Originally published as https://reurl.cc/lZl5ZQ
Whether you love football or not, you must be surrounded by FIFA World Cup 2022 from the 21 November. Until the champion shows up, this football passion will linger for about a month.
Just in the group stage of the World Cup, there were two significant upsets. Argentina and Germany both suffered 2–1 losses at the hands of Saudi Arabia and Japan, respectively. Although football is built for shocks, some football fans think that World Cup 2022 will surpass most people’s expectations.
Does the World Cup in 2022 “truly” defy prediction? We scraped betting odds from professional betting agencies and tried to find out the answer.
Why we scraped betting odds from betting agencies
We must first understand the reasoning behind sport betting odds. Betting odds, essentially, represent how individuals think the game will turn out. The more people are optimistic about a team winning a game, the more bets they will have on this team. At the same time, betting companies make fortunes by collecting a commission on losing bets. So, to maximize profits, betting agencies will provide higher odds on the underdog, or hedge their best to prevent large payout.
Every professional betting agency has a statistical model with extensive data. They are more knowledgeable than others about a team’s chances of winning a game. Therefore, by examining betting…
