The fourth edition of ‘Round the Sports World in five minutes’ will talk you through some of the main talking points ahead of Wimbledon, why the Women’s Euros could be a cracking tournament and who are currently the teams to beat at the ongoing Club World Championship. As ever, we round things off with our Bet of the week.
Wimbledon
- Start: Monday, 30 June
- Venue: Wimbledon, London
- TV Coverage: BBC
- Fun fact: Djokovic continues to polarise opinion much in the same way as someone like Cristiano Ronaldo does. In addition to the seven titles he’s won here, he won it four times in a row between 2018 and 2022 (the 2020 edition being cancelled as a result of Covid), then made and lost the finals in 2023 and 2024, meaning he’s made each of the last six Wimbledon finals.
Betting
In the men’s draw, Casumo are making Carlos Alcaraz the 2.2 favourite to defend the title he won in 2023 and 2024, beating Novak Djokovic in the final on both occasions.
But that’s not the only reason for his short price as the heavy favourite. Just a couple of days after beating Jannik Sinner from two sets down in the French Open in a marathon final, he travelled to Queens in southwest London and won that one as well, confirming his effortless transition from one surface to another.
But as Alcaraz was finding his feet on the slippery London grass, Sinner was being knocked out of the Halle Championships in Germany by Alexander Bublik in the first round.
So, whereas Sinner may have got as well-deserved rest, it does mean he comes into Wimbledon a bit under-cooked as that was the only match he’s played on grass all year.
Sinner is 2.9 to win in SW19, seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic is 7.5, but the one man many are monitoring is English hope Jack Draper, priced at 14.0, who just seems to be getting better by the day.
As ever, the women’s draw is far more open. Casumo make Aryna Sabalenka the 3.5 favourite, with Elena Rybakina (6.5) and recent French Open winner Coco Gauff (who beat Sabalenka in that French Open final) the third favourite at 9.0. World Number 1 Iga Swiatek looks big at 10.0, but that can be partly explained by her poor record at Wimbledon, where she’s never been past the quarterfinals.
Summary
Since Serena Williams won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016, there have been seven editions of the women’s draw at Wimbledon, and they’ve been won by seven different players. So, it would be no surprise to anyone if that became eight, such is the unpredictable nature of women’s tennis.
In the men’s draw, Alcaraz is very much the man to beat, but if he doesn’t win, it could provide Djokovic with an excellent chance to win what may well be the last-ever Grand Slam of his career, or Draper with the chance to win his first.
Hot weather is expected all week at Wimbledon, so in addition to bringing their A-game to the table, players (and spectators) would be well-advised to bring plenty of sunblock to the courts, too.
Women’s Euro 2025
- Start: Wednesday, 2 July
- Venue: Switzerland
- TV Coverage: BBC/ITV
- Fun fact: To say Germany have dominated this tournament in the past is an understatement. They’ve won eight times, while the next-most successful side is Norway with just two wins. That included winning it five times in a row between 1995 and 2013. They missed out on the 2017 final completely but were back in it in 2022, losing 2-1 to England after extra time.
Betting
Ladbrokes have installed Spain as the 7/4 favourites, followed by defending champions England at 4/1 while the in-form France are 9/2.
Spain, remarkably, have never won this tournament, but let’s not forget that they’re the reigning world champions after that win against England in the final two years ago, that was sadly overshadowed by the now-famous kiss involving Spanish Football President Luis Rubiales, who is currently suspended by FIFA from all football activities. But back to Spain. They also won the 2024 Nations League. Despite a couple of omissions from their squad this time round and a new manager in the aftermath of that Rubiales affair, they come into this tournament with a squad packed with technically gifted world-class players with plenty of experience, in what is normally a recipe for success.
England are a bit of an enigma at the moment, with two senior players retiring from international football on the eve of the tournament and mixing good results and performances with mediocre ones in the build-up to the tournament.
Germany (see below) are 5/1 and can never be discounted.
Summary
Women’s football has certainly been on the rise in terms of popularity these last few years with fuller stadiums, more matches on TV and a far greater coverage in the media- both traditional and social – than ever before.
In fact, many football fans may decide they’re more interested in this tournament than the ongoing FIFA Club World Championship, which has been criticised for such things as the qualifying process, several matches being suspended due to adverse weather conditions and the gap in quality between some of the teams.
Instead, the Women’s Euros is a simple format with a Group Stage followed by knockout matches from the quarter-finals onwards. Matches will be played in the afternoon and dinner time for European-based fans, so they’ll be easy to follow in what looks like a good, open contest.
FIFA Club World Championship
- Start: In process
- Venue: USA
- TV Coverage: DAZN Sports
We’ve already mentioned some of the criticism that has come in the way of this tournament, but it’s not all bad, and there have been some extremely exciting games. It’s hard to think of another tournament outside the World Cup that boasts so many stars all playing in it at the same time. If nothing else, it may have been the last time we’ve seen Lionel Messi, whose Miami FC have now been eliminated, on the biggest stage.
We’re halfway through the quarterfinals at the time of writing, and there’s a big one to look forward to on Tuesday when Real Madrid face Juventus in the quarterfinals, with Bwin making Real the 4/5 favourites to win that match.
The same Sportsbook makes Manchester City and PSG the 11/4 joint-favourites to go all the way, with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich both 11/2.
Betting Tip of the Week – Germany to make the final at the 2025 Women’s Euros
Last week, we put our faith in Germany’s Under-21 side at the (men’s) Euros. While they did the first bit by winning their semi-final easily, they went on to lose the final 3-2 to England.
But the German women’s team are a big price at 5/1 to win the Women’s Euros and an equally attractive 2/1 just to make the final, with Unibet.
The key here, other than their excellent record in the tournament, is that not only are they in an easy group to begin with, but their quarter-final opponents won’t be one of the favourites either. They’ll avoid all of Spain, France and England at least till the semis by which time at least one of those three will be out. It may pay to go with the more conservative bet and just back them to make the final.
