2023 Women's World Cup odds: Who do you like in the next round?

The first match day of the Women's World Cup comes to a close tonight as Colombia takes on South Korea in Sydney. There have been plenty of shocks, from Sam Kerr's injury to Alex Morgan's missed penalty, and the betting field looks very different than it did seven days ago.

But which teams have seen the biggest change in their likelihood of taking home the World Cup trophy? What happened to create that shift? And who has become, for better or worse, appointment viewing in Round 2?

Teams on the rise ... 

Brazil (+3200 to +1600) 

We had good things earmarked for Brazil, but nothing quite this good. Pia Sundhage’s team obliterated debutantes Panama 4-0 in Round 1, with Racing Louisville’s Ary Borges picking up the round’s only hat trick. The team made the biggest positive jump in odds of anyone, but to understand why, we must look beyond its own match and toward the other game from Group F: France vs. Jamaica.

As the fifth-best team in the world, France was expected to crush Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz. But France was wasteful in front of goal and Jamaica was skilled and tenacious in midfield, and the two teams ended up battling out a 0-0 draw. France — once expected to challenge Brazil for first place in Group F — is now languishing with one point while Brazil sits pretty with three. France must beat Brazil in their Round 2 clash to have any hope of resetting the group table. Not a bad day's work for the Brazilian women.

Japan (+3400 to +2500) 

Previous World Cup winners Japan stormed into Round 1 on a mission, beating the Copper Queens of Zambia 5-0 in one of the most complete team performances of the round. While Zambia was an underdog in this game, it wasn’t expected to get hammered; remember, Zambia recently beat European powerhouse Germany in a pre-Cup friendly. Accordingly, Japan’s massive win doesn’t come with an asterisk or a footnote; it’s just good old-fashioned hard work.

While Japan shares a group with Spain, another team who pulled off a masterclass in its first match, its World Cup outlook is rosy. Japan’s five goals give it a significant lead on goal difference, and that will matter if it winds up ending the group stage tied with Spain on points.