For the first time ever in its history, this year’s World Cup is taking place during November and December. While the change in schedule might be unusual, the tournament still promises to be as exciting as ever. The biggest teams in the world, along with the best players, will be going head to head for a chance to be crowned world champions.
While the tournament’s favourites, Brazil, France and Argentina, have attracted most of the headlines in the build-up to Qatar 2022, there are plenty of lower-ranked teams which could be worth a watch.
Each World Cup, there’s usually at least one team that surprises everyone and exceeds expectations. If you enjoy betting on football, knowing which underdogs are likely to succeed could even result in some big wins. Find the best World Cup betting sites for this year’s tournament and read some more about the biggest underdogs below.
Denmark
Denmark are the 10th favourite to win the World Cup, according to the bookmakers. Currently available to bet on at 28/1, they might not be the biggest underdogs, but they’re a small team that definitely has the chance to cause an upset or two. Recent seasons have seen big improvements in Denmark’s squad, and they recently advanced to the semi-finals of Euro 2020 before being narrowly beaten by England.
While the Danes don’t have many standout stars in their squad, they’re extremely well-organised and hard-working on the pitch. They had an extremely impressive qualifying campaign, winning nine out of ten games. They share Group D with France, Australia and Tunisia, which should mean they’re able to qualify to the next round. If Denmark are able to keep putting in similar performances to qualifying, they could certainly surprise a few people.
Senegal
Senegal are the current champions of Africa, having beaten Egypt in the AFCON final in February. They are currently 66/1 to win the World Cup, so definitely an outside choice. While their chances of lifting the trophy might be low, they have more than enough talent to beat some of the higher-ranked teams in Qatar. Sadio Mane is Senegal’s key player, and although he hasn’t looked quite the same since his transfer to Bayern Munich, he’s got the ability to change the outcome of games on his own.
Aside from Mane, Senegal also have Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy, and if he performs how he did during AFCON, they’ll be very tough to beat. Senegal are in Group A with Ecuador, Netherlands and Qatar, which they should be able to qualify from. Coach Aliou Cisse will no doubt be relishing the opportunity to once again prove his ability in a major tournament.
Uruguay
Uruguay has always punched above its weight in football. The country only has a population of just over three million but has two World Cup wins in its history, an incredible accomplishment. In recent years, they’ve perhaps underachieved with the talent they’ve had, finishing fourth in 2010 but failing to get beyond the quarter-finals since.
At odds of 40/1, they could be worth betting on. The squad contains a lot of talented players, such as Godin, Suarez and Cavani, who are nearing the end of their careers. But aside from these, there’s also a lot of younger talent, such as Darwin Nunez, Rodrigo Bentacur and Frederico Valverde. Uruguay have a very evenly contested group, and it might be one of the most interesting to watch. South Korea, Ghana and Portugal will all be facing Uruguay to have a chance of advancing.
