The quarterfinals of the 2022 soccer World Cup in will be played Friday and Saturday. The first knockout round has just finished wrapping up, and the quarterfinal matchups have been set. One of these matchups will be the latest installment in one of soccer’s biggest rivalries, as European neighbors France and England are set to face off for the 32nd time.
England leads the all-time head-to-head with 17 wins compared to nine wins for France and five draws. Many of the English wins came in the early stages of this rivalry, which dates back to 1923. The French side has had more success in recent years, with four wins versus one for England and one draw since 2004. Those last six matchups include a pair of tournament meetings in the Euro Championship, which resulted in a French win (2004) and a draw (2012). England has won both of their previous fixtures in the World Cup, but those occurred back in 1966 and 1982.
Both teams have found success on the world stage recently. France is the reigning World Cup champion, having taken home the title in 2018. England made the finals of the Euro Championship in 2020 before losing a heartbreaker on penalty kicks to Italy at Wembley Stadium. The only World Cup title for England came way back in 1966.
Even with 2022 Ballon d’Or recipient Karim Benzema unavailable due to a torn muscle in his thigh, France still has plenty of top-end talent. Kylian Mbappe has scored five goals through four games at the 2022 World Cup, and Olivier Giroud has added three goals. England has outscored the opposition 12-2 in the tournament, led by three goals apiece from Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford.
Americans who are at least 21 years old and located in eligible states can bet on France vs. England on a variety of mobile and online sportsbooks, including BetMGM Sportsbook, DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, and Caesars Sportsbook. On DraftKings Sportsbook, a French win has +140 odds, England winning has +210 odds and a draw comes in with +220 odds.
In the event of a draw, which team moves on would be decided by penalty kicks. Given the reasonably even tale of the tape, the draw option stands out as a nice soccer betting option, especially since it offers the largest potential payout.
