England fans might not have been convinced that World Cup glory was on the horizon before the tournament begun – but hope is slowly growing, as betting statistics prove.
Data from Entain reveals that slowly, confidence is growing as the number of UK bets on England to win the World Cup changes with every game. Just 18% of UK bets before the World Cup were on the Three Lions to lift the Coupe de Monde – thanks, surely, to a disastrous Nations League showing over the summer – but opinion is beginning to shift with each stage of the tournament.
That 18% increased to 27% when England battered Iran 6-2 and put out a statement to the rest of the world that they were to be reckoned with in Qatar. Given how few nations looked as impressive as Gareth Southgate's team after the first game, maybe this isn't surprising.
That number dropped down to 22% as England crashed down to Earth on the second matchday. The Three Lions were lacklustre against United States – and sure enough, the betting patterns reflected that.
Hope was back up by the Wales victory, however. 33% of the country got behind the idea of a win as Southgate displayed the depth at his disposal, bringing in the likes of Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden for the 3-0 romp as Senegal watched on.
A whopping 42% of the United Kingdom bet on an England World Cup win during the Round of 16, though – almost half of all bets placed.
Perhaps this is a pattern we should have expected. One can only imagine how patriotism will rise should the Three Lions get through their next clash…
