Four World Cup wagers that could come home to roost

Qatar 2022 is so close we can almost touch it. Nobody is more excited about the tournament finally getting underway than the bookies who expect to take even more in wagers than the $133 billion that was bet on Russia 2018. A World Cup is one of those sporting events that everybody gets caught up in - even those who usually have little interest in sport. Likewise those who never usually gamble might be tempted to put a pound or two on their home team. That's understandable enough, even if betting on the outright winner makes little logical sense. So many outright bets are being laid on England, France and the other front runners that the odds are inevitably shortened at all the major online sports betting sites (see www.gamblingsites.org for a list). And while Canadians or South Koreans might place a patriotic bet for fun, we all know that they are not going to be winning the tournament. That doesn't rule them out of some other kind of wager, however. The trick is to choose something that will not have attracted thousands of bets already. Here are some smart wagers that could come home to roost.

A standout performer for the golden boot

People tend to bet on teams, not individuals, which is reasonable enough as football is a team sport. However, that makes prop bets like top goal scorer better from an odds perspective. The fact that Harry Kane is favourite tells you everything you need to know about how the number of bets can dictate the odds rather than vice versa. If any team is flying under the radar, it is Spain. Ferran Torres was Spain's top scorer in qualifying and seems too good to refuse at 50-1 to lead the way in Qatar.

A surprising qualifier

We said earlier that backing a rank outsider to win the World Cup would be a little too fanciful. But there's every chance of an upset or two during the group stages. Canada played fearlessly in the qualifiers and could be a real handful. They are a 3-1 shot to qualify from Group F into the round of 16.

A giant will fall

Every World Cup sees a shocking early departure or two. In 2018, it was Germany. That seems less plausible this year. If any top team looks vulnerable, it is Portugal. There's plenty of pressure on them to do great things for Ronaldo, but they only Your paid text to link... by the skin of their teeth. Bookies are offering 4-1 odds if you fancy them to be eliminated at the group stage.

Highest scoring group

Here's a fun bet that will provoke plenty of debate. Which group do you think will see the most goals? Group E is marginally favourite at 3-1, due, no doubt, to Argentina's recent form. However, a recent rush of bets has seen Group C's odds shorten. At 8-1, though, Group G, featuring Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon, looks most tempting.