The Round of 16 has been delivering on all fronts, with a plethora of goals being scored at most matches and top-tier performances from the stars. The stage is set for some of the most memorable World Cup football in the upcoming quarterfinals and beyond. With two games remaining to be played, the excitement is at its peak as the "real" World Cup begins, where the cream of the crop is picked and legends are born.
One of the standout promotions currently available is the Stake Score First, You Win Promotion, where you can place a bet on a World Cup match on the 1×2 (90′ + stoppage time) market and receive up to $250 USD if the team you select scores the first goal of the match, regardless of the final result. This is an amazing opportunity to course correct on your original choice before the game and either raise the stakes or attempt to save a bad ticket with a winning one.
The stats are also telling an interesting story, with France leading the way in terms of goals scored (14) and assists (12), followed closely by Belgium (13 and 9), Norway (12 and 9), and England (11 and 9). Spain has a big disparity between goals and assists, with 9 goals from 8 assists, while Argentina has 11 goals from 5 assists. Belgium has the most attempts at goal with 107, followed by Spain with 93, France with 88, Canada with 81, and England with 80.
The record for the number of goals scored in a World Cup has also been broken, with 275 goals scored in 94 matches, an average of 2.93 goals per match. This is an absolute record, and the expected goal tally for the remaining games is likely to go well over 300. On the other hand, Spain is famously yet to concede a goal, extending their streak to 5 straight clean sheets for Unai Simon, a World Cup record.
The Golden Boot race is also heating up, with three players already reaching 7 goals each: Kylian Mbappe (France), Lionel Messi (Argentina), and Erling Haaland (Norway). Harry Kane (England) has 6 goals to his name, and Ousmane Dembele (France), Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain), and Jude Bellingham (England) have all found the net 4 times. The odds are favoring Mbappe to take the top spot, but Messi is second in the odds race with 2.65.
The remaining games in the Round of 16 are set to be thrilling, with Argentina taking on Egypt and Colombia playing Switzerland. Argentina is the clear favorite against Egypt, with 1.32 odds to win, while Colombia is favored by a margin against Switzerland, with 2.24 odds. The draw odds for both games are relatively high, at 3.05 and 3.05, respectively.
The quarterfinals matchups are also shaping up to be exciting, with France favored against Morocco, Spain against Belgium, and Norway against England. The odds are in favor of France and Spain, but Norway and England are the most balanced of the four teams, with 3.90 and 1.89 odds, respectively. Outright bets are also an interesting aspect of the tournament, with France leading the way with 2.70 odds to win the title, followed closely by Spain and Argentina with 5.00 odds each.
The Round of 16 has a rich history, with many iconic moments and upsets making their mark on the tournament. It is where the World Cup becomes a true single elimination phase, where everything changes with a loss, and tied matches go to extra time and, if needed, a penalty shootout. Underdogs often make their biggest statement here, and the stage has produced some of the tournament's greatest upsets.
