The reigning Olympic champions kick off their Women's World Cup campaign against the lowest-ranked side in Group B. Despite key injuries to their squad, Canada is the clear favorite against last year's African Women's Cup of Nations semifinalists, Nigeria. Read on for our Nigeria vs. Canada picks based on the Women's World Cup odds from our best World Cup betting sites.
The Canadians conceded just four goals over six games at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago. That run included shutouts against the USA and Brazil.
There are 33 places separating seventh-placed Canada and Nigeria in the FIFA world rankings, so the Canucks know anything less than three points will put a severe dent in their World Cup hopes, with Australia and Ireland to come in the group stage. Canada is currently as long as +4000 to win the tournament in the Women's World Cup odds.
Here is our best Nigeria-Canada pick for the Women's World Cup (odds via our best sports betting apps; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Nigeria vs. Canada pick
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Nigeria is unbeaten in its last three matches, with the team conceding just once this calendar year. The Nigerians earned an impressive 3-0 win against World Cup co-hosts New Zealand in April.
As impressive as the Super Falcons have been, they lost to Morocco during the semifinals of the African Cup of Nations, a squad that ranks 32 places lower in the world rankings (72). They also fell to Zambia (77) in the third-place playoff. They've only scored once against a top-10 opponent at a FIFA Women's World Cup event since 2015, a 3-3 draw with Sweden at that year's tournament.
Injuries have been hampering Canada's prep arations. However, the team boasts firepower in Adriana Leon and the evergreen Christine Sinclair. The 40-year-old Sinclair's 190 international goals are more than any player, man or woman.
Canada's Olympic success was built around its solid defense. The Canadians denied the USA a goal in the Olympics, and 12 months later went all the way to the CONCACAF Women's Championship final without conceding. They eventually lost 1-0 to the Americans in the showpiece match.
The Canadians are very experienced in big tournament competitions. They possess the quality to win this matchup too while keeping a clean sheet. Back them to produce a solid start and do what they do best, which is shut out the opposition.
Nigeria vs. Canada best odds
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | PointsBet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Both teams to score – no | Both teams to score – no | Both teams to score – no | Both teams to score – no | Both teams to score – no |
| -120 | -112 | -130 | -110 | -115 |
The Canadians know how to handle competitions like this, as proven during their run in the Olympics and CONCACAF championship. The books know it, which is why the odds are so short.
The -110 at Caesars is excellent value for this play. The best price was PointsBet's -115 until Tuesday. There's since been a shift from both Caesars and FanDuel. BetMGM and DraftKings have lowered their odds since Monday, with the former going from -115 to -120.
The level of opposition that Canada will provide is a massive step up from what the Nigerians have been playing against. Nigeria has failed to score in 12 of its 16 matches at the FIFA Women's World Cup since the turn of the century. The team is a huge +900 underdog prior to this matchup.
Meanwhile, the best value on the total is with the Under because books know how hard it's going to be for the Super Falcons to score.
The only thing stopping this from being a four-star play is the uncertainty around Canada due to injuries. However, the defense remains solid.
Nigeria vs. Canada game info
- Date: Thursday, July 20, 10:30 p.m. ET
- TV: Fox US
- Location: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, Australia
- Weather: 55 degrees, 4% chance of precipitation, 5-mph winds
Nigeria-Canada pick made 07/18/2023 at 1:30 p.m. ET.
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