The fourteenth edition of ‘Round the Sports World in Five Minutes’ gives you the lowdown on Hungary vs Portugal in football World Cup qualifying, the cricket Asia Cup over in the UAE and the men’s Volleyball World Championship in the Philippines, so it really is a case of ‘round the world’ this week.
Hungary vs Portugal World Cup Qualifying
- Start: September 9, 19:45
- Venue: Puskás Aréna. Budapest, Hungary.
- Coverage: Amazon Prime Video
- Fun Fact: This fixture was one of the most important in Portugal’s history when it was played at Euro 2016. In the last group stage match, Portugal went behind on three separate occasions, but each time they clawed their way back, eventually drawing 3-3. Had they lost, they would have been out. Instead, they went on to win the tournament.
Betting
Portugal is unsurprisingly the hot favourite to win this important qualifying match, with TalksportBet making them just 1.45 to win the game, while Hungary is available at 6.0 and the draw at 4.2.
The odds-compilers there are expecting goals, with over 2.5 goals a 1.65 chance and ‘unders’ on offer at 2.1.
This will be an interesting test for Portugal, who had things all their own way against Armenia at the weekend, but will find Hungary a far tougher opponent, especially if captain and star man Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool gets to see plenty of the ball.
A Portugal win by 1-0 and 2-0 are both priced at 7.0, with 1-1 at 8.0.
Meanwhile, that man Ronaldo, fresh from scoring two at the weekend, is at the odds of 1.73 to score anytime, 3.7 to be the first goal scorer and 3.5 to score two goals or more. Joao Fellix, who also scored two in Armenia, is 3.1 to get on the scoresheet.
Summary
Portugal and Hungary are in Group F of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, alongside the Republic of Ireland and Armenia. The winner of the Group goes straight to the big show, while the runner-up will have to go through a playoff to join them next summer.
Hungary played out a 2-2 draw in Dublin against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday to get their first points on the board, while Portugal beat Armenia 5-0 away from home, in what was their first match since the tragic death of Portugal forward Diogo Jota earlier in the summer.
Ronaldo’s two goals at the weekend mean he now has 140 international goals, 26 more than his long-term rival Lionel Messi (114). They’re the Top 2 goal scorers in the history of international football.
Cricket Asia Cup
- Start: Tuesday, 9th September
- Venue: United Arab Emirates
- Live Coverage: TNT Sports
- Fun Fact: When in doubt, host it in the UAE. In this case, it was meant to be in Pakistan, but terrorist attacks in early 2025 meant the ICC decided it wasn’t safe. The UAE is often picked as a venue in these circumstances as it’s considered somewhat ‘neutral’ while it boasts excellent facilities for a major cricket competition such as this one.
Betting
India heads the betting as hot favourites at 1.57 to go all the way, with Betfred. Next up is Pakistan (6.0), while Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are both 8.0.
If India is expected to dominate, both in terms of their group and the competition as a whole, things are much tighter in Group B, with the latest group winner prices being Sri Lanka 2.63, Afghanistan 2.7 and Bangladesh 3.0.
Summary
The Asia Cup takes place every two years and is played in alternate formats, ODIs and T20Is, with this edition being played in the T20I format. All matches will be held in the UAE.
India are the defending champions and have won three of the last five editions, with Sri Lanka winning the other two.
There are eight teams in it with a four-team Group Stage followed by a Super Four round-robin stage, with the top 2 from there progressing to the final.
Men’s 2025 FIVB Volleyball World Championships
- Start: Friday, 12th September
- Venue: The Philippines
- Live Coverage: VBTV Live Streaming
- Fun Fact: In a bid to put on a good performance on home soil and on debut in the World Championships, the hosts hired legendary Italian coach Angiolino Frigoni in 2024, who is 71 years old and has been coaching since 1986, having had spells as head coach of the Italian and Dutch women’s teams, the Egyptian men’s team and numerous club sides.
Betting
This is seen as something of a four-horse race with the odds on Poland (3.5), Brazil (4.0), France (5.0) and Italy (6.0) all very tight at the top of the betting market with Ladbrokes.
If you fancy a somewhat speculative punt on the hosts, the Philippines, to win it, you can get odds of 3500.0 (!), which of course tells its own story about the chances of a home win.
It’s no surprise to see Poland as the favourite. They were champions in 2014 on home soil and then again in 2018 in Italy/Bulgaria, before making the final again in 2022, this time as joint-hosts alongside Slovenia, but a final they unexpectedly went on to lose 3-1 to Italy. They’re also the Number 1-ranked side in the world.
Italy’s price is a bit of a surprise in that it looks on the generous side. They are, after all, the defending champions as well as being the number 2-ranked side in the world, and only the Soviet Union have secured more titles (6) than Italy’s four over the years.
Summary
This huge volleyball event runs from the 12th September to the 28th September, and this will be the first time it’s taking place in South-East Asia, in the Philippines, and just the second time it’s been in Asia, after Japan hosted it in 2006.
Matches take place across two venues in Manila and mark the beginning of a cycle where the World Championship will now take place every two years, in odd years.
The number of teams has been expanded from 24 to 32 and includes a few unlikely candidates such as Algeria, Colombia and Egypt, evidence of how the sport is now popular on a global level.
In terms of format, Round-robin group play runs from September 12–18. The top two teams from each pool advance to a knockout bracket starting with the Round of 16 (Sept 20–23).
Betting Tip of the Week: Back Afghanistan to Win Group B at the Asia Cup @ 2.7 With Betfred
Afghanistan continue to improve as a cricketing nation, and T20Is are by far their best format and the one that star men Rashid Khan, Ibrahim Zadran and Fazalhaq Farooqi most enjoy playing.
The conditions in the UAE should suit their army of spin bowlers, and though Sri Lanka deserve respect as a side with a good record in the competition, Afghanistan look a good bet to pip them as Group B winners, at 2.7 with Betfred.
