World Cup and Champions League best bets for 2022

2022 promises to be a blockbuster year of football. It will begin with a bang in January and February with the Africa Cup of Nations and conclude with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, while sandwiched in between is the usual packed calendar of domestic and continental football.

Serie A the pick of the Big 5 title races

As a fresh January rolls around, all of Europe’s major leagues look sadly predictable. A thrilling Premier League title race seemed on the cards until recent weeks, when slips from Chelsea and Liverpool have opened the door to Manchester City building a formidable ten-point advantage at the summit.

Pep Guardiola’s side have been bulletproof in the past in such situations, and as such they are given an 90% chance of winning the league. With Chelsea fading, Liverpool look their likeliest challengers but have only an 7% chance of lifting a second Premier League crown. It is hard to look past the Etihad side.

This pattern is repeated all over Europe, with Real Madrid priced at 1.14 to win in Spain, PSG 1.05 to regain their Ligue 1 title, and Bayern Munich 1.04 to lift the Bundesliga.

Only in Serie A is a genuine title race brewing. Inter hold a four-point edge over Milan, with the San Siro clubs priced 1.37 and 9.6 respectively to win the title. Third-placed Napoli, meanwhile, are 10.5, having struggled with their thin squad stretched through injury of late.

Wide open in Europe

With many of the domestic leagues heading for a one-sided finish, the Champions League is bound to attract a great deal of attention.

Manchester City are the favourites to lift the title for the first time, with a 27% chance of doing so. Their odds are increasingly shortening as their grip on the Premier League tightens, implying that they can focus increasingly on Europe and less at home.

Liverpool and Chelsea, at 15% and 11%, are both given a strong chance, but Bayern Munich are considered City’s nearest rivals, given a 20% shot.

Look for the winner of PSG and Real Madrid to dramatically shortened after their gigantic last-16 tie. Given an 8% and 5% chance respectively, the victor will see their odds slashed for the quarter-finals.

In the Europa League, meanwhile, Barcelona will start as favourites in their debut appearance. Although the Spaniards are clear front runners, there are a raft of clubs jostling to challenge them, among them West Ham at 13.00 and Napoli at 18.00.

Roma are favourites for the inaugural Europa Conference League at 7.6 ahead of Leicester City at 9.2 and Rennes at 11.00. This looks a competition that will be hard to call and could hinge on who is in a position to treat it most seriously at the business end.

Brazil are the current favourites to win the Qatar World Cup

Nothing to pick between World Cup favourites

The climax of the year’s football, meanwhile, will come in Qatar with what promises to be a unique World Cup.

Played in the middle of the European season, it promises to be an unpredictable affair, which is reflected in the betting market, which shows no clear favourite.

Brazil are shortest priced, but given a 14% chance of winning the competition, they are not being much more heavily backed than defending champions France at 13% or Euro 2020 runners-up England at 11%.

Spain, whose young side impressed in the recent Nations League, and Germany are both hovering around the 11% mark too, while Copa America winners Argentina are on offer at 8%.

Italy, the Euro 2020 champions, will face a dogfight in the playoffs to progress. North Macedonia should be negotiable enough, but Portugal or Turkey will be a major test, especially as it will be away from home. This more than anything is why they are presently given just a 6% chance of winning the competition, but should they qualify, their tournament pedigree is under no doubt.