Who will win gold in Olympics soccer? Odds, favorites, greatest bets to win 2021 males's event in Tokyo

Anticipate the unpredictable. The Males’s Olympic Soccer Match is a distinct animal in the case of international soccer competitions.

That’s as a result of the tendencies, pattern dimension and information that’s accessible for senior nationwide groups over the course of months and years simply would not exist for the groups that may vie for males’s Olympic soccer gold in Tokyo: These are Below-24 groups assembled only for this competitors. Exterior of transient qualifying competitions, which normally occurred properly over a 12 months in the past, the gamers have by no means performed collectively in actual competitors.

After all, the explanation that Olympic males’s soccer has been an occasion with an age cutoff since 1992 (save for 3 over-age wildcards) is in order that it doesn’t battle with FIFA’s profitable males’s World Cup, which comes each 4 years. When skilled athletes had been allowed to take part within the Olympics, there wanted to be a solution to differentiate the 2 competitions.

MORE: Girls’s Olympic soccer betting information

Whereas established soccer nations would love so as to add an Olympic gold to their trophy case, it’s not deemed a significant competitors — the most effective gamers are additionally not required to take part, nor are their golf equipment compelled to launch them. The truth is, there are a number of gamers who wished to play on the Olympics, however didn’t get the clearance from the membership groups that lower their paychecks.

All of the above makes for a extra stage enjoying discipline on the Olympics, and a compelling event on various ranges. Whereas the ultimate normally options groups with pedigree, this competitors doesn’t comply with the accepted world soccer order: Honduras made the semifinals in 2016, Japan and South Korea did the identical in 2012 and Iraq vs. Paraguay was a semifinal in 2004.

If there was ever a event to take a flyer on a few outsiders, it’s this one.

Males’s 2021 Olympic Soccer Futures

The oddsmakers are clear: Spain, and its six holdovers from the Euro 2021 semifinalist squad, is the favourite to win gold. Spain is adopted by the opposite 4 massive names within the competitors: Brazil, France, Germany and Argentina. No shock there: It is all based mostly on the nations’ soccer popularity. Spain and Brazil do have essentially the most stacked rosters on the event, however till you see the massive groups in motion, it’s powerful to separate them.

The luck of the draw additionally issues in event soccer: Spain might meet Brazil in a quarterfinal pairing. That’s much more of a purpose to look previous the favorites and hone in on two longer photographs, which might see their costs shrink shortly a couple of video games into the event.

The Ivory Coast (+5000 to +6600) gained’t get any headline love, nevertheless it has a pathway to the ultimate. Led by AC Milan star Franck Kessie (above), the Ivorians’ model of play — a mix of elegant ability, creativity, dimension, athleticism and energy — will give suits to each Brazil and Germany in Group D. Spain or Argentina would face comparable matchup issues in an eventual quarterfinal, and the semifinal would see Ivory Coast meet one of many prime groups from the opposite facet of the bracket. However the one intimidating group there may be France, and that’s in title alone. The Ivorians would see it as a battle of equals.

Mexico is one other group that’s mispriced at +3300 to +4000, and that’s primarily due to the massive title (France) and host Japan in its group. However this Mexico group is deep and skilled — lots of the gamers have performed matches with the senior nationwide group — and it has gamebreakers on the roster. If the Mexicans can get out of the group, they’ll get to a semifinal and can like their probabilities as ignored underdogs if one of many powers get there (Spain, Argentina, Brazil or Germany).

Olympic futures: To Win a Medal

Just like what they do with the ladies’s competitors, U.S. sportsbook PointsBet has odds on males’s Olympic soccer groups profitable a medal. Spain (-325), Brazil (-250) and France (-170) are the one groups at minus cash.

Should you didn’t just like the Ivory Coast or Mexico to win the event, taking them to medal might be extra enticing: Mexico, led by Diego Lainez (under), is priced at +1200 and the Ivory Coast at +1600.

Japan (+400) and South Korea (+500), each have a single soccer bronze medal of their Olympic historical past, however in addition they have a observe document of falling brief in worldwide competitors and failing to give you the massive play once they want it most in opposition to the highest groups. But when a ahead star emerges for both of them, they may be capable of recover from the hump on this competitors and add a second soccer medal. They’re on the suitable facet of the bracket to do it.

Olympic futures: Group winners

Which groups can undoubtedly win their group and are undoubtedly not being given an actual shot by the oddsmakers? Properly, it’s these two groups once more: the Ivory Coast (+600 to +1000) in Group D and Mexico (+350 to +400) in Group A.

Group B is the weakest group of all of them, however the worldwide popularity of Honduras — the senior males’s group is ranked No. 67 on this planet — is carrying over into their Olympic worth to win the group (+500 to +600). However this Honduras group has carried out comparatively properly at latest Olympic tournaments, ending second within the group stage in each 2012 and 2016. They very properly may end brief once more this time, however chances are high good the Hondurans will enter the ultimate matchday in opposition to South Korea with a shot on the prime of the group.

A reminder that Honduras knocked off the U.S. Olympic group throughout qualifying. The Catrachos will think about Romania, South Korea and New Zealand as winnable video games.

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

High objective scorer

BetRivers has odds on the highest scorer of the boys’s Olympic competitors, and the record under options the gamers with +1000 or shorter odds.

Assuming a deep run within the event, Brazil winger Richarlison (+1000) could be essentially the most attention-grabbing title within the bunch, even forward of teammate and heart ahead Matheus Cunha (+500). He was harmful for a conservative Brazil group on the Copa America. If this Brazil Olympic group is extra expressive and attack-minded — and it gained’t take a lot to perform that by comparability — then Richarlison (above) ought to get his share of appears at objective. Plus, given Richarlison’s seniority, you’d think about that he’d be the one taking any in-game penalty kicks.

Exterior of this group of main contenders, Spain’s Dani Olmo (+1500) might be an attention-grabbing play for those who assume the Spanish will comply with via on their title of gold-medal favorites and dominate the competitors on their solution to the ultimate. His runs into the field from large or withdrawn positions made him a menace for Spain throughout Euro 2021.