With an abundance of international football taking place this summer, many fans have somewhat understandably forgotten about the upcoming Olympics football tournament which takes place in Paris. With the first set of matches getting underway on July 24th, the group stages will follow hot on the heels of both the Euro 2024 final and the conclusion of the 2024 Copa America.
Football has been a staple at this quadrennial event since 1936, however, the women’s game is a relatively recent addition and only made its debut in Atlanta just under twenty years ago.
What Are the Bookies Saying?
It’s been an exceptionally busy summer for bookmakers and although the Olympics won’t command the same level of interest as the aforementioned Euros, there is still likely to be plenty of betting activity.
Hosts France are the early favourites to clinch gold in front of a partisan home crowd, however, Argentina, led by former midfielder U23 coach Javier Mascherano aren’t far behind in the outright betting market.
Spain are third in the betting and they will be aiming to become the first European winners of this event since their success at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Morocco are fourth in the betting and will be aiming to pick up a maiden success and follow in the footsteps of fellow African nations Nigeria and Cameroon, who were both victorious in the 1990s.
The women’s tournament, which begins on July 25th, is likely to be highly competitive with many of the high-profile nations opting to name strong squads. USA are the current favourites and will be managed by former Chelsea boss Emma Hayes. She has named a strong squad which includes ten members of the 2023 World Cup squad.
Spain are currently priced up as the second favourites with France, Germany and Japan also prominently positioned in the betting. Canada, who will be aiming to defend their crown are available at around 25/1 with the majority of online betting sites. They have reached the knock-out stages in each of their last four appearances at this event.
What Olympic Markets Can I Bet On?
Understandably, many bookmakers have prioritised other tournaments this summer, however, there are plenty of betting markets priced up for this upcoming event.
In a bid to ramp up the excitement, the majority of betting sites have created a dedicated Olympics hub with their accompanying online casinos launching and heavily promoting a selection of absorbing Olympic-themed online slots such as Goals of Glory and Legends of Olympia.
These provide a terrific way to get into the spirit of the games and new players can use some of the welcome bonuses on offer to test out these exciting new additions.
Although football is likely to be popular, bookmakers have also priced up markets on athletics, hockey, handball, rugby sevens and water polo.
Who are the Likely Winners?
Home advantage gives France the upper hand and it’s easy to see why they’ve been priced up as the favourites, however, Argentina could be a better option. Mascherano has named four World Cup winners in his squad including Thiago Almada, Nicolas Otamendi, Geronimo Rulli and Julian Alvarez, who will be a very familiar name to fans of the Premier League.
Thierry Henry’s France squad includes Jean-Phillipe Mateta, who comes off the back of a strong season with Crystal Palace, and he will be joined by former teammate and recent Bayern Munich acquisition Michael Olise.
Spain appear to have been drawn in a very winnable group and their young stars should have enough talent to progress to the latter stages of the tournament. Sergio Gomez will spearhead their charge and they look likely to provide us with a little bit of value in the outright market.
In the Women’s tournament, Australia will be incredibly competitive with Captain Steph Catley joined by Caitlin Foord, Hayley Raso and Mary Fowler. However, it’s hard to back against any team who are coached by the irrepressible Emma Hayes, and the USA should be extremely tough to beat, even without the services of Alex Morgan.