Who will win Group B in the 2022 World Cup?

Group B will likely be the one of most interest to many punters, as England will be taking on Wales, Iran, and the USA. The Three Lions come into the group as huge favourites to not only qualify but also top it, although there has been historical precedent for English struggles in relatively comfortable-looking groups - with the 2010 World Cup being perhaps the most memorable recent example. Gareth Southgate will be hoping for no such hiccups this time around, as he looks to build on the side's semi-final showing in the 2018 World Cup and final loss in the Euros.

Can the Three Lions finally bring it home for the first time since 1966? In the second of our World Cup feature blogs, we will take a closer look at some of the key Spreadex markets to watch out for and preview the betting odds* for each team in Group B!

*Prices subject to change, spread betting losses may exceed deposit

WHAT ARE THE WORLD CUP ODDS ON ENGLAND IN GROUP A?

England have performed very strongly in both of their last two international tournaments, reaching a semi-final and a final - could this be third time lucky and see them lifting the trophy? They have, however, looked shaky in recent matches and had a terrible Nations League campaign in which they suffered two humiliating defeats to Hungary which saw them relegated to League B. Gareth Southgate will be hopeful they will put that fully behind them and show their class against opposition they will be heavily favoured against. 

As such, the Three Lions come into this campaign as clear betting favourites to win Group B, with an opening spread of 18.5 - 20 on the binary 25-10-5-0 market. This means that the market settles at 25 if they come top, 10 if they finish second, 5 if they finish third, and 0 if they finish bottom. On the fixed odds, they are available at 4/9 to win the group, 1/10 to qualify, and 6/1 not to qualify. As England are one of the favourites to become outright champions, their Tournament Winner odds are 15/2 on the fixed odds and with a spread price of 32 - 35.

Much of the goalscoring threat is expected to rest on captain Harry Kane, just as it did four years ago when he secured the Golden Boot. The Spurs man is now only two goals behind Wayne Rooney as the top goalscorer in England's history. He is favoured to repeat that feat here and is available at 6/1 to be the top goalscorer in the competition, with a Tournament PGM spread of 140 - 155 and a Tournament Goals spread of 2.7 - 3. On the Highest Team Scoring Index market, England are available at 16.5 - 19.5. In this market, the top scoring nation will have a market settlement of 100, with the second-highest settling at 50 and third-highest at 25.

WHAT ARE THE WORLD CUP ODDS ON WALES IN GROUP A?

The Dragons secured their place in the tournament with a hard-fought victory over Ukraine in the play-offs and will now be contesting just their second ever World Cup and first since way back in 1958 as they achieved an impressive run to the quarter-finals. With this tournament being likely the last time many of the golden generation of Welsh players like star man Gareth Bale, as well as Aaron Ramsey and others represent the team, they will be hopeful of at least reaching the knockout stages here.

In terms of the betting odds for this time, Wales are available with an opening spread of 7.5 - 9 on the Group B index, and on the fixed odds at 11/2 to win the group, 6/5 to qualify or 8/11 not to qualify.

The Welsh hopes will greatly rely on the performance of now-ageing superstar Gareth Bale, who was instrumental in leading his side to this tournament and has indicated this is most likely going to be his swansong as his career winds down. The former Real Madrid and Tottenham man is available at 50/1 to finish as the competition's leading goalscorer, with a Tournament Goals spread of 1.15 - 1.35 and a Tournament PGM spread of 60 - 70.

WHAT ARE THE WORLD CUP ODDS ON USA IN GROUP A?

Football in the USA has been gradually improving due to the continued influx of talent into the MLS - namely Gareth Bale himself, investment into grass roots football, and the emergence of several young or upcoming American talents including players such as Chelsea's Christian Pulisic and Juventus' Weston McKennie. They have featured in ten World Cups so far, and even reached the semi-finals back in the first edition of tournament in 1930. That would likely be a step too far here but replicating more recent results such as the Round of 16 in their last two appearances in 2010 and 2014 would likely be an acceptable result.

'The Stars and Stripes' come into the tournament with a Group B index spread of 8.5 - 10, slightly ahead of Wales as second favourites behind England, and on the fixed odds at 9/2 to top the group, and 10/11 to either qualify or not qualify. The Americans were in England's group back in 2010, and infamously grabbed a 1-1 draw due to Robert Green's goalkeeping howler.

Will they be able to be a thorn in England's side once again when they face off with the Three Lions and qualify for another knockout stage appearance?

WHAT ARE THE WORLD CUP ODDS ON IRAN IN GROUP A?

And finally, group B's outsiders will be the Asian representatives Iran, who will be competing in their sixth World Cup. However, they have not tasted much success so far in the competition and have never qualified from the group stages. They do however currently occupy the 20th ranking in the FIFA World Rankings and may find the Qatar climate easier to acclimatise to than their group rivals here.

In terms of the betting odds, Iran are available with a Group Index spread of 3.5 - 5, and on the fixed odds at 10/1 to win Group B, 10/3 to qualify and 2/9 not to qualify. The Iranians have generally shown themselves to be an organised and defensively solid team, so will prove a tough nut to crack in this group. They conceded just two goals in three matches in the 2018 World Cup, and would hope to be just as solid here to give themselves a fair chance.

Can they spring a big shock and finally secure qualification from the group stages?