World Cup 2022 Underdog Odds

Denmark - An Excellent Generation of Players that Can Beat Anyone

Denmark stunned the football world by winning the 1992 European Championship ahead of Germany, the Netherlands, and England. The question is can they do that on football's biggest stage? We think they can definitely mount a challenge.

Denmark's World Cup squad contains names like Christian Eriksen, Mikkel Damsgaard, Andreas Christensen, Thomas Delaney, and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. They play for the likes of Barcelona, Tottenham, and Atalanta week in and week out and are instrumental in their teams.

The Danish team is almostntical to the one that appeared at the European Championship in 2021, where the Danes played some phenomenal football, trashed Wales and Russia, and reached the semi-finals. We see no reason why they wouldn't go far in Qatar too.

One of the great things about this Danish team is that it is currently at its apex, and players are in their best years. At the 2021 European Championship, the average age of the Danish squad was 27.74. In this year's World Cup, this Danish team will be one year older and one excellent tournament wiser. So, it is probably a smarta to back them at some excellent World Cup odds. In our books, they are the best World Cup underdog bet you can place.

Croatia - Can Croatia Repeat its 2018 World Cup Heroics?

Croatia was the surprise package of the last World Cup, where it got all the way to the final. Unfortunately, the Croats lost some steam at the final hurdle and lost to reigning champions France after performing superbly during the entire tournament. Luckily for them, they can have another go at the World Cup trophy, this time in Qatar.

And looking at Group F, where Croatia will face Belgium and heavy underdogs Morocco and Canada, it is easy to see the Croats progressing past the group stage and into the knockout rounds. And it is crucial that the Croats reach the knockout stage. Here's why.

With Croatia, you never know what team will run out. In their five past World Cup appearances, when Croatia cleared the group stage, it got all the way to the semi-finals. However, that happened just twice. The other three times, the Croats didn't even get out of their group.

So, past tournaments show us that you want to back the Croatian team that qualifies from its World Cup group and not the one that packs early and heads home. With all due respect to Canada and Morocco, they don't have the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, and we just can't see the Croats not achieving qualification from their group. And if history does indeed repeat itself - that means at least a semi-final appearance for the 2018 runner-up and some excellent World Cup underdog odds for you.

Uruguay - Suarez, Nunez, and Cavani Will Be Impossible to Stop

Two-time world champions Uruguay have not won a World Cup for over seventy years. They last lifted the Jules Rimet trophy when Pele was still in primary school. And that's a long time.

Fortunately for the Uruguayans, they have been drawn into a relatively easy group, together with Portugal, Ghana, and South Korea. So, a third World Cup win, even though very hard to achieve, is still on the cards.

Bookies expect Portugal and Uruguay to qualify from Uruguay's group, and that's understandable. Ghana doesn't have the team to mount a serious challenge, and the South Koreans, for all their tenacity and hard work, are not in the same class as the two favorites in the group.

Another reason why you should consider backing the Uruguayans with a cheeky World Cup underdog bet is the strike force they boast. Not many national team sheets contain players that have been the top scorers in Europe's top league. Uruguay's squad list does. 

In Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, and Darwin Nunez, Uruguay has strikers who have been the top scorers in the English Premier League (Luis Suarez 2013-14), La Liga (Luis Suarez 2015-16), Serie A (Edinson Cavani 2012-13), France's Ligue Un (Edinson Cavani 2016-17, 2017-18), and the Portuguese Primeira Liga (Darwin Nunez 2021-22).

That trio has goals in them, and we have a feeling Uruguay will profit from more than just superior goal difference. The Uruguayans have a realistic chance of qualifying from their group and getting to the latter stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. And why not win the whole thing while Pele is still alive too? The great thing about the Uruguayans is that they are a decent World Cup bet and come with really good odds.

Senegal - Any Team with Mane is a Title Contender

If you are looking for a decent candidate for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot award, look no further than Sadio Mane. The Bayern Munich star scores goals for fun wherever he plays, and comes with much better Golden Boot odds than favorites like Harry Kane and Lionel Messi.

Another thing that Mane is good at is guiding his team to glory. And he can do exactly that with his home nation. Fortunately for Senegal, they drew Ecuador, the Netherlands, and hosts Qatar in Group A, arguably the easiest of the eight groups.

And while the Netherlands are favorites to be group winners, Senegal will expect to beat the other two teams with ease. Qatar has nowhere near the quality to challenge the Senegalese for that knockout stage spot, and Ecuador is far from being a football force in South America, let alone the entire world.

And once Senegal qualifies from the group stage, anything can happen, and they could easily upset national teams higher in the FIFA rankings. Oh, and let's not forget that it is not just Mane who's top-quality in the Senegalese national team. At the other end of the pitch, Senegal has Chelsea's Edouard Mendy, one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and a shoo-in for the FIFA World Cup Golden Glove award. As with the other entries in this piece, Senegal has excellent World Cup underdog odds too.

Serbia - The Best World Cup Underdog Odds You Will Find

Looking for massive World Cup underdog odds and a team that has realistic chances to upset the favorites? Serbia gives you that unique balance.

If you are betting on the Serbs to win the World Cup, you are not placing so-called sure bets, such as when backing Brazil, France, the Three Lions, or Belgium's Golden Generation. However, you are betting on a really strong team that contains top players from Europe's best leagues with spades of top-tier football experience.

The likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Dusan Tadic, and WC Golden Ball candidate Sergej Milinkovic-Savic are Real Madrid and Manchester City transfer targets for a reason. They know what it takes to get the job done, and you get excellent odds if they do their job right at the World Cup in Qatar.

Japan - A Long-Shot 2022 World Cup Bet Only for the Bravest Punters

If you think the underdogs and dark horses in our analysis have tough opponents, you haven't seen the Japan group. The Japanese will have to play Germany, Spain, and Costa Rica and must be better than two of those teams if they are to qualify for the knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup.

In fact, Japan has had the unique chance to be in the same group with two teams crowned World Cup champions in the past. No other 2022 FIFA World Cup group contains two former World Cup winners.

So why bet on Japan? Well, one reason is the fact that the Japanese are not as bad as their odds show. They are listed as such long shots only because they are in a group with two of football's heavyweights. If they were in any other group, we are sure their odds would have been at least halved.

Another reason why you should back the Japanese is their tenacity and team spirit. Will that strong work ethic and camaraderie win the World Cup? Probably not. However, if Spain or Germany slip up, Japan will be there to pounce and hope to go far in the knockout rounds. A third-place finish at some massive odds? It might be doable.