France, Argentina top World Cup odds; U.S. put sportsbooks at risk - ESPN

Star-powered France and Argentina, which both made it through the World Cup group stage with three wins, top the championship odds board as the tournament moves into the knockout stage, while the United States' positive momentum will have sportsbooks sweating more with each game they win.

France are the favorite to win the World Cup at +350, followed closely by reigning champion Argentina at +430, according to DraftKings odds as of Sunday morning. Both squads passed Spain on the odds board since the beginning of the tournament, and La Roja are tied with England at +700.

Brazil have moved from +950 to 12-1 since the competition started but have garnered some public betting action at those longer odds, according to DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello. Portugal (13-1) and the Netherlands (15-1) also carry varying levels of sportsbook liability, according to bookmakers at DraftKings, Caesars Sportsbook and BetMGM.

But by far the largest future liability across the American sportsbook marketplace is the United States, which have shortened from 60-1 to 30-1 since the start of the World Cup after winning Group D.

«The USA's strong start to the tournament has driven a surge of wagers on them to win outright. They are now firmly our most-backed selection and represent our largest liability,» Caesars head of soccer Mark Bickerdike told ESPN over email. «A deep run from the USMNT wouldn't be ideal for profitability, but it would be hugely positive from an engagement perspective.»

The United States' wins against Paraguay and Australia were especially damaging to sportsbooks, with several reporting them as the most-bet soccer games in their histories. The books were saved a bit by the Americans dropping their final group