England National Team World Cup Betting
Is it finally coming home this year? After decades of disappointment, England has had its best run of international results since the 1960s under Gareth Southgate. The Three Lions made it to the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup, and they nearly won the European Championship last year. That has English fans hoping they can claim their second World Cup, ending a lot of heartbreak.
Manager: Gareth Southgate
Nickname: The Three Lions
Confederation: UEFA (Europe)
FIFA Ranking: 5 (March 2022)
England World Cup Betting Odds
To Win Group B: -290
To Win 2022 World Cup: +615
*Odds as of May 4, 2022
England Group Stage Schedule
England vs. Iran, Monday, November 21, 2022, 8 a.m. ET, at Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan (FS1)
England vs. United States, Friday, November 25, 2022, 2 p.m. ET, at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor (FOX)
European Playoff Winner vs. England, Tuesday, November 29, 2022, 2 p.m. ET, at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan (FS1)
History at the World Cup
Appearances: 16 (first in 1950)
Best Result: Champions (1966)
England didn’t join FIFA until after World War II, so the Three Lions didn’t take part in the first three World Cups. Their poor performance in their first four World Cup appearances showed the English that their brand of football was no longer supreme, but they did manage to claim the 1966 World Cup on home soil. Bobby Moore captained the team to its one and only World Cup title, and Geoff Hurst notched a hat trick in the World Cup Final against West Germany.
The English were bounced in the quarterfinals of the 1970 World Cup and failed to qualify for the tournament in 1974 and 1978. They made it to the semifinals of the 1990 World Cup in Italy, but they weren’t too impressive in that tournament despite the fourth-place finish. England only won one game and played to five draws in regulation. They were able to top Belgium and Cameroon in extra time to make the semis, but they lost to champions West Germany in penalties.
The Three Lions failed to make it further than the quarterfinals of the World Cup again until 2018. England finished runner-up to Belgium in Group G, but the team was able to knock off Colombia in penalties in the Round of 16 and bested Sweden 2-0 in the quarterfinals. That set up a showdown with upstarts Croatia in the semifinals, and Kieran Trippier got England off to a roaring start with a goal five minutes into the match. Unfortunately, Croatia came back to win the match in added time and Belgium bested England again in the third-place match. Harry Kane did win the Golden Boot as the leading scorer in the tournament though.
What to Watch
England is one of the favorites to win the World Cup as this team is loaded with talent along the back line and up front. Harry Maguire and John Stones are both elite center backs, and they will make it hard to score on the Three Lions. Jordan Pickford proved he was a superb goalkeeper at the World Cup and again at the Euros last year, so they are finally in good hands in that department.
Captain Harry Kane has been one of the most elite strikers in the world for the last half-decade. Kane has notched 49 goals in 69 appearances, and he is four goals away from chasing down Wayne Rooney as the all-time leading scorer in national team history. There is a lot of help up front too as Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden, and Raheem Sterling are all capable of leading the charge, and Emile Smith Rowe has had a breakout campaign.
The Group Stage match between England and the United States on Black Friday will have enormous stakes and should be the most watched football match in the history of the US.
These two teams have met twice in the World Cup with the Stars and Stripes stunning England 1-0 at the 1950 World Cup, and the two countries playing to a 1-1 draw in 2010.
That was the infamous ‘Hand of Clod’ game where Robert Green allowed a soft goal to give the Americans a result.
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