.

About the Format

The top two teams from each group advance to the Round of 16 for a bracketed tournament. The US should have a good chance to advance, especially if they get off to a good start in the opening game with either a draw or win. Despite missing the 2018 World Cup, the US has advanced out of the group stage in the 2010 and 2014 editions.

The two teams that advance from Group B will face the two teams from Group A. The winner of Group B plays the runner-up from Group A and the runner-up from B faces the winner from A. Group A includes the Netherlands, Senegal, and host Qatar. Netherlands and Senegal are favored to advance from that group.

Winning the group will be difficult as England have been on form the last four years. While they haven’t won a major trophy since 1966, the Three Lions made the semifinals at the 2018 World Cup and then reached the finals of Euro 2020 last summer. In both tournaments, they lost to other European teams in Croatia and Italy respectively.

Key Factors for Team USA

Right now the biggest key for the American team is their health. Coach Gregg Berhalter had to juggle a roster in the recent qualifiers without key starters. Goalkeeper Matt Turner and midfielder Weston McKennie should be back from injury soon. However key midfielder Gio Reyna suffered another injury upon his return to club action in Germany and he has struggled to play consistently over the last 12 months.

Keeping striker and captain Christian Pulisic healthy is massive for the U.S. The key cog in the offense Pulisic has suffered numerous injuries in his club career with Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund and missed key international games as a result. The US can use their depth at other positions, but up top is not one of them and they won’t be able to make a long run in the tournament without Pulisic as a key contributor.

Experience is another key for the US side. Berhalter is in his first cycle as head coach and has never coached at a World Cup. He did lead the US to Nations League and Gold Cup titles last year but those are different animals. With the US missing the 2018 World Cup, most of the roster will be at their first World Cup come November. The good news is the roster is filled with players with Champions League and Europa League experience on their club teams and a mixture of players with other big domestic and international games played.