England-Spain Women’s World Cup Final Fuels Rise in Wagering

Article ByKyle Garlett

August 17, 2023

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Posted in: US Sports Betting News, US Gambling News

The failure of the United States at the FIFA Women’s World Cup has been a boon for the other soccer nations of the world.

England began the tournament as the second betting favorite to win the World Cup, and they have advanced to the Finals for the first time. Television ratings for the Lionesses have been at all-time high in the UK, with 7.2 million viewers tuning into their quarterfinal win over Columbia. British bookmakers are also reporting that this tournament has generated more wagers than any previous Women’s World Cup.

England’s success has fueled that rise, and so has the number of women who are getting into sports betting. Entertain, which owns well-known gambling brands like Coral, Ladbrokes, and PartyPoker, reports that 21% of all bets placed on England in the UK are from women. That’s up from 13% at the 2019 Women’s World Cup.

Overall, bets placed on this Women’s World Cup have increased by 365% as compared to four years ago.

In the United States, DraftKings reported that the Women’s World Cup has been the third-most bet-on sporting event or league since the tournament began, trailing just Major League Baseball and UFC. That means that even with the United States losing in the Round of 16, the Women’s World Cup has taken more wagers than NFL preseason football and the Leagues Cup, the annual tournament between the MLS and Liga MX, which features Lionel Messi this year.

Looking Ahead to Saturday’s Final

With the United States out, and Japan’s loss in the quarterfinals, we went into the semifinals guaranteed to have a first time winner. England’s best finish was third in 2015, and Spain has just this year only advanced beyond the Round of 16. In 2019, the Spanish women were knocked out by the United States, and in 2015 they didn’t advance beyond the Group Stage.

Prior to 2015, Spain didn’t qualify for the World Cup.

The Final takes place in Sydney on Sunday at 8 p.m. local time, 12 p.m. in Spain, 11 a.m. in England, and 6 a.m. Eastern Time in the United States. 

These two teams have never met before in the Women’s World Cup. But at the European Championship in 2022, England beat Spain in the quarterfinals on their way to winning the Euros for the first time.

BetUS.com has Spain as the favorite to win the match, paying -125. England is a slight underdog at -105.

Changes for the U.S. Women’s National Team

Coming off its worst showing in the history of the Women’s World Cup, it is not surprising that U.S. Soccer and coach Vlatko Andonovski have agreed to part ways. His resignation as the team’s head coach was announced on Wednesday, and an interim head coach has yet to be named.

The United States will want to find a permanent head coach as soon as possible. The first women’s soccer games of the Paris Olympics are scheduled for July 25, 2024. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the United States settled for a bronze medal. It was the first major tournament of Andonovski’s tenure as the head coach.

In Andonovki’s final major tournament as the head coach of the United States, the team finished in 11th place, and managed to score just four goals. The previous lows for the U.S. at the Women’s World Cup were a third-place finish and 12 goals scored.