One unfavorable result can produce a major shift in odds for group winners in the World Cup. That became evident over the first five days of the 2026 tournament.
Several favorites to win their groups settled for draws in their opening matches, which created changes in their odds. The biggest modification occurred with Switzerland, who squandered a late lead and settled for a 1-1 draw with Qatar in their first Group B contest after an own goal during stoppage time.
Switzerland entered the 2026 World Cup as -135 favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook to finish atop the group. Their odds moved to +110 following the draw, and their status as the favorite is unstable. Canada played to a 1-1 draw with Bosnia & Herzegovina, which slightly moved their odds at the sportsbook from +170 to +165.
ODDS TO WIN GROUP B
TEAM | PRE-TOURNAMENT | AFTER FIRST MATCH |
Switzerland | -125 | +110 |
Canada | +170 | +165 |
Bosnia & Herzegovina | +500 | +440 |
Qatar | +4000 | +2700 |
Another team that still is favored to win its group but now have plus odds by virtue of a tournament-opening draw is the Netherlands. The Dutch, who were priced at -130 to place first in Group F at FanDuel before the World Cup began, are now at +120 as they battled Japan to a 2-2 draw in their first match.
Forward Crysencio Summerville gave the Netherlands a 2-1 lead in the 64th minute with a shot that caromed off the post and into the net, but the Japanese answered when Koki Ogawa's header in the 88th minute deflected off teammate Daichi Kamada and past Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
The draw didn't significantly change Japan's odds to win the group, however. They were priced at +250 at FanDuel prior to the start of the World Cup and currently are +220.
ODDS TO WIN GROUP F
TEAM | PRE-TOURNAMENT | AFTER FIRST MATCH |
Netherlands | -130 | +120 |
Japan | +250 | +220 |
Sweden | +460 | +230 |
Tunisia | +1400 | +8000 |
The talk of the tournament after five days is Spain, who were the favorites at FanDuel to win their second World Cup title with odds of +470. The Spaniards now are the second favorite at +500 after their stunning 0-0 draw with Cabo Verde on Monday, with 2018 champions France (+420) becoming the current top choice.
Despite the disappointing outcome of their first match, Spain remain the huge favorites to win Group H. They were priced at -450 at sportsbook when they entered the tournament and dropped to -270 while Uruguay, whose match against Saudi Arabia ended in a 1-1 draw, moved from +420 to +340.
Cabo Verde's odds to win the group improved tremendously after the draw with Spain, but they remain extreme longshots at +1800. However, it's notable that they now have the same odds at FanDuel as Ecuador and Czechia, both of whom lost their opening matches, to win their respective groups. Ecuador was at +320 to win Group E prior to the start of the World Cup while Czechia was +390 to finish first in Group A.
ODDS TO WIN GROUP H
TEAM | PRE-TOURNAMENT | AFTER FIRST MATCH |
Spain | -450 | -270 |
Uruguay | +420 | +340 |
Saudi Arabia | +4500 | +2000 |
Cabo Verde | +5000 | +1800 |
One other team that saw a big change in its odds to win its group at FanDuel following its first match is five-time World Cup champions Brazil. The club, which entered the tournament priced at -320 to capture Group C, dropped to -160 as a result of its 1-1 draw with Morocco.
The Moroccans opened the scoring on Ismael Saibari's chip shot in the 21st minute, but the Brazilians leveled the match 11 minutes later as Vinicius Junior fired the ball past goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. Morocco's odds to win Group C moved from +300 to +220 with the deadlock.
ODDS TO WIN GROUP C
TEAM | PRE-TOURNAMENT | AFTER FIRST MATCH |
Brazil | -320 | -160 |
Morocco | +300 | +220 |
Scotland | +1000 | +600 |
Haiti | +12500 | +17500 |











