Spain vs Costa Rica Prediction & Betting Odds – 2022 World Cup: Who Will Win?

💯 Spain vs Costa Rica Betting Odds

Before you wager on the outcome of Spain vs Costa Rica, it’s important to consider the event’s most popular and viable 2022 world cup football betting markets. Here’s a more detailed breakdown, along with the Spain vs Costa World Cup odds offered by some of our leading best Irish betting sites.

🏅 Spain vs Costa Rica: Match Winner Odds

Spain to Win	1.19	1.28	1.27	1.29	1.17	1.25	1.28
Costa Rica to Win	15.01	10.00	12.00	12.00	15.00	11.00	12.00
Draw	6.01	5.00	5.75	5.00	6.00	4.75	5.00

⚽ Spain vs Costa Rica Odds: Both Teams to Score

Yes	2.87	2.30	2.55	2.38	2.70	2.35	2.25
No	1.43	1.55	1.49	1.55	1.40	1.53	1.60

🥅 Spain vs Costa Rica Odds: Over/Under 2.5 Goals

Over 2.5 Goals	1.79	1.75	1.85	1.75	1.77	1.80	1.80
Under 2.5 Goals	2.00	1.95	1.98	2.00	2.05	1.91	1.91

🏠 Spain World Cup Preview Team

As we’ve already touched on, Spain are ranked sixth in the world by FIFA, and have improved markedly under the stewardship of former playing legend Luis Enrique.

In fact, Enrique has only lost three of his 32 matches in charge of Spain, while the side’s improvement during his tenure was borne out by an unexpected run to the Euro 2020 semi-finals (where they lost to eventual winners Italy on penalties despite dominating much of the contest).

Of course, Enrique is able to call on some superb individual talent, including youthful midfield pivots Gavi and Pedri, RB Leipzig’s Dani Olmo and precious 22-year-old forward Ferran Torres. These players are getting better with every match, and will combine to create a true force to be reckoned with in Qatar.

Spain’s recent form has also been quietly impressive, including a 5-0 friendly thumping of Iceland in March and a more recent, 2-0 home win against a resilient Czech Republic side in June.

🏆 Spain's World Cup History

Spain will be appearing in their 16th World Cup finals (out of 22) in Qatar, although it’s fair to say that the nation was one of Europe’s greatest underachievers until the turn of the noughties.

In fact, the Spaniards only took part in four of the first 10 iterations of the tournament, with a single, fourth-place finish in 1950 representing by far their best performance on the biggest of stages.

Since 1978, however, Spain have appeared in every World Cup final, often flattering to deceive (especially when you consider the talent at their disposal) and only reaching the quarter-final stage three times (1986, 1994 and 2002) between 1978 and 2006.

However, Spain’s Barcelona-inspired ‘Golden Generation’ finally came of age by winning the 2008 European Championship, before a side featuring Xavi, Fernando Torres and the peerless Andres Iniesta lifted the Jules Rimet trophy in South Africa in 2010 following a hard-fought, 1-0 win against Holland.

So, although the side have failed to reach the quarter-finals in two tournaments since this historic triumph, their relatively recent success on the international stage makes them a genuine contender in Qatar.

✔️ Spain's Qualification and Road to the FIFA World Cup 2022

Spain have won a staggering 87 and lost just 12 of their 125 WC qualifying matches, so it’s no surprise that their path to Qatar was relatively smooth.

In fact, they topped UEFA Group B by four points from runners-up Sweden, winning six of their eight matches and enduring just a single defeat (they lost 2-1 to the Swedes in Solna on September 2nd, 2021).

Otherwise, Spain only dropped points in one other fixture, when a 57th-minute penalty from Anastasios Bakasetas earned Greece a surprise 1-1 draw in Granada during the opening round of fixtures. Here’s a breakdown of Spain’s qualifying results:

⭐ Spain's Players to Watch

As we’ve already touched on, Spain’s playing squad is packed full of depth and quality, while boasting some of the best young and more experienced players in the world. Here are three of the best:

• Sergio Busquets: Despite being 34 years of age, Barcelona’s legendary defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets remains one of Spain’s most influential players. Blessed with acute positional awareness and technical skill, Busquets is also one of the most experienced active players in international football, with some 137 caps and two goals to his name. Make no mistake; he’s the anchor that holds Spain’s midfield together, while his range of passing makes him crucial to Enrique’s style of play.
• Dani Olmo: Dani Olmo was one of the surprising stars during Euro 2020, with his technical skill, close control and dribbling giving Italy hell during a high-quality semi-final. Now 24, Olmo continues to excel in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig, where he has scored 17 goals in 95 appearances and laid on countless more for his teammates. For his country, he has 24 caps and four goals, while his ability to play centrally or as a winger adds tactical flexibility to the side.
• Pedri: Despite being just 19 years old, Pedri was one of Enrique’s main men at the Euros, providing a link between the defensive and attacking thirds with his incisive passing and ball carrying skills. Blessed with outstanding technical abilities and a superb range of passing, Pedri played an incredible 72 matches for club and country in 2020/21, highlighting his immense potential and ability to play on the biggest of stages. He was also young player of the tournament at Euro 2020, while he won the coveted ‘Golden Boy’ crown at the end of last year.

📰 Latest Team Spain Football World Cup News

✈️ Costa Rica World Cup Preview

In contrast to Spain, Costa Rica is currently ranked 34th in the world, while the nation endured a nail-biting run on the road to Qatar (despite being among the top-ranked CONCACAF countries and automatically entering into the third and final round of qualifying).

We’ll touch more on this below, but Costa Rica ultimately finished fourth in the third-round group stage and had to take on New Zealand in a single play-off match for the final World Cup place on June 14th, 2022.

However, Costa Rica’s most recent form has been relatively promising since March 2022. In fact, they’ve won four of their last five matches, including a superb 2-0 win at home against the US and the narrow, 1-0 play-off triumph against New Zealand.

As we’ve already touched on, Costa Rica is also the third-ranked CONCACAF side (just behind Mexico and the US), so they’re a solid side that should be taken seriously once the 2022 World Cup gets underway.

🏆 Costa Rica's World Cup History

Unlike their opening game rivals, 2022 will see Costa Rica compete at the World Cup finals for just the sixth time. What’s more, the country didn’t make their first WC appearance until 1990, when they managed to win two of their four matches in total and reach the coveted round of 16.

They even had the distinction of winning their first ever World Cup finals match at the tournament, beating Scotland 1-0 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa.

Costa Rica next appeared in the 2002 finals in Japan, where they narrowly failed to progress from the group stage having won just one of their three matches. However, this began a run of five finals appearances in six attempts (including Qatar 2022), with the nation having only missed the 2010 tournament in South Africa since 2002.

While the side disappointed in 2018, they achieved their best ever WC run four years earlier in Brazil. Here, they reached the quarter-finals having topped a group that included Italy (who they beat) and England. Striker and current squad member Joel Campbell starred throughout the tournament, which ended in a penalty shootout defeat following a 0-0 draw with the Netherlands.

✔️ Costa Rica's Qualification and Road to the FIFA World Cup 2022

Costa Rica were ranked as the third-best CONCACAF side ahead of qualifying, which meant that they received an automatic bye to the third and final round.

This took the form of a round-robin group stage, which comprised eight teams and saw each competitor play 14 matches in total. Ultimately, Costa Rica struggled for consistency throughout, winning seven of their games while drawing four and losing three before securing a fourth-place finish.

Despite finishing level on points with third-place USA, Costa Rica missed out on automatic qualification due to an inferior goal difference. As a result, they had to play one more match against New Zealand to secure their WC 2022 finals place, winning 1-0 thanks to an early goal by talisman Joel Campbell.

⭐ Costa Rica's Players to Watch

The vast majority of Costa Rican footballers play in Central American leagues, most prominently Mexico’s Liga MX. However, there are few names you may have heard of, including the following international stars.

• Keylor Navas: Only two Costa Rican players operate outside of Central America, including former Real Madrid and current PSG goalkeeper Kaylor Navas. The 35-year-old stopper has earned 107 international caps to date, while he will be appearing in his third consecutive World Cup finals (and third overall) in Qatar. Navas has also played 268 games for Real Madrid and PSG in total, while he has three major European league titles to his name and a further three UEFA Champions League winners’ medals.
• Joel Campbell: The talismanic Joel Campbell also has European league experience, having played for Lorient, Real Betis, Villareal and even Arsenal. He currently plays for Liga MX side Monterry, while boasting an international record of 25 goals in 117 international appearances. Campbell remains a key performer in the national side too, having struck a crucial CONCACAF qualifying goal against El Salvador and scored the decisive goal in the final play-off match against New Zealand.
• Bryan Ruiz: The 37-year-old Bryan Ruiz will be participating in his fourth World Cup, having made his debut for Costa more than 17 years ago against China in June 2005. A creative midfielder with an eye for goal (Ruiz has 144 international caps and an impressive 29 goals to his name), he also contributed crucial CONCACAF qualifying goals against El Salvador and the decisive strike in a 1-0 over Panama. Blessed with both experience and technical quality, he’ll be a player to watch in Qatar.

📰 Latest Team Costa Rica Football World Cup News

🥇 Spain vs Costa Rica Prediction Who Will Win?

Clearly, Costa Rica have a relatively consistent recent World Cup pedigree, while their side is packed full of experienced and proven performers such as Neves, Campbell and Ruiz.

While this means that they shouldn’t be discounted completely in their WC opener, it’s hard to see them coping with Luis Enrique’s fluent and constantly improving Spanish side, which will likely dominate possession high up the pitch and make it hard for Costa Rica to counter-attack or threaten Spain’s defensive line.

So, with the above facts and our football betting experience, we’re confidently predicting a Spanish win here, as one of the ante-post favourites and most decorated European nations looks to kick-start their campaign with a win!

Our Spain vs Costa Rica match prediction: Spain to win.

🔍 Our Spain vs Costa Rica Betting Tips?

Spain will be heavy favourites to beat Costa Rica, so straight match betting may not offer much in the way of value or generous returns.

We’d also argue that backing both sides to score is a less than ideal option, especially when you consider Spain’s ability to control matches and the lack of cutting edge that undermines Costa Rica’s side.

🎁 Spain vs Costa Rica World Cup Free Bets

At this stage of our guide, all that’s left is to review some of the best and most appealing Spain vs Costa Rica free bets. We’ve broken down three of the best betting offers below, so you can get the best value for money when staking your hard-earned cash!

Sportsbook	Offer	Visit Sportsbook
	Receive up to €100 in Free Bets
	Free Bet Offer up to €100
	Bet €10 Get €50 in Free Bets
	Free Bet Offer up to €50
	Free Bet Offer up to €50
	€20 Free Bet Bonus
	€30 free bet Welcome Bonus
	€100 Bets Bonus Offer
	Receive up to €10 Free Bet Bonus
	Cash back bonus up to €40
	100% Matched Free Bet up to €100
	€30 Free Bets Welcome Bonus

✒️ Lewis Humphries - Sports Journalist, Tipster and Betting Expert

This Spain Vs Costa Rica Prediction was written by Lewis Humphries. Lewis is a business and iGaming copywriter from the UK, who has a passion for sports betting and online casino gaming. He's reviewed some of the world's leading casino platforms, while creating blog posts and landing page content for various sports betting brands.

His content has also featured on a number of different sites, including Life Hack, Investopedia, Yahoo Finance and Business Insider. He also pens regular sports features for sites including 90 Minutes, Think Football Ideas and Sports blog.