The World Cup is still in its Group Stage, but we’re done with all the opening round games, which took six days.  Now it’s time to move on to Game 2 for each country. Let’s take a look at some storylines and odds in the World Cup after the opening round.

Biggest storylines?

1)Portugal tied the Democratic Republic of Congo 1-1. The Congo had never scored a goal in World Cup competition, but earned a historic point. Portugal is still +900 to win the World Cup, but is just -120 to win Group K, while Colombia is +130. Star Cristiano Ronaldo had 0 shots on target. That was his 23rd career World Cup game and the second time he recorded zero shots in a WC match in which he played 90 minutes.

2)So many ties. Brazil/Morocco, Netherlands/Japan, Belgium/Egypt, Iran/New Zealand, Saudi Arabia/Uruguay, Canada/Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar/Switzerland, and the biggest surprise, Spain, and yes, Cape Verde, played to a 0-0 tie.

3)Germany was dominant in their 7-1 win over Curacao, which was the highest performance in the opening round. Germany (+1300 to win WC) is now -370 to win Group E, while the Ivory Coast is second at +300. 

4)England beats Croatia 4-2.  England is still the third favorite at +600 to win the Cup, while Spain moved down to second at +550 due to their poor performance in the first round. France is the favorite now at +400.  England has now won three straight World Cup opening matches. It wasn’t easy as Croatia twice equalized the match before England pulled away in the second half.

5)The United States was very impressive in its 4-1 win over Paraguay last Friday. They are still a +4000 long shot to win the World Cup and -230 to win Group D. Who is the second favorite? Australia (+300), who faces the U.S. on Friday at 3pmET.

6)Argentina, led by Lionel Messi’s 3 goals, dominated Algeria 3-0. They looked like the World Cup champs of 2022. They are currently +800 to repeat and +400 to reach the Final.

7)After a slow first half, France didn’t disappoint in its 4-1 win over Senegal. Kylian Mbappe had two goals, though it was Michael Olise who dazzled and was the player who moved the needle.

Here are the leaders after the opening round and their odds in each Group.

Group A

Mexico (-185) 1-0 3pts  

Korea Republic (+190) 1-0 3pts

Group B

Switzerland (+110), Qatar (+3000), Canada (+160) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (+450) all have one point.

Group C

Scotland (+550) 3pts 1-0. Brazil (-200) has 1 point after their tie with Morocco.

Group D

Australia (+300) 3pts 1-0

USA (-230) 3pts 1-0

Group E

Germany 3pts 1-0 (-370)

Ivory Coast 3pts 1-0 (+300)

Group F

Sweden 3pts 1-0  (+210)

The Netherlands (+120) is still the favorite in this Group after tying Japan 2-2.

Group G

New Zealand, Iran, Belgium (-165) and Egypt all have one point.

Group H 

Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Spain (-310) and Cape Verde all have one point.

Group I  

Norway 3pts 1-0

France 3pts 1-0

France is the favorite (-370)

Group J

Argentina 3pts 1-0

Austria 3pts 1-0

Argentina (-700) is the favorite.

Group K

Colombia (+115) 3pts 1-0

Portugal (-110) is still the favorite after their tie with the Congo (+1200)

Group L

England 3pts 1-0

Ghana 3pts 1-0

England is a -1400 favorite to win this group.

(odds from DraftKings)

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Upcoming Events at ATS:

• The World Cup runs through July 19. Consists of 48 teams and 12 groups in the Group Stage, mainly playing in the United States. It’s the biggest event in the world. 
• US Open Golf (June 18-21) and Wimbledon Tennis Championships (June 29-July 12)

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