Eric Uribe
What started with a 12-team field at the 2020 Olympic Games is now down to eight countries in women’s soccer. From here on out, the gold medal will be decided by a win-or-go-home knockout bracket. Having a clear picture of what’s ahead — who plays who and what side of the bracket teams are on — makes betting predictions for women’s soccer all the much easier, hence why we’re doing just that.
But first, let’s see what every remaining country’s odds are at winning the gold medal. Per online sportsbooks, here’s how each country currently fares:
| Country |  |  |
| USA | +100 | +150 |
| Great Britain | +350 | +400 |
| Sweden | +500 | +450 |
| Netherlands | +600 | +600 |
| Brazil | +650 | +650 |
| Canada | +1400 | +1500 |
| Australia | +1600 | +1600 |
| Japan | +2000 | +2000 |
US Women’s Soccer Betting Advice
The 2019 World Cup champion Americans were the big favorites before the group stage began. Most books had them around -200 to win the gold beforehand. Now? USWNT’s odds at winning have nosedived to +100 after a very subpar performance in the group stage.
In the opener, Sweden — who eliminated the Americans at the 2016 Olympics — shellacked them 3-0. The humbling defeat ended a 44-game unbeaten streak for the USA. Sure, they rebounded the next game, beating lowly New Zealand 6-1, but finished the group with a 0-0 outing versus Australia.
In that last game against the Aussies, the American women purposely played for the tie (which was all they needed to advance to the knockout round anyway). But let me ask you this, as a bettor, does playing for a tie — rather than stomping out a weaker opponent — give you confidence?
It sure as hell doesn’t for us! Seriously, what happened to the trash-talking USA team that cruised to a World Cup title in 2019? Conservative, play-not-to-lose soccer wasn’t in that team’s DNA unlike this iteration two years later.
Call us crazy, but we’re not putting any money on the Americans to win gold — and neither should you. This team is a lot older (Alex Morgan is 32, Megan Rapino is 36, etc.) and slower than the dominant teams of the recent past. They’ll meet their maker in the knockout round sooner rather than later.
Betting Pick To Make — Sweden
If not the USA, then who? How ’bout that team that rocked them 3-0 to begin the Olympics? Yep, we like the Swedes’ chances a lot. After beating the Americans, they won routs in their next two group games, finishing with a plus-seven goal differential in the stage.
Plus, it’s not like that 3-0 win was a fluke. Sweden has consistently performed high in women’s international soccer. They’re currently ranked No. 5 in FIFA’s World Rankings. They won third place at the 2019 World Cup and runner-up at the 2016 Games.
Given its sheer experience up and down the roster, we’re willing to bet Sweden finally “gets over the hump” this Summer and wins a major championship. They’re hungry and its “window of opportunity” is closing due to some aging players themselves. That’ll drive them to a championship victory.
Betting Pick To Make — Netherlands
If you’re fading the Americans like us, it would behoove you to wager with two separate teams. It makes all the sense in the world given the current odds. Say you bet $100 each way on Sweden (+500) and Netherlands (+600) for a total cost of $200. If either one wins, you make double your money at the very least (triple if the Dutch are victorious).
Trust us, taking a double-sided approach to soccer wagering is the smart strategy. We all know soccer is notorious for upsets — you know, the team that dominates the possession but can’t get the ball in the net or the unlucky penalty kick that swings a team’s fortunes. If you have two bets, you’re “insuring” yourself against that very unpredictability.
To go along with our Sweden pick, we’re also riding the Netherlands. Both teams are on the opposite side of the knockout bracket so that’s another mini-hedge on your part. Netherland draws the US next, but as we’ve said, we do think that’s a winnable matchup for them. This Dutch team is absolutely explosive, hence why they put up an eye-popping 21 goals in the group stage.
How To Watch Olympic Soccer In The U.S.
The quarterfinals of the knockout round go down on July 30. The semis are three days after that (August 2) before the championship game on August 6.
TV coverage will be different based on the round. The NBC Sports Network will air the quarterfinals matchups, before coverage switches to the USA network for the semis and finals. Due to the time difference in Tokyo, almost all the games, sans the final, will air live in the wee hours of the morning — between 4 am and 7 am EST.
Of course, the women’s soccer event is one of dozens upon dozens that can be bet on during the Olympic Games. If you want to find more 2020 Olympic bets, then we strongly advise heading to one of the betting sites featured in the table underneath. These bookmakers could be your one-stop shop for wagering on the Olympics.
Even better, they’re currently offering huge promotional bonuses to bettors. What we do mean by “huge”, you ask? Look at the table. See those $1000 figures? Yep, that’s the max free play available at certain bookmakers. To claim your own bonus — which can be used immediately after on Olympics betting — just follow one of the links below to begin the promo process.
