2022 World Cup Group B: Preview, Odds, Picks & Betting Guide
The 2022 World Cup, which will be hosted in the winter for the first time in the competition’s history, is rapidly approaching. Every group is intriguing in its own way, but Group B may be more than any other.
Let’s take a deeper look at Group B and how things are developing, which features tournament favorite England and the always intriguing United States.
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
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| Team | Odds to Win Group B | Odds to Win World Cup |
| England | -280 | +800 |
| Wales | +500 | +13000 |
| USA | +500 | +13000 |
| Iran | +2000 | +50000 |
Favorite: England
The English star leads a side that is the clear favorite in its group, making Harry Kane one of the favorites to win the tournament’s “Golden Boot.†This is one of England’s most talented groups in years, having not suffered a defeat in official competition for nearly two years other than the EURO 2020 Final.
With so many players capable of scoring at the highest levels, including Raheem Sterling of Manchester City, this club is likely to win this group easily.
Longshot: Wales
Wales qualified for the World Cup on June 5 after defeating Ukraine, securing their first appearance since 1958. Wales, a team that consistently ranks in the top 20 in FIFA’s world rankings, can make some noise if they manage to advance from this group. Gareth Bales and Daniel James are the leaders of what may be an unheralded squad.
No Chance: Iran
Iran, the top team from Asia, will want to make their imprint in a group they’ve already been written off in their third consecutive World Cup campaign. Iran enters the tournament as one of the hottest teams in the world thanks to their 8-1-1 record during qualification, despite facing very light opposition and defeating South Korea in their regional.
Mehdi Taremi of Porto is the team’s star player, and Dragan Skocic of Croatia has been managing them since 2020. Watch out for Sardar Azmoun of Bayer Leverkusen as well; given the chance, he can make a huge difference.
Remaining Value: USA
The USA qualified via a tiebreaker to secure their 11th appearance in a World Cup after missing the 2018 tournament. The USA will primarily rely on Christian Pulisic, a rising EPL star who is steadily becoming one of the greatest players at the highest levels of Europe.
With former player Gregg Berhalter at the helm, the USA has high expectations going into this tournament with one of the most talented lineups in history. The USA went 7-3-4 during qualifying in the CONCACAF regionals.
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