2024 Paris Olympics Women’s Water Polo Odds and Predictions

The United States is slated to dominate at the 2024 Summer Olympics. They are favored to win the most gold medals this year, and part of that stems from their 2024 Paris Olympics women’s water polo odds.

Team USA enters as sizable favorites, as they’ve won gold in each of the last three Summer Games. The sport has only been around for the women’s side since 2000, though, so it might make a little more sense for some bettors to just target the 2024 men’s water polo odds, instead.

Regardless, you’re here because you want to find out who will win gold in women’s water polo this year – or at least how to bet on it. The US is going to be tough to beat at the Paris Olympics, but every elite era dries up eventually.

Join me as I comb through the latest 2024 women’s water polo betting odds and highlight my favorite bets to win.

Odds to Win Gold in Women’s Water Polo in Paris

Team USA isn’t a serious challenger on the men’s side, but the women’s team has owned water polo since registering their first win in London in 2021.

Their hot run could end at any point, but their -260 odds suggest that’s unlikely. You can find the latest women’s water polo odds at numerous online sports betting sites, but the pricing below is from BetOnline.

As noted, women’s water polo hasn’t been around very long in the Olympics, and unlike the men’s field, the women’s side has just 10 teams competing.

Does less competition in terms of volume make the United States a slam dunk? Quite possibly, but their -260 odds arguably do not.

While the US has given us every reason to want to back them, their pricing demands bettors look for alternatives. I personally don’t mind eating that -260 price if I decide the US is a home run bet, but you should absolutely turn over every stone in this betting market before making that call.

Why is Team USA Favored to Win in Women’s Water Polo in 2024?

The US has been utterly dominant in women’s water polo. They’ve claimed gold in each of the last three Summer Games, and they were as good as ever in Tokyo four years ago.

Adam Kkrikorian’s crew scored 64 goals during Group Play going 3-0-1 and punching their ticket to the Quarter-finals. Once there, they housed Canada (16-5), breezed past ROC, and destroyed Spain (14-5) in the gold medal game.

Nobody holds a candle to the US, and it hasn’t just been in the Olympics.

In preparation for revving up for their gold medal defense, the US women’s water polo team took home first place at the 2024 World Championship. This came after taking home gold at the 2023 Pan American Games and the 2023 World Cup.

Team USA is as well-rounded as they come, but they’re even more formidable due to superstar Maggie Steffens. The 31-year old is back to add to the record books, as she stands in with the most goals in women’s water polo history at the Olympics with 38.

She’s sure to add to that number, and is a huge reason why betting on the US women’s water polo team makes sense – even at their -260 price tag.

Top 2024 Women’s Water Polo Contenders

Betting against the US women’s Olympic water polo teams feels like a mistake, but their odds are admittedly not that welcome. All good things do eventually come to an end, too.

If you’re looking for reasons to avoid the United States in this Paris Olympics betting market, perhaps these two contenders will do the trick.

Netherlands +500

The women’s Olympic water polo team with the second best odds is the Netherlands. It makes sense, as they actually were borderline unstoppable during Group Play in Tokyo, scoring 75 goals.

That led the way during the Group Stage, but the Netherlands ultimately got tripped up right away in the Quarter-finals, losing a tough 14-11 shootout against Hungary.

The Netherlands did not bring their A-game when it mattered most, but we know they’re capable of dominating when they’re firing on all cylinders. They also secured gold in the 2008 Olympics, and worked their way back to relevancy with a 6th place finish in 2020.

They’ve also been making some noise since then, finishing first at the 2023 World Championship, second at the 2023 World Cup, and winning gold at the 2024 European Championship.

The USA wasn’t there to stop them, but the Netherlands still had to take down some stiff competition.

Their run to a title included tying for the most potent offense during the Group Stage, a complete demolition of Great Britain (25-6!), a tight win over Italy, and a tense 8-7 win over Spain in the gold medal game.

It might be tough to get away from the US when betting on who will win the women’s olympic water polo title, but there’s no denying the value you’re getting with a battle tested Netherlands squad.

Spain +600

Perhaps more appealing than the Netherlands is Spain. Their Olympic odds are obviously more appealing, and they barely lost that 2024 European Championship to the Netherlands.

More importantly, they’ve been a far more reliable team in Olympics play. They haven’t claimed gold like the Netherlands has, but they won silver in 2020 – doing so for the second time.

In fact, in their last three trips to the Summer Games, they’ve finished 5th or better each time. This is a team that has constantly put themselves in position for high-level success, and it’s tough to say for sure they won’t finish the job in Paris this year.

Before getting obliterated in the gold medal game in Tokyo, Spain was throttling the competition. They put up 71 goals in Group Play en route to a 3-0-1 record, and worked their way past China and Hungary.

They fell flat when it mattered most, but Spain’s experience and offensive aptitude make them a serious challenger going into Paris.

Best 2024 Paris Women’s Water Polo Value Bet

I think you’re getting plenty of betting value with the top two women’s Olympic water polo contenders detailed above, but perhaps you want more.

Besides, sometimes teams emerge out of nowhere and shock the world. If there’s one capable of doing that, I think it’s Australia.

The Australian women’s Olympic water polo team actually won gold in 2000, but has found a way to stay relevant almost numerous times. They’ve placed in the Olympics three times now, and were very stingy defensively in Tokyo four years ago.

Australia allowed just 33 goals during Group Play, which ranked second only to the eventual champion United States. They also could have gone on a run, but got narrowly edged out in the Knockout Bracket in a 9-8 defeat to ROC.

While that could have been deflating, they regrouped, as they took down Canada in a penalty shootout, and then dominated the Netherlands (14-7) to wrap up 5th place.

It was a respectable finish, but one that could have easily been a lot better. The offense will need to be better this time around, but Australia has the defense and experience to be worth a look at +1600.

2024 Women’s Water Polo Winner Prediction

You have two major goals when betting on the Olympics this year; make sure you find a site that offers the best odds possible, and when in doubt, back Team USA.

I honestly think there are a ton of events where the Americans offer significant value and could shock the world. For a country favored to win the most gold medals, it shouldn’t really surprise anyone if they win in some categories where they’re being overlooked at the moment.

This isn’t one of those situations, of course.

The US has simply dominated this competition, and nothing they’ve done in recent Olympics or over the past four years indicates their run is about to end. The crazy thing? This isn’t just a team with elite offensive ability.

They certainly offer that, but Team USA was incredibly stingy on defense in Tokyo – both in Group Play and in the gold medal game. They are simply that much better than everyone they’re going up against.

It never feels good eating a -260 price, but it’s still the right play.

Bet: USA -260