Entain Introduces the Most Patriotic Punters for the 2022 FIFA World Cup

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is mere days away. Entain, the popular interactive entertainment group and sports betting leader, has released the results of its extensive survey into patriotic punters. Brazil wins the contest hands down, or feet up, with 50% of Brazilian sports betting fans backing the national team to win. If their predictions are correct, this will be the sixth time the team has achieved FIFA World Cup glory on the grand stage.

Portugal features in a close second, with 41% of respondents backing their team to win. Canadians are immensely enthusiastic about their team's prospects, given that this is the first time in 36 years that Canada has qualified for the World Cup. Entain found that 30% of Canadian punters are backing their national team to win in Qatar. The faves in this competition are the South American giants of football, Argentina and Brazil, while Canada is perceived as the underdog and a long shot.

UK Punters Split on Team Prospects

Ironically, host nation Qatar is the longest shot of all participating countries, dating back to the inception of the Football World Cup in 1930. Respondents in the UK have a mixed perception of their country's prospects in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. 2% of UK punters back Wales to win, and 18% back England to hoist the World Cup trophy. UK punters also reckon Argentina and Brazil have a 15% chance of winning the World Cup this year. A lacklustre performance by The Three Lions (just four goals in six games) resulted in them being relegated to League B.

England ranks among global sports bettors as a #3 selection behind Argentina and Brazil. Statistics suggest England has a 13% chance of winning the World Cup. In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, 16% of respondents backed the UK's England team to win the championship. However, football giant Spain is not faring so favourably on the European continent. Statistics indicate that just 9% of patriotic punters are backing them to win. As a result, Spain slotted into position #5 on the list, just beneath France at #4.

The CCO of Entain shared his thoughts on the patriotic punters' rankings,

We are just days away until the greatest spectacle on earth kicks off – the Football World Cup. Seeing the emotion and intense passion of players and football enthusiasts globally is fabulous. Our worldwide scale and bench strength of betting brands, along with our industry-leading tech, provide us with a unique perspective and set of abilities to offer punters exciting betting experiences, great content, and a slew of brand-new products designed to bring this incredible tournament to life. We look forward to the thrills and spills of a fabulous 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

This is the second time Italy has not featured in the FIFA World Cup. Still, Eurobet is hosting a parallel virtual World Cup by betting on a virtual match between Italy and other teams currently participating in the FIFA World Cup Qatar in shops and online. Players can still back the national team in this virtual FIFA World Cup.

Statistics from 2018 list the following top 5 teams in the FIFA World Cup vis-a-vis outright bets through June 14, 2018:

• Brazil – 19% of total bets on the WC
• Argentina – 14% of total bets on the WC
• England – 30% of total bets on the WC
• France – 9% of total bets on the WC
• Germany – 9% of total bets on the WC

Entain plc is listed on the LSE as a FTSE 100 company. It is one of the world's largest gaming groups and sports betting enterprises, with operations online and at bricks and mortar venues. The Entain Group owns myriad popular gaming brands and sports betting enterprises, notably Foxy bingo, Eurobet Ladbrokes, Sporting Bet, PartyPoker, PartyCasino Sports Interaction, and many more.