The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar officially kicked off on Sunday, November 20th, in which the host nation, Qatar, lost 2-0 to Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium in the first game of Group A. It was the first time in the tournament’s history that a host nation has lost the opening game. The question being asked about the world cup here is, will all the attention be on Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for different reasons?

Will the focus be on Ronaldo and Messi?

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina’s Lionel Messi are widely regarded as being two of the greatest players of modern times, and they are both currently competing in their fourth world cup. Both players have won every major trophy there is to have possibly won throughout their glittering careers, but the only trophy to have evaded both players is the highly coveted world cup trophy. The spotlight, therefore, will be on both players to take their nations to glory. 

What are the groups?

• Qatar, Senegal, Ecuador, and Netherlands are all in Group A
• Iran, USA, Wales, and England are in Group B
• Saudi Arabia, Poland, Mexico, and Argentina are in Group C
• Tunisia, France, Denmark, and Australia are in Group D
• Spain, Japan, Germany, and Costa Rica are in Group E
• Morocco, Croatia, Canada, and Belgium are in Group F
• Switzerland, Serbia, Cameroon, and Brazil are in Group G
• Uruguay, Portugal, South Korea, and Ghana and in Group H

What are the chances of Ronaldo or Messi lifting the world cup?

To get a much better understanding of just how likely it is that Argentina or Portugal will win this year’s world cup, the best thing to do would be to look to the major sports betting websites, such as www.10bet.co.za, to find out exactly what kind of odds are currently shown for each team to win the world cup outright. 

It’s still early days yet, and although Portugal have what some might call a relatively ‘easy’ group, the odds aren’t looking good for the European side, who are currently around eighth odds-on favourites to win the world cup, which is behind the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France, England, Argentina, and Brazil. They are currently priced at around +1500 in American/moneyline odds, which equates to 15/1 in UK fractional odds, and 16.00 in European decimal odds. 

In comparison, Argentina (second odds-on favourites to win outright) are currently priced at around +500 (which is 5/1, or 6.00). In other words, a much safer bet that’s more likely to return you a profit would be to put your money on Argentina. The current odds-on favourite team to win the world cup outright is Brazil, who are currently priced at around +335 (which is 10/3, or 4.35). 

Upcoming fixtures for Argentina and Portugal

After playing Saudi Arabia in Group C on Tuesday, November 22nd, at the Lusail Stadium, Argentina goes on to play Mexico on November 26th at 19:00 GMT at the Lusail Stadium, and then on Wednesday, November 30th, at 19:00, they play their third group game against Poland at Stadium 974. Portugal’s opening game in Group H is against Ghana at Stadium 974 on November 24th, at 16:00. On Monday, November 28th at 19:00, they play Uruguay at the Lusail Stadium, and then they play South Korea on Friday, December 2nd, at 15:00, at the Education City Stadium. 

Things to remember when gambling for real money

Here are some of the most important things you should try and remember when gambling for real money at any fully licensed gambling site, whether it’s a sports betting site, poker site, or online casino. Where possible, it’s always a good idea to try and set limits to help you stay in much better control of how much you spend. You can often set deposit limits, session time limits, and even spending limits. 

Don’t forget that no bet is guaranteed, no matter how good the odds may seem, and that gambling is meant to be fun. If you’re not having fun anymore, and if you think that you’re gambling out of sheer necessity, then the best thing to do would be to stop gambling for a while and only come back to it when you’re in a much better frame of mind. Gambling for real money isn’t a great way to earn a side income, so try not to think of it as a job. Also, never chase your losses because it could end up with you losing even more money.