Who will win Group A in the 2022 World Cup?

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is nearing ever closer, and the first match of the tournament will see the hosts taking on South American side Ecuador on the 20th of November at 4pm GMT. Also in Group A are the Netherlands and Senegal, so it promises to be an exciting one with plenty of competitive-looking fixtures and the element of the hosts looking to impress and at least progress from the group, which in itself would be a huge achievement. 

In the first of our World Cup feature blogs, we will take a closer look at some of the key Spreadex markets to watch out for and preview the betting odds* for each team in Group A!

*Prices subject to change, spread betting losses may exceed deposit

WHAT ARE THE WORLD CUP ODDS ON NETHERLANDS IN GROUP A?

The Netherlands have been consistent performers in recent World Cups - minus the disappointment of failing to qualify in 2018. Of the eleven entries they have had in their history, they have finished runners-up on three occasions (1974, 1978, 2010), fourth place in 1998, and third place in 2014. All in all, they have played 50 World Cup matches, and have a record of 27 wins, 12 draws and 11 defeats.

The 'Oranje' come into this campaign as clear favourites to win Group A, with an opening spread of 18 - 19.5 on the binary 25-10-5-0 market. This means that the market settles at 25 if they come top, 10 if they finish second, 5 if they finish third, and 0 if they finish bottom. On the fixed odds, they are available at 1/2 to win the group, 2/15 to qualify, and 5/1 not to qualify.

Their hopes will likely depend on key frontman Memphis Depay, who has netted 42 goals in 81 appearances for his nation. The Barcelona forward is available at 20/1 to be the top goalscorer in the competition, with a Tournament PGM spread of 100 - 115 and a Tournament Goals spread of 1.85 - 2.15.

WHAT ARE THE WORLD CUP ODDS ON SENEGAL IN GROUP A?

The reigning AFCON champions Senegal come into the group as second favourites, and will hope that Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane can inspire them to some success in Qatar. This will be only the third time that the 'Lions of Teranga' will be competing in the World Cup and will certainly be happy if they can replicate their run to the quarter-finals back in 2002. They have an overall record of three wins, three draws and two defeats in their eight matches so far.

In terms of the betting odds for this time, Senegal are available with an opening spread of 9 - 10.5 on the Group A index, and on the fixed odds at 17/4 to win the group, and 10/11 to either qualify or not qualify.

Senegal's hopes will rest on the strong spine of the team - Chelsea goalkeeper and centre-back Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly, and of course their star man Sadio Mane who will be the biggest goal threat. At 66/1, the former Liverpool man may be a shrewd outside pick to be the leading goalscorer in the tournament. His total tournament goals spread is at 1.1 - 1.3, and tournament TGM spread is 55 - 65.

WHAT ARE THE WORLD CUP ODDS ON ECUADOR IN GROUP A?

Group A's South American representation comes in the form of Ecuador, who will be competing in their fourth edition of the tournament. Their best result so far has been reaching the round of sixteen in 2006 but have exited at the group stage in 2002 and 2014. Much of their hopes will likely depend on negotiating a win over hosts Qatar in the tournament curtain-raiser, as they will be underdogs against both the Netherlands and Senegal.

'La Tricolor' come into the tournament with a Group A index spread of 7 - 8.5, and on the fixed odds at 5/1 to top the group, 6/5 to qualify and 4/6 to not qualify. 

Will the South Americans be able to grab a place in the knockout rounds?

WHAT ARE THE WORLD CUP ODDS ON QATAR IN GROUP A?

And finally, the last team we look at in group A are of course the hosts and 2019 Asian Cup winners Qatar, who will be the underdogs to progress any further, but will be hopeful of boosting their chances and extracting the most out of home advantage. In what will be their World Cup debut, they will at least be coming into it full of confidence having won (at the time of writing) four consecutive warm-up friendlies, albeit against relatively weak opposition.

In terms of the betting odds, Qatar are available with a Group Index spread of 4 - 5.5, and on the fixed odds at 10/1 to win Group A, 3/1 to qualify and 1/4 not to qualify. Similarly to Ecuador, the opening fixture will be crucial to their hopes of qualifying, with three points being a vital starting point ahead of matches with the Netherlands and Senegal in which they will be significant underdogs.

Can the hosts spring a shock and make it out of the group? Not too long until we find out.