France and England Favorites to Meet in World Cup Final

France and England Favorites to Meet in World Cup Final article feature image
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Witters Sport-USA TODAY Sports. Pictured: France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris

The Highlights

  • It's an all-European semifinal with France playing Belgium and England taking on Croatia for a spot in the final.
  • France (-130) and England (-150) are the favorites to meet in the World Cup final, while Belgium (+115) and Croatia (+135) are the underdogs.
  • England's Harry Kane is the runaway favorite to win the Golden Boot (most goals) and co-favorite to win the Golden Ball (best player).

2018 World Cup Odds

  • France remain the favorites to win the World Cup at +200 odds. They entered the tournament with the fourth-best odds behind Brazil, Spain and Germany.
  • All four semifinalists entered the tournament with +3500 odds or better to win the tournament.
  • Most sportsbooks are in a good position in terms of liability since Germany, Brazil, Spain and Argentina were the most popular picks to win around the betting market.
  • The prop bet offered for "winning continent" has already cashed on Europe (-260).


Golden Boot Odds (Most Goals)

  • Before the tournament, the favorites were Neymar and Lionel Messi, but right behind them were Antoine Griezmann, Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku.
  • Kane is now a massive -650 favorite to win the Golden Boot with a two-goal lead over Lukaku.
  • Two Frenchmen, Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe, are the only other players with a realistic chance of catching Kane with 26-1 odds each.

Golden Ball Odds (Best Player)

  • The Golden Ball is awarded to the "best player" during the tournament, which is obviously a little subjective. If England win it all, Kane will undoubtedly earn the award since he's been their leading scorer.
  • Mbappe's performance in the Round of 16 against Argentina really boosted his chances, and he's now the co-favorite to win the Golden Ball at +350.
  • Belgium's Eden Hazard is third on the list, but you could easily make the argument that Lukaku has been their best and most valuable player.
  • Croatia's do-it-all midfielder Luka Modric is rightfully fourth on the list and would surely win the award if Croatia took home the trophy.

Golden Glove Odds (Best Goalkeeper)

  • Since this award isn't really based on stats/numbers, goalkeepers' odds tend to move as their teams' odds to lift the trophy do.
  • Before the tournament, Croatia's Danijel Subasic was +3300 to win the award while Croatia was +3500 to win the World Cup.
  • England's Jordan Pickford entered the tourney at +1200, slightly lower than his team's odds of +1650 to win the World Cup. He has a penalty shootout win in the Round of 16 against Colombia after making a clutch save.
  • Croatia's Subasic has the benefit of two penalty shootout victories while making clutch saves in each. He was also injured toward the end of the Russia match, making his performance even more remarkable.

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