Which World Leader Will Be the Next to Leave?

Between the aftermath of a global pandemic like COVID-19 and the changing political landscapes around the world, many people are not satisfied with their country’s leader in government. We have seen impeachments, resignations, assassination attempts, and more around the world as the party that was in power during COVID has really struggled to remain in power as we near 2025.

But a top-rated betting site like BetOnline is offering odds on who will be the next world leader to leave their post in government. Here are some of the top choices by the odds from BetOnline:

• Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel (+250)
• Lula da Silva, Brazil (+300)
• Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine (+375)
• Emmanuel Macron, France (+500)
• Donald Trump, United States (+1600)

You basically have to be ruthless like Vladimir Putin in Russia (+2500 at BetOnline) to ensure a long stay in control these days. But do any of these names stand out as good value right now given current world events? Let’s examine.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel

No one has served as prime minister of Israel longer than Benjamin Netanyahu (Bibi) with over 17 years of service. But the 75-year-old leader has been under heavy criticism for his handling of the conflict in Gaza ever since the terrorist attack on October 7, 2023. Israel’s retaliation has reportedly been so heavy on civilian casualties that he has lost a lot of support globally.

The Israel-Palestine conflict goes back many decades, but the recent escalation has even drawn criticism of Bibi from his own people. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has just issued an arrest warrant for Bibi for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. They did something similar to this earlier in 2024, and they also issued this against a Hamas leader. But there is alleged criminal responsibility on Bibi for the starvation in Gaza and the persecution of Palestinians.

President-elect Donald Trump in the United States has vowed to end this conflict quickly when he takes office in January, but this is not an easy conflict to just end as there are still hostages being held in Gaza.

But there is growing pressure on Netanyahu to step down, and his tenure has been broken up into pieces before. He served from 1996 to 1999, then from 2009 to 2021 before taking power again in 2022.

So, he’s been ousted as recently as 2021 and isn’t getting any younger. This feels like a good place to start finding value with +250 odds after the breaking news about the latest allegations of war crimes. Netanyahu is a good choice for the highest odds and the most likely world leader to leave next.

Lula da Silva, Brazil

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, also known as Lula, has only been the President of Brazil since 2023 when he defeated the disgraced Jair Bolsonaro. But similar to Netanyahu in Israel, he has been in this role before, serving as Brazil’s 35th president from 2003 to 2011.

He is 79 years old and is no stranger to scandals when in office, including a vote-buying scandal. He also has been convicted on charges of money laundering and corruption and served 580 days in prison for it in the late 2010s.

Lula is a left-wing politician, and there is a growing far-right faction in Brazil with many believing the 2022 election was “stolen” from Bolsonaro, which led to Brazil having its own January 6th type of event in protest.

Lula has a difficult job in fixing the economy in Brazil, one of the most highly-populated countries in the world. But he has the experience and enough supporters to remain in office for the time being.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine

Much of the world has gotten to know the story of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who went from playing a fictional version of the President of Ukraine in a comedy TV show to doing the job for real and under attack from Vladimir Putin’s Russian forces.

Zelenskyy, 46, was also a figure in the first impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump in regards to a “quid pro quo” for aid to Ukraine. He has been receiving lots of aid from the US in his fight against Russia from Joe Biden’s administration, but with Trump’s approval of Putin, this could change dramatically in the coming months when Trump is back in office.

Trump has already been in talks with Zelenskyy since winning the election, and there is some hope that some kind of deal could be worked out to stop this Russia-Ukraine conflict.

However, things are escalating as we speak with Ukraine using U.S. long-range missiles this week on attacks against Russian forces. A deal for peace may be more necessary than ever.

Zelenskyy has allegedly survived multiple assassination attempts on his life since this invasion began in 2022, so he is at risk of losing his life on the job more than the other leaders on this list. But his fight and determination have also won him over with the Ukrainian people, so for as long as this war goes on, he is likely to stay on as their leader.

Emmanuel Macron, France

Emmanuel Macron, 46, has been the President of France since 2017 and is currently serving his 2nd term. Macron has faced a lot of backlash from both political aisles for his economic approach to fixing France’s struggles with inflation after COVID-19. His pension reform has sparked protests and calls for his resignation.

But Macron also has enough support to stay in office until his term ends, and he cannot seek a 3rd term. That means we have 2027 as a natural endpoint for his leave, and that feels like a date that should extend past some of the other world leaders we are looking at here.

Donald Trump, United States

It has been called the greatest political comeback in history. That is up for debate, but it is certainly in the running for the most improbable after Trump left the White House in shame in 2021 after the events at the Capitol on January 6 when he led his followers to an insurrection after contesting the 2020 election was stolen.

That led to Trump being the first US president to ever get impeached twice, though he was not found guilty in the Senate both times. But he left the White House with that mark, and then in 2024, he became the first US president to ever be convicted of a crime with 34 felony counts in New York for the Stormy Daniels hush money case. Trump also faced nearly 90 other charges over 4 indictments, and he was also found liable in civil court for sexual assault of a woman decades ago.

Despite all of this, Trump still easily secured the Republican nomination for the 3rd election cycle in a row, then survived a couple of assassination attempts this summer before winning the 2024 election. He also won the popular vote, something only one Republican (George Bush in 2004) has done since 1992.

This gives Trump a mandate, and he is already busy at work trying to fill his cabinet with some very controversial choices, including Matt Gaetz for Attorney General and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health services. Trump has also promised some economic policies like heavy tariffs that have many economists worried about a recession.

With Trump having a stacked Supreme Court in his favor, and the Republicans gaining control of the Senate and House of Representatives, there could be little stopping him from doing what he wants in his 2nd term, which he said would start with him as a dictator on Day 1. He also wants to deport upwards of 20 million illegal immigrants, which would be a massive cost and program to enforce while also cutting into the workforce in the country. 

But if Trump’s presidency starts causing real problems, there could be mass protests, and he has already had multiple assassination plots thwarted this year. He is also 78 years old and not in peak health, so one wrong order from McDonald’s could unexpectedly cash this bet too.

Our Top Pick

The best value pick is Netanyahu of Israel (+250) to leave next, but if you want to back a longshot with value for multiple reasons, you can’t beat Trump here at +1600 odds.