Spain Stunned In Cape Verde World Cup Stalemate; Big Payout For Draws

Cape Verde’s shock draw with Spain was one of the biggest storylines of the World Cup to date, and it was a telling result for respected UK betting platforms.

The gulf in class between the two sides before the game was evident, given 65 places separating them in the FIFA rankings. But as the World Cup has often proved, the traditional script can be torn up and tossed out the window.

Detailing Spain’s betting volumes

Before kickstarting their group campaign in Atlanta, the prospect of anything other than a Spain win hadn’t crossed the minds of punters. Indeed, in a post published on the social media platform X, Betfair revealed extraordinary betting volumes illustrating the support garnered for Spain by punters.

• £601,000 traded on Spain at 1.08.
• £1.3 million traded on Spain at 1.09.
• £2.2 million traded on Spain at 1.1.

In total, over £13 million was matched on Spain, and extremely short odds were advertised. In one case, reports emerged of a punter losing a fortune (£745,405) after backing Spain to come out on top, underlying the seismic nature of the result.

What other pre-match prices were offered?

At the bulk of UK bookies, Spain were trading at shorter than EVENS to pick up three points. However, the other pre-match prices drawn up made for fascinating reading.

For example, a draw was deemed an unlikely option with odds ranging from 9/1 to 13/1. Meanwhile, the price available for the 0-0 Correct Score line was a distinct longshot, trading at 33/1.

Even the double chance line, where a Spain win or draw was served up, covering two of the three possible outcomes, this weighed heavily in their favour. Odds as low as 1/100 could be found, but it was a historic night for Cape Verde. In pulling off seven saves, Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vozinha was the oldest shot-stopper at 40 to keep a clean sheet on his World Cup debut.

Where does this leave Spain in the outright market?

Although the stalemate with Cape Verde was startling, the result hasn’t done too much damage to Spain’s outright price with the bookies. Before the tournament, Spain were trading at 9/2, and they were considered a serious contender.

Despite the hiccup, a price of 6/1 is now floating about for Spain, suggesting they have drifted marginally. Nevertheless, Spain are tucked in just behind the favourites France in the outright market, and they are widely expected to qualify from Group H that also contains Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.

A day full of intrigue

The World Cup has provided a glut of goals, and last Sunday, 13 were struck across four group games. And for the latest set of matches that took place yesterday and in the early hours of this morning, 15 were plundered.

More surprisingly, four fixtures ended in a share of the spoils. The total odds on draws for the following games: Spain vs Cape Verde, Belgium vs Egypt, Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay, and Iran vs New Zealand came in at over 950/1. A £10 stake would have provided a return of £9,547.60, and there was an implied probability of 0.11%.

In the aforementioned matches, only one eclipsed the Over 2.5 goals line (Iran vs New Zealand), representing a dream outcome for bookies. The question is whether they will continue to smile as the tournament progresses.