The United States and France enter this year’s Women’s World Cup as the favorites, with the Americans currently getting 7-4 odds and the hosts right behind at 7-2 (per SuperBook USA). But here’s the thing about that: FIFA has constructed the knockout bracket in a way that all but guarantees Team USA and France will meet in the quarterfinals, so the furthest one of those teams likely will advance is the round of eight.
And besides, who wants to bet on favorites all the time? So, setting aside some of the other teams the odds say could be contenders (Germany at 11-2 and England at 7-1, for instance), here are a couple of long shots to consider as you go about placing your World Cup future bets before the tournament begins on Friday.