World Cup odds shake up heading into semifinals

Didier Deschamps, Head Coach of France. Abaca Press

World Cup odds shake up heading into the semifinals

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 12/12/22

Sportsbooks all over the globe were shaken up over the weekend when Brazil and Portugal were knocked out of the World Cup in the quarterfinal round -- especially since Brazil was the heavy favorite to win the entire tournament.

So where does that leave oddsmakers now with the semifinal matches just a few days away?

It took Brazil getting booted out of the tournament, but DraftKings and other major books are now tapping France as the favorite to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. DK has Didier Deschamps' men listed as +110 favorites, with Lionel Messi and Argentina listed behind them at +160 odds.

4⃣ teams remain in Qatar, with France the new favorites to life the trophy
— bet365 US (@bet365_us) December 10, 2022

France was not favored to repeat their World Cup success from 2018 when the tournament opened in November. Even as they dominated the competition through the group stage and into the knockout matches, Neymar and the Brazilians remained the favorite to win it all. That all changed last weekend when Brazil was upset by Croatia in the quarterfinals.

Croatia is the underdog heading into the semifinals against Argentina, while France is the heavy favorite to defeat Morocco.