Full steam ahead
One lucky bettor is a France World Cup win away from spinning a $26 parlay into a cool $557,000 after refusing an $80,000 cash out.
“I’m more confident than a lot of people [in France winning the World Cup],” said the FanDuel sportsbook bettor. “It’s the last leg—went through six legs—went through some crazy things to get there, so to be here now, got to be confident.”
France entered the tournament tied with Spain and England and trailing Brazil and Argentina on the list of future-winner odds. Les Bleus now have the second-best odds of winning the competition at +600 after winning their opening match against Australia 4-1.
Crazy parlay ends with World Cup
The bettor’s potentially historic slip is a seven-leg futures parlay including different sports and leagues across the world.
He already correctly predicted Manchester City to win the English Premier League, Los Angeles FC to win the 2022 Major League Soccer Cup, the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA Finals, the Kansas Jayhawks to win March Madness, the Colorado Avalanche to win the Stanley Cup, and AC Milan to win the Serie A.
The odds added up to +2,145,172, which equals a payout of over $21,452.70 for every $1 wagered. The exact payout would be $557,770.91 if the bet comes through.
FanDuel already reportedly offered the bettor a chance to withdraw his stake for over $80,000. He chose to stick to his guns and is still backing the French national team to win the World Cup.
Many American bettors have become enamored by the prospect of building big-money parlays and becoming the next viral sensation. Sportsbooks have also adjusted for the phenomenon and made parlays a major focus in their business model, although the one in question, FanDuel, is at risk of being beaten on an improbable bet.
Likelihood of cashing
So what are the bettor’s chances of winning the final leg in his life-changing parlay?
Well, France is one of the world’s best teams. They have golden boy-turned-megastar Kylian Mbappe leading the attack with prolific goal-scorer Olivier Giroud in the middle and an experienced back line. However, they have been dealt major injury blows to Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, and Christopher Nkunku, among others, which caused their pre-tournament odds to slip.
put an end to a 36-match unbeaten streak
The World Cup has already been full of surprises, most notably with Saudi Arabia pulling a +5000 upset over Argentina after trailing 1-0 at halftime. The result marked the largest upset in World Cup history and put an end to a 36-match unbeaten streak.
The World Cup has also come at a time when gambling’s popularity is at an all-time high. According to a recent survey, just around half of American sports fans in states with legal sports betting were expected to place at least one wager on the tournament, which for many would mark their first time betting on soccer.
France’s next game will be against Denmark and Saturday and it will finish its Group D schedule next Wednesday with a match against Tunisia. If they maintain their lead in the group, they will face the runner-up in Group C (Argentina, Poland, Mexico, Saudi Arabia) in the first match in the Round of 16.