Of the two soccer competitions at the Olympics, the Olympic women’s soccer tournament is by far the superior of the two. Without the same age restrictions as the men’s tournament, we get the best players that each country has to offer, which makes for a fun and competitive couple of weeks of action. Here, we break down the women’s soccer event from Paris and make our soccer betting picks for who we think will get the gold medals.
Olympic Women’s Soccer Betting Odds
| Team | Gold Medal Odds |
| USA | +175 |
| Spain | +200 |
| France | +450 |
| Japan | +750 |
| Australia | +900 |
| Germany | +1000 |
| Brazil | +1000 |
| Canada | +1400 |
| Colombia | +2500 |
| Nigeria | +5000 |
| Zambia | +10000 |
| New Zealand | +10000 |
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Going into the Olympic women’s soccer tournament, the United States is a slight favorite over Spain. The US is always good in women’s soccer, even if they were dumped out of the last World Cup early by their own lofty standards. But my concern with their status as favorites, besides Spain being just incredible, is that you’re not getting maximum value betting on the US at American-facing sportsbooks where they are pricing the popularity of the US into their markets. Is that a reason to avoid the United States? Not necessarily, but it is worth considering.
Olympic Women’s Soccer Major Storylines
Right off the bat, the biggest storyline for the Olympic women’s soccer tournament is whether Spain can follow up last year’s World Cup triumph with an Olympic gold medal. There are some notable squads missing from this tournament that were contenders in that World Cup, such as England and Sweden. Without them, Spain could have a pretty clear path to another major tournament crown.
Then there is the question of how the Americans will perform as they still look to find their identity as their most recent golden generation continues to fade away. Players like Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith are expected to lead this team to great things going forward. But they didn’t deliver in Australia and New Zealand last summer and whether or not they can overcome the pressure of the big stage this time around is still a question mark.
For some reason, the Olympic soccer tournaments are structured differently between men’s and women’s soccer. In the men’s game, there are 16 teams and the vast majority of players on all teams have to be under 23 years of age. In the women’s game, there are only 12 teams, with no such age restrictions. This is very much a quality over quantity situation for the women’s game, which will mean a better overall tournament even with fewer teams involved.
Olympic Women’s Soccer Medal Contenders
The United States and Spain are clear favorites to walk away from this tournament with medals. But there are a few other countries with real chances to do so themselves. France is playing on home soil and are one of the strongest teams in the tournament regardless of its location. And Japan, Australia, and Germany are all dangerous sides as well, even if they are not as good as the teams we’ve seen from them in the recent past.
Women’s Soccer Betting Prediction: Spain (+200)
Right now, Spain is a better team than the United States, even if the United States has plenty of room to grow into something special in the future. Look for the reigning world champions to grab gold here, claiming a second major title in as many summers. Meanwhile, look for the United States to move closer to getting back to the top of the sport, even if their coronation will not happen in Paris over the next couple of weeks.
