A month ago, before the first ball was kicked, France was the favorite in World Cup futures odds. Now, with a 5-0 record and a 14-2 goal differential, the French are even stronger favorites to lift the trophy.And the public betting masses overwhelmingly believe in Kylian Mbappé & Co.”Les Bleus have been popular since Day 1, given the quality of their team along with their star power,” Caesars Sports vice president of trading Craig Mucklow said Wednesday night. “In the futures, they are head and shoulders the most popular team remaining.”Read on for more, as Mucklow assesses 2026 World Cup odds and action ahead of the quarterfinals.This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.Singing Les BleusKeep in mind that France is more than familiar with this territory. The French reached the past two championship matches, beating Croatia in 2018, then rallying to force overtime vs. Argentina in 2022, before losing in a penalty-kick shootout.France enters the quarterfinals coming off two straight knockout stage shutouts — 3-0 vs. Sweden in the Round of 32 and 1-0 vs. Paraguay in the Round of 16. Bettors have been on France since the group stage and kept on riding Les Bleus in the knockout matches.”One of the best results of the tournament for bettors came with France’s victory over Iraq,” Mucklow said of a 3-0 shutout, while noting that Mbappé netting two goals in that match contributed to a big win for Caesars customers.The knockout stage raised the wagering interest in France. Of the 96 matches so far, both of France’s knockout games were among those drawing the most money.”France holds the fifth- and eighth-best-handled games of the tournament to date, vs. Paraguay and vs. Sweden,” Mucklow said.Keep in mind, too, that of the four matches drawing more money at Caesars, two involved the USA. So among non-USA matches, France was involved in two of the top six, in terms of money wagered.And as Mucklow pointed out above, France is the most popular team in World Cup championship futures, taking more dollars than any of the other seven quarter-finalists.”Of the remaining teams, they are the best result for bettors. Argentina follows as second-best, then Norway and Spain,” Mucklow said.France opens the quarterfinal round with a 4 p.m. ET Thursday match. Spain vs. Belgium follows at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, and the quarters wrap…
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2026-07-09 04:30:56
