The World Cup is drawing closer to the end with four teams still in contention to lift the trophy. Here we look at the chances of each team as well as their outright odds to win the competition.
France
France were one of the favourite teams to lift the World Cup trophy and so far they have not disappointed. They came out on top of their group, before seeing off Argentina and Uruguay without having to go to extra-time in the last 16 and subsequently in the quarter-finals. It has been 20 years since their first and only World Cup triumph and they have done very well over the past couple of years to build a team that can potentially win a major trophy.
Didier Deschamps has an impressive pool of talent to call on for the next fixture when they take on the high-flying Belgium. The likes of Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, and Kylian Mbappe will have to be at their best if they are to have any realistic chance. Les Blues have experience playing in the semi-finals as this would be their sixth appearance at this stage of the World Cup. They have been placed at odds of 3.00 to be the outright winners and its pretty attractive considering the other remaining teams.
Belgium
Belgium have been often referred to as the perennial dark horses in major tournament including the World Cup. They came to Russia with their ‘Golden Generation’ of players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku. They have now reached a level of maturity that should see them mount a serious challenge and this has been reflected by the bookmakers. Our site has them at odds of 3.60 to win the tournament.
They will first need to square it off with France in the quarter-finals and this could either make or break their title challenge. It is very likely that whoever comes out on top in this semi-final will be considered the outright favourite to lift the trophy in Moscow and they definitely have all the resources to go ahead and do this.
England
England have often come to the World Cup on the backdrop of pressure from the public to mount a serious challenge, but this was not the case for the 2018 edition. In terms of star quality, they are a far cry from the groups that fell short in the 2000s. They have been relying on the prowess of Harry Kane and a dynamic young squad to get the job done and so far they have not disappointed.
They have been one of the most progressive sides in this tournament with brilliant attacking football that has become synonymous with this Gareth Southgate side. We don’t expect much to change going forward as they face Croatia but you can expect them to adapt adequately to reflect the level of the competition. We have them at 3.50 on our betting site to go the distance and you can back them by clicking on this link.
Croatia
Croatia were once a footballing powerhouse when they finished third in the 1998 World Cup in France. However, they have failed to replicate the same level of success since then, until this World Cup where they have been one of the very few consistent sides. They might have qualified via the play-offs after being beaten by Iceland in their qualifying group, but that has not slowed down their resolve to exceed expectations.
In Real Madrid’s Luka Modric and Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic, they boast the kind of talent that would worry any opposing teams. They started out as definite underdogs but their stock have surely been rising and that perception has changed rapidly. Of the four teams left, Croatia are deemed least likely to triumph and understandably so. That is why they are placed at odds of 5.00 here to carry the day.