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Women’s field hockey has only been a thing since 1980. Since then, if you were betting on the Olympics, backing the Netherlands to win has been a pretty good idea.
The Netherlands enter the 2024 Paris Olympics with the best women’s field hockey odds, to the surprise of no one. They won gold four years ago, and they’ve been as dominant as anyone in this sport. The same can’t be said with the 2024 Men’s Olympic Field Hockey landscape, where the Netherlands is one of a handful of teams with a shot at the gold medal.
So, are they a lock to do it again, or should you bet on another country to win in 2024? That’s what I’m here to find out. Join me as I look at the latest 2024 Paris Olympics women’s field hockey odds and come away with a prediction.
Odds to Win Women’s Field Hockey at the 2024 Paris Games
The Netherlands come into the 2024 Paris Games with -190 odds at top online sportsbooks such as Bovada. Feel free to shop around for better pricing, but I’ll use that site’s betting odds for the sake of this guide.
Eleven other countries will compete in women’s field hockey for the right to upset the defending champs, so take a look at their respective odds before I break down the best bets to win.
2024 Paris Olympics Women’s Field Hockey Odds | |
---|---|
Netherlands -190 | Argentina +600 |
Germany +750 | Australia +800 |
Belgium +1100 | Great Britain +2500 |
China +2500 | Spain +3500 |
Japan +7500 | France +15000 |
USA +17500 | South Africa +30000 |
As noted, the Netherlands are favored, just as they should be. All things considered, they’re still a solid value at their -190 price tag, and I have zero qualms with just rolling with those odds.
That said, you’re getting instant value with every other country in this betting market. If someone is to unseat the Netherlands, you’re at worst walking away with +600 odds, and the upside only gets more appealing from there.
Of course, attractive women’s field hockey betting odds don’t always translate. The Netherlands are favored for a reason, after all. Let’s find out why and then explore what other women’s field hockey gold medal contenders stand out as viable threats.
Why Are the Netherlands Favored to Win Gold in 2024?
If you’re betting on the 2024 Paris Olympics, should the Netherlands be on your radar? I’d certainly say so, as they won gold at the 2024 Tokyo Olympics and carry the best women’s field hockey betting odds going into Paris.
That could easily be enough to convince some bettors to take the leap, especially since the pricing gap between the top favorite and the possible contenders is so massive.
The Netherlands have been pretty dominant, too. They appeared in five consecutive gold medal games for women’s field hockey, and they’ve emerged with three world championships.
In those wins, their defense has been nasty, with Tokyo being the only spot where they allowed even one goal. Their defense certainly wavered in 2016, of course, where they coughed up three goals in a 3-3 tie that eventually saw them lose (2-0) to Great Britain via penalty shootout.
Still, the Netherlands have been extremely stingy defensively when it mattered most. In fact, in Tokyo, they allowed four goals throughout their entire path to another title.
That hasn’t changed over the past year, either, as they secured their spot in the Paris Games with a 2023 EuroHockey Championship victory.
The Netherlands simply do not let up. They’ve placed in nine medal games (leads all women’s field hockey teams) and they also have the most gold medals (four).
If I were looking to bet on who will win gold in women’s field hockey without putting much thought into it, the Netherlands at -190 would feel pretty good. Maybe that’s what we should be doing, anyways, but before you place your bets, let’s break down some viable contenders.
Top Women’s Field Hockey Contenders for the 2024 Paris Olympics
The Netherlands are going to be tough to take down due to their experience and defensive aptitude, but they didn’t win in 2016, so anything is possible.
While true, only a handful of teams feel like legit threats to dethrone them. Here are the two women’s field hockey contenders that stand out the most to me going into the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Argentina +600
Let’s start with the team that met up with the Netherlands in the gold medal game in 2020. That’d be Argentina, who didn’t pose a real threat in a 3-1 defeat, but they still scored a goal against that tough Netherlands defense.
More importantly, they are the top women’s field hockey contender after the defending champs, and their recent form indicates they could be up to the task.
Argentina came in second at the 2022 South American Games and won the 2022 Pan American Cup.
The latter earned them their slot in the 2024 Paris Olympics, where star scorer Maria Jose Granatto (104 goals) will look to bring her A game and get her country back to the gold medal game again.
It wouldn’t be a shock, either, seeing as Argentina has gotten that far three times since 2000. They’ve yet to snag their first gold medal in women’s field hockey, but they’ve placed five times and could finally be ready for a magical run.
Germany +750
The other women’s field hockey gold medal threat I like is Germany. My breakdown of the 2024 Paris Olympics men’s field hockey odds actually had me backing the men, so who is to say both sides can’t win this summer?
It’d be a surprise, of course, especially when noting the price gap between the odds on favorite to win gold in women’s field hockey, and where Germany lies.
That said, the Germany women’s field hockey squad shouldn’t be ignored. They won bronze in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, and even won gold in 2004.
We’re a long way from that awesome run – a 2-1 win over the Netherlands, no less – but Germany still has the experience to get the job done.
Germany finished 4th at the 2022 World Cup and 3rd at the 2023 European Championship, which could offer some optimism that they’re ready to take a big leap.
I’m personally not there quite yet with them, but they’re probably third in line when trying to predict who will win gold in women’s field hockey in 2024.
Best 2024 Paris Olympics Women’s Field Hockey Value Bet
My favorite value bet that could shock the world and win gold in women’s field hockey is Great Britain.
The crazy part? They literally won this thing in 2016. They did so in dramatic fashion, narrowly edging out the Netherlands with a 2-0 advantage in a penalty shootout.
That was the only time over the last four Olympics where the Netherlands didn’t hang a gold medal around their necks in women’s field hockey. Could we see something similar again?
It’s not as if Great Britain was some huge surprise. They were the bronze medal winners four years before upsetting the Netherlands, and they nabbed third place again in 2020.
The only thing working against Great Britain is that they have poor odds to win gold this year. That, and the fact that they haven’t done anything in dominant fashion leading up to the Paris Olympics.
In fact, they were facing elimination prior to a 2-1 win against Ireland that earned them their Paris bid. It could still give way to a fairytale run, though, and at +2500, I’m not afraid to roll the dice ever so slightly.
Women’s Field Hockey Winner Prediction for 2024
You’re getting exceptional women’s field hockey odds across the board. The Netherlands are a pretty good price despite being the clear favorite, and you don’t have to risk much on any other bet to see a solid return on your investment.
Good sports handicappers would probably encourage a sprinkling of bets for teams not favored to win in this market, simply because the value is so appealing. They’d also tell you to just go with the favorite when they have this good of a price and the odds are still weirdly lucrative.
Ultimately, I don’t really see anyone taking down the Netherlands this year. This is basically what these women were born to do, it seems. Every four years, they wage war in field hockey and they simply have more talent, more determination, and more grit than the women across from them.
Anything is possible when it comes to betting on the Olympics, but the Netherlands are big favorites that don’t cost much to take advantage of. I’d hop on their -190 women’s field hockey betting odds as soon as possible and never look back.
Bet: Netherlands -190