- Tournament expanded to 48 teams so 32 (66.6%) now advance from groups — makes the group stage much easier and has pushed sportsbooks to shorten odds.
- Spain, Argentina, Brazil and Germany (plus England) are overwhelming favorites to reach the knockout round (books list them around -10000).
- The U.S. is a solid favorite in its group (-750), while fun longshots exist — e.g., DR Congo (+100), New Zealand (+150) and Curaçao (+1000) — great fodder for upset talk.
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