FIFA World Cup: Spain vs Costa Rica Betting Odds & Recap.
Ticos Massive Underdogs vs. Spain
âš½Spain vs Costa Rica: Game Recapâš½
Results: Spain 7 – 0 Costa Rica
In what turned out to be a one-sided match, Spain decimated Costa Rica 7-0 in their opening match of the World Cup.
Dani Olmo opened the scoring in the 11th minute. Just 10 minutes later, Spain did what neither Argentina nor Germany could and scored a second via a controlled first-time shot from Marco Asensio.
Costa Rica spent the first half chasing shadows, while Spain’s dizzying carousel of a midfield left them sick. But, unlike Argentina and Germany, this was a World Cup favorite that made their early pressure count and got those other goals before half-time.
Ferran Torres converted a penalty to make it 3-0 at half-time before claiming his second in the 54th minute. After that, Gavi scored -arguably- the goal of the tournament so far, to make it five, and Carlos Soler made it six. Then, just as eight minutes were announced as second-half injury time, Alvaro Morata steered home a seventh.
Like Argentina vs Saudi Arabia earlier, Spain went into the match as a clear favorite at -550, with Costa Rica being the massive underdog at +1700.
However, unlike Argentina, Spain exceeded their expectations.
Bettors who bet on the over were in for a massive treat. The over/under was listed at three goals. A bet on the under paid out at -135, while the over was +115.
 Spain | – |  Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| 82% | Possession | 18% |
| 17 | Total Shots | 0 |
| 8 | Shots on Target | 0 |
| 7 | Shots Wide | 0 |
| 2 | Shots Blocked | 0 |
| 0 | Saves | 1 |
| 5 | Corners | 0 |
| 0 | Yellow Cards | 2 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 8 | Fouls | 12 |
| 3 | Offsides | 7 |
| 94% | Pass Accuracy | 71% |
| 5 | Dribbles | 2 |
| 15 | Crosses | 4 |
| 14 | Tackles | 21 |
Were We On the Right Track?
Below you will find all the predictions we made before the matchup, on November 16, 2022.
Spain Open Up vs. Costa Rica in Difficult Group E
Spain kick off their World Cup campaign in Qatar with a match vs. Costa Rica next Wednesday. La Furia Roja have an interesting mix of players on their roster and expectations are quite high. Costa Rica, on the other hand, have nothing to lose as they’re expected to finish at the bottom of Group E. Let’s review the Spain vs Costa Rica betting odds in what could be a fiery contest.
Spain vs. Costa Rica
Date, time (TV):
Location: Al Thumama Stadium, Al Thumama, Qatar
Streaming: FOX, Telemundo, Peacock
Team Standings and Odds:
| Team | FIFA World Ranking | World Cup Qualifying Record | Odds to Advance | Odds to Win Group | Odds to Win World Cup |
| Spain | 7 | 6-1-1, 1st UEFA Group B | -1500 | -120 | +850 |
| Costa Rica | 31 | 8-4-3, 4th CONCACAF | +900 | +5000 | +75000 |
| All Meetings: | Teams |
|---|---|
| Nov. 2017: | Spain 5-0 Costa Rica |
| Jun. 2015: | Spain 2-1 Costa Rica |
| Nov. 2011: | Costa Rica 2-2 Spain |
Spain and Costa Rica have met on three previous occasions and La Furia Roja are unbeaten in this fixture. Most recently, Spain defeated Costa Rica 5-0 in a 2017 friendly in Malaga. Current Spain players Jordi Alba and Alvaro Morata got on the scoresheet in the match. This will be the first opportunity to bet on the World Cup odds for this fixture as all three previous meetings were friendlies.
Deep Roster for Luis Enrique’s Spain
- Spain – Upcoming Matches: Nov. 27 vs. Germany, Dec. 1 vs. Japan
Luis Enrique’s Spain side is one of the deepest in the tournament. La Furia Roja have also been in good form leading up to the World Cup. They managed to win a pressure-filled finale in Portugal in the UEFA Nations League to win their group. Alvaro Morata’s 88th minute goal was the only goal of the match. Spain have won three of their last four competitive matches heading into the World Cup.
With a solid performance at Euro 2020 and the Nations League behind them, Spain will look to reach new heights. Fans are still nostalgic for the tiki taka days but it’s a new era for Luis Enrique’s side. There is an interesting mix of experience and youth in the side. Young talents like Pedri, Gavi, Ansu Fati, Yeremy Pino and Ferran Torres could all get opportunities. Meanwhile, veterans César Azpilicueta, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Koke could anchor the side.
There are also some notable omissions, namely David de Gea and Sergio Ramos. Even without De Gea, goalkeeper Unai Simon has the joint-second best World Cup Golden Glove odds, at +600. The game of the group stage will be when Spain take on Germany on November 27th and it could very likely decide the group. In the meantime, Spain need to avoid tripping up vs. Costa Rica.
Costa Rica Look to Play Spoiler
- Costa Rica – Upcoming Matches: Nov. 27 vs. Japan, Dec. 1 vs. Germany
After an awful start to CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers, it’s a minor miracle that Costa Rica made the World Cup. Los Ticos won just one of their first seven final round matches. Then, they won six of their last seven to finish in fourth place, which set up an intercontinental playoff with New Zealand. Joel Campbell’s third minute goal was the only one of the match and Costa Rica advanced to their third straight World Cup.
The Spain vs Costa Rica betting odds price Los Ticos as massive underdogs but they’re used to being counted out. There are a handful of holdovers on this team from the side that made the 2014 World Cup quarterfinals. In fact, Costa Rica are one of the most experienced teams in the World Cup field. Goalkeeper Keylor Navas, midfielders Celso Borges and Bryan Ruiz and forward Joel Campbell all have over 100 caps.
Even though Gianluigi Donnarumma has taken the PSG starting job from Navas, he’s still an incredible keeper. He has the ability to single-handedly keep Costa Rica in matches. Although Costa Rica are mostly a team of veterans, look out for winger Jewison Bennette. The 18-year old has two goals in seven caps and is the most promising youngster on the team. At +900 Group E odds to advance, expectations aren’t too high for Los Ticos. Still, they are capable of managing a result or two and took points off of all three of Mexico, Canada and the USA in CONCACAF qualifiers.
Match Analysis and Odds:
This is expected to be a routine match for Spain. The Spain vs Costa Rica betting odds list Spain as two-goal favorites. In fact, they’re implied to be more likely than not to cover the spread, at -120 odds. Costa Rica +2 may also be an interesting bet at even odds. Spain’s moneyline has the joint-shortest odds of any first round group stage matchup. La Furia Roja are priced at -550 odds to win, along with Argentina in their match vs. Saudi Arabia.
Costa Rica show +1700 odds to get their first-ever win vs. Spain but it’ll certainly be a challenge.
Spain’s midfield, even though the tiki take days are gone, can still dominate matches. Costa Rica may have to rely on Joel Campbell-led counter attacks for offense if they can’t get the ball under control.
Spain aren’t necessarily a high scoring team and didn’t score more than two goals in any UEFA Nations League match. So, it’s not a big surprise under three goals sits at -135 odds in this matchup. Meanwhile, the over comes in at +115 odds and Spain show -230 odds to keep a clean sheet.
