Once it was confirmed Germany would be in the second pot of the draw, whichever group it was placed in would almost certainly become one of the most top heavy groups at the World Cup.
Since they've been paired with Spain — one of the best teams in the world and tournament favorite — the path for the underdogs is significantly more difficult than any other group and the betting odds reflect that.
Germany will begin its World Cup campaign with the third-best team of the quartet in, Japan, which could cause some problems if the Germans can't sort out their defensive issues. They failed to get out of the group in 2018 and then nearly lost to Hungary to finish last in the Euro 2020 group too.
While this group has two clear favorites to advance, truly anything can happen in a three-match, single Round-Robin schedule.
Group E Odds/World Rankings
*Odds via FanDuel
| ODDS TO WIN GROUP | ACTION NETWORK | FIFA | |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | -115 | 2nd | 7th |
| New Zealand/CRC | 100-1 | 100-1 | 71st/101st | 87th/31st |
| Germany | +115 | 7th | 12th |
| Japan | +1300 | 27th | 23rd |
The Favorite: Spain
Spain has one major question mark at striker, as Álvaro Morata is aging and has notorious finishing issues up top. Otherwise, it's hard to find a deeper, more talented team in the world. The midfield is young and growing in talent and ability rapidly, led by Pedri and Gavi, and they have a ton of good wide and central-midfield attackers.
The Dark Horse: Japan
In a different group, Japan would have been one of the more dangerous teams in Pot 3. Germany and Spain will probably have too much quality for Japan to get out of this group, but they rolled through AFC qualifying and have plenty of top players at big European clubs.
Potential Shock Elimination: Germany
I think manager Hansi Flick will fix some of the issues it had at the last two major events. Germany has the talent and to compete with any team in the world when playing at its best. Yet, the midfield depth behind Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka is extremely thin and the pressing style can be left wide open at the back and not always best suited for these big competitions.
2022 FIFA World Cup Odds
*Odds via BetMGM
| TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|
| France | +550 |
| Brazil | +550 |
| England | +700 |
| Spain | +750 |
| Germany | +900 |
| Argentina | +1000 |
| Belgium | +1100 |
| Portugal | +1200 |
| Netherlands | +1600 |
| Denmark | +2800 |
| Uruguay | +4000 |
| Croatia | +5000 |
| Serbia | +6600 |
| Qatar | +6600 |
| USA | +8000 |
| Mexico | +8000 |
| Switzerland | +8000 |
| Poland | +8000 |
| Senegal | +8000 |
| Iran | +10000 |
| Ecuador | +12500 |
| Wales | +15000 |
| Ukraine | +15000 |
| Japan | +15000 |
| Peru | +15000 |
| Morocco | +15000 |
| Ghana | +15000 |
| Cameroon | +15000 |
| South Korea | +15000 |
| Saudi Arabia | +15000 |
| Canada | +15000 |
| Australia | +25000 |
| Scotland | +25000 |
| Costa Rica | +25000 |
| Tunisia | +25000 |
| United Arab Emirates | +25000 |
| New Zealand | +50000 |
