2022 World Cup Group C: Preview, Odds, Picks & Betting Guide

by Trenton Pruitt |
Nov 05, 2022

In just a few weeks, the most talented soccer players in the world will make their way to Qatar for the World Cup! We're guaranteed to see plenty of elite play throughout the coming weeks, and personally, I can't wait to see the stars on the big stage.

If you're looking to explore the futures market or simply need some extra information on specific teams, this article is for you. I will dive into each team from Group C and provide my favorite futures play from this group.

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

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Argentina (+550 Outright Winner | -250 To Win Group C)

One of the featured storylines heading into this year's tournament is that Lionel Messi (PSG) will be chasing the elusive World Cup championship for the final time. The 35-year-old will play in his fifth and final World Cup. The star forward will be joined by some of the usual suspects up front in Paulo Dybala (Roma) and Lautaro Martinez (Internazionale). At the same time, Angel Di Maria (Juventus) will anchor the midfield. Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica) and Marcos Acuna (Sevilla) will headline the defensive line, and they have a combined 134 caps between them. In net, Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez will likely get the nod over Franco Armani (River Plate). Both keepers have 18 international matches under their belt, and Martinez is six years younger than the 36-year-old Armani.

From a betting standpoint, the Argentinians come into the World Cup with the second-shortest odds to win, trailing only Brazil (+400). They're the third-ranked team in the FIFA rankings, behind only Brazil and Belgium. As for their recent form, Argentina is 3-0-0 over their three latest friendlies, and they've outscored Jamaica, Honduras, and Estonia 11-0 during that timeframe. This squad should have no issues punching their ticket to the Round of 16, and from that point, they could be worth a futures play to bring home the country's third World Cup title.

Poland (+13000 Outright Winner | +400 To Win Group C)

Don't let Lionel Messi steal all of the media attention in this group. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) is neck and neck with the Argentinian in terms of the ability to strike fear into opposing defenders. The 34-year-old forward will captain this veteran Polish roster and play alongside Arkadiusz Milik (Juventus) on the attack. Grzegorz Krychowiak (Al-Shabab) and Kamil Grosicki (PogoÅ„ Szczecin) will handle the midfield responsibilities, and they each have more than 85 international caps. The trusty Wojciech SzczÄ™sny of Juventus will be in net for Poland, and the 32-year-old has 66 international competitions on his resume.

With household names on your roster like Lewandowski and SzczÄ™sny, you'd think that Poland would be a tough competitor on the world stage. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case for this national program, as they've only qualified for the World Cup three times since 1990 and have failed to make it out of the group stage in each appearance. They're -110 to qualify for the Round of 16 this year, essentially giving them "coin flip odds" with Mexico, who comes in at -120. The pressure will definitely be high for this veteran group of Polish footballers.

Mexico (+13000 Outright Winner | +450 To Win Group C)

Speaking of experience, Mexico is right there alongside Poland regarding veteran roster construction. RaÃºl JimÃ©nez of Wolverhampton is the notable goalscorer on this team, while AndrÃ©s Guardado (Betis) and HÃ©ctor Herrera (Houston) will direct traffic in the midfield. HÃ©ctor Moreno (Monterrey) has 126 caps on the international stage, and he'll make his return to the backline as a 34-year-old defender. And who else would you expect in net for Mexico? It'll be the spirited Guillermo Ochoa. He's been a mainstay on Mexico's roster in every World Cup since 2006 while handling most of the workload since his World Cup debut in 2014.

Mark your calendars for November 22 when Mexico takes on Poland in what will be each team's opening match in the 2022 World Cup. This game will greatly influence who goes through to the next round. Mexico has punched their ticket to the Round of 16 in seven straight World Cups, but they've gone 0-7 in the elimination games. There's a lot at stake this year, but this Mexican side can't overlook any of these group-stage matches if they want a chance to snap their seven-game losing streak in the knockout round.

Saudi Arabia (+80000 Outright Winner | +2200 To Win Group C)

There's typically at least one underdog in every group, and in Group C, it'll be Saudi Arabia. But they're no stranger to the World Cup. The Saudis have punched their ticket to the tournament in five out of the last seven World Cups, and they actually made it out of the group stage in their inaugural appearance back in 1994. However, Saudi Arabia will be a longshot again this year as they're +600 just to advance to the next round, +2200 to win Group C, and a massive 800-1 lottery ticket to win it all.

It's a relatively young roster, with the most-tenured player being Fahad Al-Muwallad of Al-Shabab with 72 international caps. He'll hold down the midfield alongside Salman Al-Faraj (Al-Hilal), while Al-Faraj's club teammate, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, will play on the attack. Mohammed Al-Owais, also of Al-Hilal, will handle the goalkeeping, and he's played in 38 international matches. As I mentioned above, this is a pretty young roster, and they'll have their hands full with some of the world's most talented stars on the opposition. But hey, Saudi Arabia's playing with house money at this point, and maybe they can cause some chaos in this stacked group.

Best Bet For Group C: Mexico To Qualify From Group (-120 via DraftKings)

There is only one other group with tighter odds on who qualifies for the Round of 16, and that's Group B, with the USA at -105 and Wales at +100. But aside from Group B, Mexico at -120 and Poland at -110 will be one of the biggest coin flips in the tournament, at least according to the oddsmakers.

I'm going to lock in Mexico at -120 to advance out of Group C. I truly think Poland is too reliant on Robert Lewandowski to score goals, and they don't have many other threats aside from him. I would assume Mexico is preparing a game plan to suffocate him on the pitch, and I expect their veteran roster will be able to execute it. This roster hasn't seen much turnover over the years, which leads me to believe they'll have the chemistry on the backend to stifle Lewandowski and the rest of the Polish roster. Let's ride with Mexico to extend their streak of eight straight trips to the Round of 16.

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