2022 World Cup Group B Odds and Predictions

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Rick Rockwell
Rick Rockwell in Soccer
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Fifa World Cup 2022 Group B

When Wales beat Ukraine in Cardiff to become the last team to make the field of 32 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with England and the USA already in Group B, it became the “Group of Death” with one of these potentially three good Soccer teams destined not to make the Round of 16.

And the Group of Death moniker is warranted with the group having the highest average rankings from FIFA for any of the eight round-robin groups participating in Qatar.

The games in Group B will be played from Monday, November 21 to Tuesday, November 29 and will see six games contested between the four teams.

Group B will essentially be a battle between England, the USA and Wales not to be embarrassed and be the one team who doesn’t move on from the group. Like Qatar in Group A, Iran, currently ranked #20 in the Men’s FIFA rankings, will have no chance of moving on to the Round of 16.

Yes, being ranked #20 seems great for Iran, but England (#5), USA (#16) and Wales (#19) have much more experienced national teams and the 20th ranking seems generous although this is the best this team has ever been. Still, the Wales-Iran match in Group B will show why.

This is because Wales has Gareth Bale (LAFC), a player who just saved his MLS’ clubs bacon with a late goal in Extra Time to force a PK Shootout in the 2022 MLS Cup Final. In that shootout, LAFC edged the Philadelphia Union and were crowned champions. Gareth Bale matters.

From one of the leading FIFA World Cup betting sites, BetOnline, here are your 2022 World Cup Group B odds to win the group. The numbers to actually advance for the group (Qualify) are reflected in the previews for each of the four teams below.

2022 World Cup Group B Odds To Win

TeamOdds
England-260
USA+475
Wales+550
IR Iran+1800

The Group B winners will advance on to the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 (Knockout Stage) and face the runners-up from Group A (Netherlands, Senegal, Ecuador, Qatar). The runners-up from Group B will face the winners of Group A in the next round. Netherlands are Group A favorites.

Make sure you check out our FIFA World Cup Viewers Guide to get a great and quick overview of the largest sporting event in the world.

England -260Z

  • Confederation: UEFA
  • Pot: 1
  • Method of Qualification: UEFA Group I winners
  • World Cup Appearances: 16
  • Last Appearance: 2018
  • Best Performance: Winners (1966)
  • FIFA Rankings: #5
  • Odds to Qualify Round of 16: -1500
  • Odds to Win World Cup: +850

England is the favorite in Group B, but the Three Lions will be challenged by the USA and fellow Brits Wales here with Iran looking to shock the world. Along with Scotland, England is the joint oldest national club in Soccer (1872).

Defense is always huge in Soccer, but having guys that can score goals when needed is a huge element, and England does with Captain Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Phil Foden (Manchester City), and Mason Mount (Chelsea).

The Three Lions backline may see Reece James (Chelsea), and Luke Shaw (Manchester United) in a 3-4-3 tactical attacking formation with Declan Rice (West Ham United) in the Midfield, but we won ‘t know who makes England’s final 26 until Friday.

England Fifa

For now, Head coach Gareth Southgate has a provisional 55-man Roster, so who he keeps and who he leaves off the Three Lions Roster may ultimately be the reason this team reaches the 2022 FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals or not. One thing’s for sure: Kane (51 goals) will be the centerpiece.

England has a very unimpressive 2-3-3 record in 2022 and hasn’t won in its last 6 (0-3-3) and fell to Hungary twice. In the words of The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, it don’t come easy.

The Three Lions open up Group B play with a game against Iran and online World Cup Group B odds see England as a monster -330 favorite with underdogs Iran priced at +1200 (12/1) and the Draw at +265. You can also bet England at -1½ -123 in the Goal line marketplace.

USA +475

  • Confederation: CONCACAF
  • Pot: 2
  • Method of Qualification: CONCACAF Third Round, third place
  • World Cup Appearances: 11
  • Last Appearance: 2014
  • Best Performance: Third Place (1930)
  • FIFA Rankings: #16
  • Odds to Qualify Round of 16: -105
  • Odds to Win World Cup: 100/1

The USMNT will be a force to be reckoned with in Group B, but should Christian Pulisic (Chelsea) and the Red, White, and Blue be fortunate enough to advance on to the Round of 16, it’s hard to imagine them going that far. The USA-Wales match may be the USMNT’s most pivotal one.

Coached now by Gregg Berhalter, the USA has two decent Goalkeeper options in Zack Steffen (Middlebrough) and Matt Turner (Arsenal). With the expansion of World Cup Rosters by the IFAB to 26, the USA may benefit from those three players. The Roster comes out today (November 9).

The strength of the USMNT is its Midfield with Tyler Adams (Leeds United), Forward Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Weston McKennie (Juventus), and Yunus Musah (Valencia) all quite impressive. The McKenzie, Mush, and Aaronson troika has affectionately been dubbed “MMA.”

USA Fifa

Besides Captain America Pulisic and Aaronson, the USMNT will look to Forwards Gyasi Zardes (Colorado Rapids), Jordan Morris (Sounders), and Paul Arriola (FC Dallas) for scoring, but for this team to get as far (or farther) than it has in the past in the World Cup, Defense will be paramount.

The USA has a massive match to open up the tournament, with Gareth Bale (LAFC) and Wales on Monday, November 21 on the first real day of the event.

2022 World Cup Group B odds see the USMNT as slight +155 favorites over Wales (+275) in the three-way market with the Draw proceed at +210 and the Over/Under (Total) at an oh-so-low 2o -124. This is one of those games that is way more important than we can imagine.

Fifa Group Schedule

Why? A loss for either and 0 points to start off Group B play with both teams knowing that they have to play group heavyweights England will be a huge burden.

A 1-1 tie is very possible in that opening USA-Wales match, and although we talk about sports gambling and betting and profits, some games are best just watched because the odds are too close to what may happen and a mistake could ruin the bet.

The USA-Wales game (Match 4) at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium (Grass) is one of those games. These two teams have met twice—both International Friendlies—and the USMNT won 2-0 in 2003. The two nations played to a coma-inducing 0-0 tie two years ago in 2020.


Wales +550

  • Confederation: UEFA
  • Pot: 4
  • Method of Qualification: UEFA Second Round Path A winners
  • World Cup Appearances: 2
  • Last Appearance: 1958
  • Best Performance: Quarterfinals (1958)
  • FIFA Rankings: #19
  • Odds to Qualify Round of 16: +115
  • Odds to Win World Cup: 250/1

FIFA ranks Wales at #19, but it feels there is a massive chasm between #20 Iran and the Dragons. Coached by Rob Page, the Welsh center around Captain and leading scorer Gareth Bale.

Behind neighbors England and Scotland, Wales is the third oldest national football (Soccer) association on the globe, with its first game coming 146 years ago in 1876 when no one ever reading this was ever alive. That is unless you are a ghost with a Smartphone and are reading.

Wales Fifa

As we just talked about, the USA-Wales opener on November 21 is a massive one for both teams in this Group of Death. Neither can psychologically or mathematically really deal with a setback and 0 points with just two matches left after that point (both will play England and Iran after that).

Besides Bale, Wales features Daniel James (QPR), Kieffer Moore (AFC Bournemouth), D Chris Gunter (Wimbledon), and GK Wayne Hennessey (Nottingham Forest). The Dragons have had trouble scoring heading in here and have scored just 8 goals in their last eight matches (1.0 gpg).

Since beating Ukraine to sneak in as the last entrant, Wales has gone winless in its last five matches overall (0-4-1), so this Welsh team will be heading into Qatar with some doubts and will hope its Defense can hold the USA at bay in that pivotal opening match.

IR Iran 18/1

  • Confederation: AFC
  • Pot: 3
  • Method of Qualification: AFC Third Round Group A winners
  • World Cup Appearances: 6
  • Last Appearance: 2018
  • Best Performance: Group Stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018)
  • FIFA Rankings: #20
  • Odds to Qualify Round of 16: -350
  • Odds to Win World Cup: 500/1

Iran—officially IR Iran—has never made it past the FIFA World Cup Group Stage in its five previous appearances in this tournament. It’s really hard to imagine that Team Melli will do so this time, being the perceived low man on the footbol totem pole in this Group of Death.

The Head Coach of Iran is Carlos Queiroz and the leader is Captain Ehsan Hajsafi (AEK Athens) and the most-capped MF’s and F’s on the squad will be Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Feyenoord), Sardar Azmoun (Bayer Leverkusen), Karim Ansarifard (Omonia), and Mehdi Taremi (Porto).

Iran Fifa

It was unfortunate that Iran ended up in the Group of Death and it is also unfortunate that Team Melli faces Group B favorites England in its opener. But at least they are back in the World Cup and can bring this troubled nation some national pride with even a Draw in that Three Lions match.

England and Iran have never met, so Match 3 from Khalifa International Stadium (Grass) in Al Rayyan will be historic. But the World Cup Group B odds of England -330 speak volumes and likely Iranian starting GK Amir Abedzadeh (11 Caps) will have to be at his best vs. Kane and Sterling.

World Cup Group B Predictions

Group B has been dubbed the Group of Death for a very good reason and Soccer bettors might be wise to avoid a death to their bankrolls putting too much into the six games that these four teams will be playing in Qatar in this 2022 FIFA World Cup. In short, all six games could be tossups.

Also, all six Group B matches could be extremely low-scoring or even no-scoring affairs if the Soccer Gods are in a foul mood next week. Iran has scored only 2 goals in a match one time this season in 7 games and that was against Lebanon in a 2-0 game in Mashhad, Iran on March 29.

Even with Bales, Wales has hardly been prolific scoring-wise, and the Dragons have only scored 2 or more goals twice in 2022—once in a 3-2 loss to the Netherlands on June 14 and the other in a 2-1 win over Austria in its 2022 World Cup Qualifier back in March when Russia was still in Russia. The skinny here is that Iran, Wales, and even the USA should have trouble creating goals. Wales is lucky to have Bale to rally around while the USMNT is extremely lucky to have Hershey, PA native Pulisic on the pitch. But he has been far from healthy playing with the Blues over in the EPL.

That means England has the edge here and will be the team to beat. Besides Kane, guys like the speedy Sterling, the crafty Mount, the dependable Foden, and Vice Captain Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) can all put the sheep’s bladder (I know it’s all plastic now Bubba, relax) in the goal.

Trailing 1-0 in a match, Iran, Wales, and the USA may get desperate and press and wonder who can come through in the clutch. Southgate will have a number of dependable guys on his Roster who have a nose for the goal and with so much talent, he’ll have to keep a couple off his 26-man Roster.

2022 FIFA World Cup Group B Predictions Winner:
England
-260
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Rick Rockwell
Sports and Casino Writer
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Rick has been a professional writer for over 14 years with an extensive resume spanning projects and clients from around the world. But, his passions have always been sports and sports betting. Whether it’s being a credentialed media member to major sporting events, climbing into a racecar or a pro wrestling ring, Rick’s sports and sports betting knowledge, passion and versatility is on display with each article he writes for TSG.
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