Knockout Round at the Women’s World Cup
So, your favorite team survived the group stage. The good news: Your side is one of the top 16 in the world. The bad news: Every match from here on out is a single-elimination, white knuckle battle with global bragging rights on the line.
Hit me with the basics!
Soccer is a generally low-scoring, 90 minute game, which is played over two 45-minute halves. Interestingly, in soccer, the clock counts up to the 90-minute mark, rather than down to 0:00 like most other sports. The clock never stops except for half time, however, time is added on to the end of each half known as ‘stoppage time,’ which is the referees’ estimate of the amount of time the game was delayed due to injuries, etc during each half.
So – they just tie?
Ok, here is where it gets a bit complicated. During World Cup group play (regulation matches), each match will have a winner, a loser, or be played to a draw (tie) if the score is tied after 90 minutes and stoppage time. However, in the World Cup’s knockout rounds (starting at the round of 16), only one team can advance to the next round. In those matches, should the score be tied after 90 minutes, the teams play two 15-minute periods of “extra time.” If the score remains tied following extra time, the teams decide the match by penalty kicks (shootout) if necessary. More on this and how the betting markets are affected below.
How do I get in on the action?
Hard Rock Bet offers action on all aspects of the tournament, with markets on games, game/player props, and futures on the top goalscorers and tournament champion. In addition to markets on game outcome and final score, bettors can wager on when goals will be scored, bet the over/under on total goals, total penalties, total corner kicks, and have action on player props on first/last/anytime goalscorer. In the knockout round, you can also bet on whether the match will go to extra time (tied after 90 minutes + stoppage time) or need penalty kicks to determine which team advances. Same Game Parlays are also available!
I just bet it like football, right?
Not exactly. Certain markets are similar to football – American Football to the rest of the world – with over/under player and team prop bets, but there are several wrinkles fans should be aware of since many betting markets are graded only off the first 90 minutes plus stoppage time – regardless of whether the match goes to extra time or a shootout.
Hold on. So the game is tied and goes into overtime, but my bet is settled?
Correct! Unless you bet on To Advance (which team will move onto the next round) or markets that specify Extra Time/Overtime or Penalties, you are only betting on the first 90 minutes + stoppage time. This includes first/last/anytime goal scorers, other player/team props, and even correct score markets. To repeat, a bet on an anytime goalscorer is graded after 90 minutes + stoppage time and does not include Extra Time/Overtime.
That’s…uh, different?
You’re telling me, they can’t even agree on what to call this sport.
Ok, so what are the different game bets?
To Advance
In the simplest terms, this wager is on which team advances to the next round. Whether the game ends after 90 minutes + stoppage time, extra time, or after a shootout, if your team is celebrating, your wager is a winner.
*The below types of game wagers – Game Line/Three-Way Moneyline, Winner (Push if Tied), Spread, and Double Chance – are graded off the first 90 minutes plus stoppage time and do not include potential extra time or a shootout*
Game Line (aka Three-Way Moneyline)
This is the main market for betting on the game outcome and is graded only off the first 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Potential Extra Time (overtime) and/or a shootout do not factor into the result of this wager. As the three-way moneyline moniker suggests, there are three options when betting the three-way moneyline:
- Team A wins
- Team B wins
- Team A and Team B draw
To repeat, three-way moneyline results are graded solely on 90 minutes of play (plus stoppage time), also known as “Regular Time.” In the knockout rounds, this does not include extra time (overtime) or penalty shootouts.
For example, Argentina played Germany in the 2014 World Cup Final and the closing three-way moneyline was:
- Germany +130
- Argentina +255
- Draw +230
Argentina and Germany were tied, 0-0, after 90 minutes of regulation, meaning the Draw +230 cashed. Betting on Germany (+130) or Argentina (+255) lost, even though the Germans ended up winning in extra time.
Winner (Push if Tied)
This wager (also known as a two-way market) eliminates the prospect of the draw completely. If the game ends in a draw after regulation and stoppage time, then all bets are refunded and considered “No Action”. This betting market only includes the 90-minute regulation and stoppage time. For knockout rounds, potential extra time and shootouts are disregarded. The only two potential results are:
- Team A wins
- Team B wins
Since the draw is taken out of the equation and graded as a push, the odds on the remaining selections are usually inflated. Using the example of the 2014 Men’s World Cup final, Germany was -200 (+130 in three-way moneyline) and Argentina +150 (+255 in three-way moneyline), as a draw would be graded as a push instead of a loss.
Spreads aka (Goal Lines)
Similar to betting the Double Chance, spreads eliminate at least one outcome and are similar to betting on puck lines in hockey and point spreads in football or basketball. However, unlike other sports, spreads in soccer do not include goals scored in Extra Time or during shootouts. This is a 90-minute plus stoppage time only market. A typical soccer spread is -0.5 goals, but for games with big favorites, the Goal Line may be higher like -1.5 or -2.5.
Just like an NBA or NFL spread, odds will be displayed with the spread along with the price offered by Hard Rock Bet in parenthesis. For example, Goal Line odds for a World Cup match between USA and Iran look like this:
USA -2.5 goals (+110)
Iran +2.5 goals (-120)
Betting on USA -2.5 goals, means the USA must win by three goals or more for your bet to win. A bet on Iran +2.5 goals, means that Iran can win, draw or lose by one or two goals in order for your bet to win.
Double Chance
Another way of betting soccer is bet on the Double Chance (aka two-way moneyline), which gives the bettor multiple chances to win by selecting two of the three possible match outcomes (Team A wins, Team B wins, Draw). In knockout rounds, Double Chance bets are graded solely on 90 minutes of regulation + stoppage time. For each bet, you’re essentially just eliminating one of the results. Hence, the bettor has a Double Chance in the bet. The three possible betting options are:
- Team A wins or match ends in a draw
- Team B wins or match ends in a draw
- Team A wins or Team B wins
Here’s an example:
- Germany/Draw -215 – example of bet cashing would be a 1-0 Germany win or 0-0 tie
- Argentina/Draw -165 – example of bet cashing would be a 1-0 Argentina win or 1-1 tie
- Germany/Argentina -200 – example of bet cashing would be a 2-1 win by either Germany or Argentina
