Only two teams in the top 10 of the FIFA World Rankings remain at the 2018 World Cup. Those two, Belgium and France, will face each other to see who advances to the World Cup final on Tuesday. Bettors are lining up to place wagers and sportsbooks have updated their 2018 World Cup odds to win it all. France is going off as the favorite at 2-1 in the latest World Cup odds 2018, followed closely by Belgium (9-4), England (7-2) and Croatia (11-2). Don't make any 2018 World Cup picks without seeing what European football expert David Sumpter has to say.
Sumpter is an applied mathematician who wrote "Soccermatics," the book that shows how math works inside the game. Together with experienced analysts, Sumpter developed the powerful Soccerbot model.
The Soccerbot reads current odds and all team performance data, calculates key metrics and predicts upcoming matches. In the 2.5 seasons since it was born, the Soccerbot is up 1,800 percent on bookmakers' closing odds. That's right -- 1,800 percent.
The Soccerbot is destroying the World Cup knockout stage. It correctly predicted draws in regulation for Spain-Russia (+280), Croatia-Denmark (+225) and England-Colombia (+215) and was all over France beating Uruguay in regulation to reach the semifinals, not to mention Brazil and Belgium cruising in their Round of 16 matchups. Earlier, the model nailed draws for Argentina-Iceland (+385) and Brazil-Switzerland (+360) and predicted Iran upsetting Morocco at +275, just to name a few of its big calls. Anyone who has followed it is way, way up.
Now, with sportsbooks updating their 2018 World Cup odds to win heading into the quarterfinals, Sumpter's model has revealed every country's exact probability of winning it all. And you can find out who to target and who to fade only at SportsLine.
One surprise the model is calling for: France, the 2018 World Cup favorite at 2-1, has just a 26.7 percent chance of winning it all, less than its odds imply.
France has reached the World Cup semifinal for the sixth time in its history. Les Blues have progressed to the World Cup final twice (1998 and 2006), winning the trophy as the host nation in 1998. After knocking off Uruguay in the quarterfinals, France will now face Belgium in the 2018 World Cup semifinals to see who will represent its nation on the world's biggest stage.
France has 2016 European Championship Golden Boot winner Antoine Griezmann on its side. France has not lost a game in which Griezmann has found the back of the net (18W, 2D, 0L). And Griezmann has scored seven goals in his last six appearances in the knockout stages of major tournaments. However, the model doesn't like the value on Les Blues.
France defeated a Uruguayan side that was missing star striker Edinson Cavini in the quarterfinals. Even though France needs just one victory to reach the 2018 World Cup final, the model sees too many potential pitfalls for this squad. There are far better values available at Russia 2018.
The model has also identified a heavy favorite that you need to avoid like the plague. Backing this team could lead to a disastrous ending to your 2018 World Cup picks.
So which team has the best chance to win the 2018 World Cup? And which long shots can go all the way? Check out the updated odds below and then visit SportsLine now to see which teams have the best chance to win the 2018 World Cup, all from a European football expert whose model returned an 1,800 percent profit on the bookmakers' closing odds.
France 2-1
Belgium 9-4
England 7-2
Croatia 11-2
Uruguay 14-1
Russia 18-1
Sweden 20-1
