football | Thursday, November 17, 2022 3:15 PM (Revised at: Friday, November 18, 2022 1:56 PM)

Which World Cup Nation’s Fans Will Make the Best Predictions

Sam Ingram

2022 World Cup bet365 Fan Nation Survey: Which Nation’s Fans Will Make the Best World Cup Predictions?

The World Cup is growing ever closer. The colder months and the domestic season building up a head of steam suggests the tournament couldn’t be further away, but it is, and here we are. With the competition now just days away, which nation’s fans will make the best World Cup predictions? It’s an interesting topic.

The bet365 Fan Nation Survey will help us find out. bet365 have quizzed supporters from around the globe for their predictions for this World Cup. We’ll check back in once Harry Kane and company have lifted the trophy (England fan – my apologies).

What do England Fans Predict for the World Cup?

What England fans wish for and what they predict are two completely different entities for some following the Three Lions in Qatar. Notably, ‘some’ is the keyword there. In fact, 21.24% of England supporters believe Harry Kane will receive the individual goal-focused accolade. Nevertheless, it’s not all blind optimism. The Spurs frontman is the favourite with the bookies to clinch the Golden Boot.

At 8.00, Kane has shrugged off stiff competition from Kylian Mbappe (10.00), Benzema (13.00) and Neymar (13.00) as the tournament’s most-fancied before a ball is kicked.

The next most popular with the England supporters? That falls to Cristiano Ronaldo at 17.70%. Golden Boot winner Karim Benzema (14.50%) rounds off the top three for England fans, whilst 9.73% think Lionel Messi’s last World Cup will be one to remember in front of goal. It makes for an interesting contrast with bet365’s odds for this unpredictable market.

Between the sticks is a similar story, as 30.09% in Jordan Pickford’s favour commands the (Three) lion’s share of the votes. Furthermore, Liverpool shot-stopper Allison gets the nod from 12.39% in second spot, proposing that England supporters see the Samba Boys as having a sturdy defence alongside the usual attacking flair and artistry.

At 5.50 on bet365, Allison is etched firmly at the forefront of the bookmaker’s thinking. Brazil’s number one is the favourite for the Golden Glove, with England’s own at tenth choice at a lofty 17.00. Clearly, the England fans think they know better.

What Have 71% of Argentinean Fans and 10% of Brazilian Fans Got in Common?

A finding from the bet365 Fan Nation Survey, which is in no way an extraordinary conclusion considering his status in the nation, is that Argentinian fans are backing Lionel Messi to finish the tournament as the top goalscorer. Interestingly, 10% of Brazilians think the diminutive PSG forward will pip the likes of Neymar, Richarlison and Vinicius Junior to the gong.

Cynics will say Argentina fans hacked the vote and posed as Brazil supporters. Thinking about it, that could be legitimate. To something that makes much more sense, the largest cohort of Brazil supporters (43.41%) believe Neymar has what it takes to register a hatful on FIFA’s most prominent International stage.

Harry Kane? He doesn’t take the Brazilians’ fancy at all. A whopping 0% of those in the bet365 Fan Nation Survey foresee the Englishman taking the Golden Boot home to make it a pair after his 2018 success.

Elsewhere, Scottish fans believing Jordan Pickford (26%) will come up trumps with the Golden Glove is a little surprising. Of course, the Scots won’t be in Qatar, but supporting England is likely not on their agenda either.

A section heralding from that side of the border also believes that Harry Kane (14%) has a genuine chance of netting the most goals. However, as they have done throughout their careers, Lionel Messi’s 19% and Cristiano Ronaldo’s 16% pits the pairing first and second.

Which Nation’s Fans Will Make the Best Bettors?

The kind of blind optimism found within a nation as it gets swept up in an expectant whirlwind of longing and hope will undoubtedly sway the thinking of the masses as a major tournament approaches. So, when considering which nation’s fans will make the best bettors, we can look at it one of two ways.

Assume that Brazil wins the lot, backed by an adoring nation every step of the way. Do Brazilians betting on Brazil to win every match, and their doing so, make them the best bettors? It’s too early to say.

The neutrals. They may prove more successful. For those not attending Qatar, the next couple of months will be a struggle. However, from a betting perspective, they’ll have few ties to nations and no real want for countries to overcome one another. With that thought process, perhaps the results of those who failed to make the tournament are something to analyse more closely.

In Northern Ireland, Cristiano Ronaldo (29.41%) takes the goalscoring mantle as Jordan Pickford (23.53%) trumps the Golden Glove vote for football fans. With Scotland fans reaching the same outcome for the Golden Glove, maybe Pickford at 17.00 is a value pick.

It’s too early to say. We’ll pick this up after the tournament and see which nation’s fans perform the best.

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The bet365 Fan Nation Survey has been powered by survey data collected from Censuswide.