2019 Women’s World Cup Odds: Heavy Favorites Rule Opening Group Matches

If you're hoping to see close games during the first few days of the 2019 Women's World Cup, you may want to recalibrate your expectations.

Of the 12 opening matches for the group stage, the shortest favorite is listed at -155 (Australia vs. Italy), and 11 matches feature a favorite of -325 or higher.

First Group Matches for Every Team

(All opening and current odds can be found at SportsInsights.com)

Hosts France will kick off the tournament on Friday night against South Korea as considerable -850 favorites. Despite the heavy odds, the total for that match is just 3 goals, so oddsmakers don't feel strongly about South Korea scoring.

Saturday's slate of matches features favorites of -370 or higher (Germany, Spain, Norway) and it won't be until Sunday morning that there's a competitive match on paper: Australia -155 vs. Italy.

The Aussies will be a trendy pick throughout the tournament, but Italy are a side that could catch them by surprise in the first group match. You'll want to keep an eye on the betting market to see if sharp money comes in on the underdog Italians.

Brazil are the largest favorites of any opening group match as the market lists them -4150 to beat Jamaica on Sunday afternoon. The Reggae Girlz will be fan favorites, but don't expect to see them pull off an upset.

Monday and Tuesday are more of the same with all five teams listed -325 or higher to secure victories: Japan (-1150), Canada (-750), Netherlands (-325), Sweden (-875) and USA (-4000).

USA-Thailand has the highest over/under at 5 goals (o-140), and we could see that number rise to 5.5 as public bettors continue to pile on USA and the over.

Fortunately, the remainder of the group stage is expected to be more competitive based on the odds, which should also create more wagering opportunities.