Who will win World Cup 2018? The favourites, outsiders, underdogs & latest odds

Ryan Kelly

Who will win World Cup 2018? The favourites, outsiders, underdogs & latest odds image

The 21st edition of the World Cup is nearing a conclusion and some of the best players in world football have graced the stage in Russia.

With 32 teams taking part it can be difficult to predict a winner, but some teams are inevitably better equipped than others when it comes to personnel.

However, at every major tournament there is always room for a dark horse to upset the established order and that has certainly been the case in Russia.

With teams whittled down to four, who's the favourite to win the 2018 World Cup? Goal takes a look at the contenders for the highest prize in football.


Favourites to win the 2018 World Cup


Russia 2018 has already seen a number of the pre-tournament favourites drop out of the running, with the likes of Germany, Spain and Brazil all crashing out at various stages. 

As well as that, strong outsiders such as Lionel Messi's Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal were dumped out in the last 16, and the make-up of the last four is not what many may have predicted.

France are now the clear favourites to win the competition, 20 years after their first and only triumph, and made great strides towards the World Cup final after defeating Uruguay 2-0 in the quarter-final.

It is not surprising to see Les Bleus so highly rated ( 2/1 according to dabblebet ) considering that Didier Deschamps has an impressive pool of talent to draw from, which includes the likes of Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann. They are through to the semi-finals after defeating Argentina and Uruguay in the last 16 and quarter-finals respectively.

Antoine Griezmann Olivier Giroud France Argentina World Cup 30062018

Perennial dark horses Belgium arrived in Russia with a 'Golden Generation' - including players like Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku - which has now reached a level of maturity that should see them mount a serious challenge, something that is reflected in their price of 11/4.

The Red Devils will face France in the last four of the competition, which will be a monumental task for both teams in the race to reach the final.

It is likely that whoever comes out on top in the France vs Belgium semi-final will be considered the outright favourite to lift the trophy in Moscow on July 15.


World Cup 2018 outsiders


Kyle Walker John Stones Jesse Lingard England World Cup

Over the years  England have had to contend with the pressure of expectation at successive World Cups, but that did not exist in the build-up to the 2018 edition. In terms of star quality, Gareth Southgate's side is a far cry from the 'Golden Generation' that fell short in the 2000s and they have been relying on the talents of Harry Kane in particular – who still remains as the competition's top-scorer.

Having qualified from Group G as runners-up behind Belgium, the Three Lions emerged victorious in a last-16 tie against Colombia through a penalty shootout and easily overcame Sweden in the quarter-final to reach the semi-final for the first time since 1990. Their odds have since thus shortened significantly to 5/2, with many English fans finally believing that 'Football's Coming Home'.

Croatia finished third at the World Cup in France 20 years ago but they have failed to replicate the same level of success since. Crashing out at the group stage in 2002, 2006 and 2014, their status as potential challengers was also undermined by the fact that they needed to qualify via the play-offs after being pipped by Iceland in their group.

However, with Real Madrid's Luka Modric and Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic in their ranks, they boast the kind of talent other nations envy. Having started out as definite underdogs at 28/1, a crushing win over Argentina and penalty shootout victories over Denmark and hosts Russia have seen their odds shorten to 4/1. Interestingly, though, of the four teams left, Croatia are deemed least likely to triumph.

Click here to see all the outright odds for the World Cup with dabblebet

Ryan Kelly