Hockey betting Photo source: iihf.com
The next World Ice Hockey Championship, which will be hosted by Switzerland in May 2020, is just around the corner. It's time to evaluate the chances of the main favorites to win, to look for profitable odds for long-term bets on the winner of the tournament. Today we will tell you about the main, in our opinion, contenders for winning the 2020 World Cup, and summarize.
Content
- Sweden
- Russia
- Canada
- Finland
- Switzerland
- Czech
- USA
- Dark horses
- Conclusion
Sweden
The Scandinavian team is one of the most stable. She always treats world forums with great responsibility, brings the strongest team. As a result, there are rarely failures, the team often wins and always makes the playoffs, there are almost no misfires. Sweden has always been one of the main favorites of the world championship, and 2020 is no exception: bookmakers offer a coefficient of 5 for the victory of the Swedes.
Russia
For Russia, unlike many other national teams, winning the World Championship is always very important, because in this sport our country has great traditions and successes. Russia gathers a strong squad and is always focused on success, the squad conducts many preparatory camps, the team gathers well before the start of the tournament.
In 2020, the squad under the leadership of Ilya Vorobyov, no doubt, will again appear in the most formidable form and will try to win. In addition, the Russians are already hungry for victories, so their motivation will be tripled. The last time a squad with a two-headed eagle on its chest won at the 2014 World Cup in Minsk. Bookmakers estimate Russia's chances of winning the new World Cup with a coefficient of 4.
After Canada, Russia has second chances for a general triumph.
Canada
If the North American team brings the strongest or closest squad to the World Cup, then there is little chance for anyone to stop such a car. True, this does not happen often, and even against the strongest composition of Canadians, rivals sometimes find an antidote. Canada's last World Cup victory took place in 2015 and 2016, twice in a row. After that, twice Canada stopped one step away from victory, losing the finals, once lost in the semifinals. So the team is playing very stable, and this is an extremely formidable fighting unit. Bookmakers consider Canada to be the main favorite of the upcoming world championship, evaluating their chances with a coefficient of 3.
Finland
The Finnish national team won the World Cup in 2019, very unexpectedly for everyone. The composition of the squad at that tournament was far from optimal, few people bet on Suomi at that tournament. However, thanks to a well-coordinated team game and an excellent coaching staff, the team made its way to victory, simultaneously revealing several stars to the world. The Finns have only two victories at the World Cup, and both took place in the last 10 years (before that in 2011). The team is always quoted in the 4-5 strength area, which gives them the ability to shoot from the shadows. At the 2020 World Cup, Finland is given 6 to win.
Switzerland
The crusaders dream of winning the World Cup and are taking concrete steps for this. Switzerland has a strong local league, decent youth, and growing representation in the NHL. Also, the team has gradually grown from the level of the middle peasant to the team that knocks on the grandees of world hockey. You can bet on Switzerland to win for 15.
The problem is that the hosts almost never win the World Championships, so Switzerland's chances of success are slim.
Czech
The Czechs from the TOP-6 have, perhaps, the least chances of winning. Even if they gather all the strongest players, it will still not turn out to be the strongest squad of the World Cup, and it is very difficult to get all the strongest under their banners. At the last World Cup in 2019, the Czechs lost to Russia in the match for third place, just a little short of the medals. For the victory of the Czech national team in 2020, they give 10. We believe that the Czechs will not win, they do not have enough resources for this.
USA
The USA national team, ideally, if it gathers all the strongest masters into its ranks, is an extremely dangerous force. However, most often the roster is diluted with very young players from U21 or even U19, as a result, it is difficult for the states to claim victory, because for the United States, traditionally, the main goal at the World Cup is to run the youth in.
The national team won the World Cup for the last time back in 1960. The team gathers just before the world championship, so there is no need to talk about teamwork. Also, the trainers are new almost every time. Only a high level of players allows you to show a high-class game, and even then in fragments. Nevertheless, with a successful coincidence of circumstances, the United States is capable of reaching the semifinals, and even the final, and then how it goes. Bookmakers offer 7 odds for the US victory in 2020.
Dark horses
In addition to the aforementioned company of favorites, who from year to year participate in medal showdowns, from time to time the teams of Slovakia and Germany can surprise and present a couple of loud sensations. Slovaks even won the World Cup at the turn of the century, the Germans played in the semifinals and finals of the Olympic Games. These countries sometimes bring very strong teams that are capable of creating the main sensation of the championship. You can bet on the victory of Slovakia for a very high odds of 50, the victory of the Germans is less sensational – 30.
Conclusion
We have outlined a circle of possible World Championship winners. In total, there are 7 teams that can really win and two dark horses, the victory of which is unlikely. The rest of the teams do not yet have the strength to go through the entire tournament and beat three top rivals in a row in the playoffs. We recommend betting on winning the new World Championships in Canada or Sweden.
