The biggest question of all, for supporters and gamblers everywhere, is who will win the tournament outright.
Will it be one of the football super powers, like Brazil or Italy? Will it be one of the teams who have looked good but stopped short of fulfilling their potential in the past like Spain or England? Are we going to see a surprise winner? Is the first World Cup on African soil also going to give us the first African winning side?
With over a month to go until the start of the tournament it is impossible to know, but we can take a look at what the bookmakers are offering in terms of favourites to lift the trophy on the 11th of July.
1 – Spain (4-1)
Having won the thrilling Euro 2008 tournament and with an enviable team featuring talent like up front goal scoring machines David Villa and Fernando Torres, Spain are the favourites going into the games in South Africa.
With a strong domestic league boasting teams of the caliber of Barcelona and Real Madrid, Spain are a very serious football nation, but they have never won the World Cup before. With a strong history of just not quite getting there and a better team than ever, Spain will be looking to prove something, and a win will mean a lot to supporters across the nation.
2 – Brazil (5-1)
The Brazilian national football team is almost synonymous with “World Cup Winners”. They have lifted the trophy 5 times, most recently in the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.
A lot has happened in the 8 years since, and their performance in the last World Cup was disappointing, going out to eventual second place France in the Quarter Finals. They do however, still boast a very strong team, with stars like Fabiano and Kaka set to dazzle spectators in South Africa this summer.
It is worth noting though, that as starting groups go, Brazil’s Group G is one of the toughest draws there is. They have African favourites the Ivory Coast and an on form Portuguese side to contend with before progressing through the knockout stages.
3 – England (11-2)
With these odds coming from a comparison of the UK betting market, it is to be expected that England will have shorter odds than they possibly deserve as a result of this being a popular bet for English football fans. England are seeded 7th in FIFA’s world rankings.
There will however, be a lot of interest in how the new England regime under Fabio Capello fares in this tournament. With arguably the toughest domestic league in the world and a host of superstar players like Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and John Terry, the England squad have been notorious under achievers. Failing to even qualify for the Euro 2008 competition, and with a tradition of exiting tournaments on penalties, can England turn it around and actually live up to the undeniable potential within their ranks?
4 – Argentina (8-1)
With the unstoppable Lionel Messi up front, regarded by many as the best player in the current game, there is a lot of expectation on this year’s Argentine side.
With a reasonably easy group draw, including Greece, Nigeria and South Korea, Argentina will be hoping to better their 2006 result, going out on penalties in the quarter final against hosts Germany, and their 2002 performance, where they didn’t make it past the group stage.
5 – Germany (12-1)
Another footballing “super power”, Germany almost always feature among the favourites going into a World Cup. Third place in 2006 when they hosted the tournament and second in 2002, they definitely have the pedigree. They have won the trophy three times, though the most recent was back at Italia ’90, when the country was still divided and it was a West Germany team that won. Can the Germans do it again 20 years on?
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