FIFA Women's World Cup

2023 Women's World Cup odds: USWNT injuries mount, yet title odds shorten

Updated Jun. 27, 2023 2:49 a.m. ET

Patrick Everson

FOX Sports Betting Analyst

Ace defender Becky Sauerbrunn, captain of the U.S. Women’s National Team, will miss the World Cup due to a foot injury.

Forward Megan Rapinoe is on the roster, but she’s dealing with a calf issue.

Likewise, midfielder Rose Lavelle is on the roster but hasn’t fully recovered from an April knee injury.

And that’s not the end of the U.S. squad’s injury issues.

So it would be safe to assume that Team USA’s World Cup odds have taken at least a little hit.

But you know what happens when you assume, right?

Casey Degnon, senior risk supervisor at The SuperBook, addresses that assumption and more in discussing the USWNT’s odds to win the World Cup, which opens July 20 in Australia and New Zealand.

Stronger favorite

Along with Sauerbrunn missing the World Cup, Team USA also won’t have forward Catarina Macario, who announced in May that she won’t be fully recovered from an ACL injury. Similarly, striker Mallory Swanson suffered a torn patella tendon in April and won’t play in the 32-team tournament.

So what’s happened with the U.S. in the World Cup futures odds market?

"The USA opened +275 back in December, which is the longest we had them," Degnon said. "We’re currently at +200, which is the shortest odds we’ve offered on the USA so far."

You read that correctly. Despite the absence of three players and lingering injuries of two more, Team USA is a bigger favorite than when The SuperBook first posted World Cup odds. England is the +350 second choice, followed by Spain (+650) and Germany (+700).

Degnon said the improved odds speak in part to the depth of the U.S. squad.

"The injuries have had no impact because the roster is still loaded," he said. "The bets continue to roll in on the Americans, so there’s no reason to raise their odds and give the public better odds on a side. They want to bet [on Team USA] no matter who suits up."

Far and away the popular play

Indeed, at The SuperBook and surely many other U.S. sportsbooks, no other team is getting nearly the attention of Team USA.

"The USA is still the leader in the clubhouse, in terms of ticket count and money wagered," Degnon said.

In fact, perhaps a little patriotism is part of the mindset. It’s generally good advice to not bet with your heart. But when that wager is on the most dominant program in the history of international women’s soccer, it’s a lot easier to patriotically plop down some cash.

"Anytime the public can bet on America against other countries, they’re going to do it. Especially in a sport like women’s soccer, where Team USA has dominated for so long," Degnon said. "I’m not even sure the odds matter at this point. We would see action on Team USA, no matter what."

Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas

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