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World Cup Betting
We rate Bet365
the best bookmaker for World Cup betting. Bet365 Bookmaker
has odds on all the individual World Cup 2014 tournament games, outright betting and so much more. They also give up to £200 in free bets to new customers.
Who will win The World Cup 2014? Below are the betting odds from our top-rated online bookies. Compare betting odds (best prices in bold) and click on those odds to go to that online bookie:
TO WIN THE WORLD CUP 2014 TOURNAMENT:
| Bet365 | William Hill | Stan James | Victor Chandler | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRAZIL | 7/2 | 7/2 | 3/1 | 4/1 |
| ARGENTINA | 11/2 | 6/1 | 11/2 | 5/1 |
| SPAIN | 9/2 | 9/2 | 6/1 | 11/2 |
| GERMANY | 11/1 | 11/1 | 11/1 | 10/1 |
| HOLLAND | 10/1 | 12/1 | 12/1 | 14/1 |
| ENGLAND | 12/1 | 16/1 | 20/1 | 16/1 |
| ITALY | 12/1 | 20/1 | 20/1 | 20/1 |
| FRANCE | 20/1 | 20/1 | 25/1 | 25/1 |
| PORTUGAL | 25/1 | 20/1 | 33/1 | 33/1 |
| CHILE | 40/1 | 40/1 | 33/1 | 40/1 |
| URUGUAY | 33/1 | 50/1 | 40/1 | 50/1 |
| RUSSIA | 80/1 | 40/1 | 40/1 | 40/1 |
| MEXICO | 80/1 | 50/1 | 66/1 | 50/1 |
| Each-way bet place terms: 1/2 odds 1-2. | ||||
Odds are that patriotic World Cup betting damages your wealth
The Football World Cup generates football fervour with brigades of bookmakers, like the excellent Bet365, lining up for a football betting bonanza. One billion pounds is wagered on the World Cup betting odds for the Finals stage of the tournament alone.
In England, bookmakers were the major benefactors of World Cup betting when typically suicidal patriotic football betting patterns prevailed in 2010. England were hopeless in the 2010 World Cup Finals, finally being dumped out by a 4-1 thrashing at the hand of Germany. Yet England had started the tournament at just 5/1 to win the tournament in the betting before drifting to 10/1 prior to the last 16 clash with Germany. England managed just one victory, a 1-0 defeat of tiny Slovenia. They were notably abysmal against Algeria (draw) before their clown-like performance against the Germans. The sad fact is that England are always hopelessly overrated by the English media, pundits and supporters alike.
Yet a look at the history of the World Cup would have given everyone a big clue to the past ineptitude of England. England’s performance in the tournament has not been impressive – they didn’t even bother to show up for the early contests.
The inaugural World Cup took place in nineteen thirty. It was the President of FIFA, Mr Jules Rimet, who spotted the potential for a tournament which could bring teams together from across the globe. He had been inspired by the football he had seen at the Olympic games.
Uruguay was the venue for the debut World Cup soccer tournament. The logistics of travelling to such a distant destination dissuaded the majority of nations in Europe from sending their teams. England were one of many who elected to stay at home. With limited interest expressed in the new contest, World Cup betting activity was nothing to write home about either.
Unlike the English, the intrepid French team were undeterred by the traumas of travel and it was their own Lucien Laurent who scored goal number one of the tournament and the first of the four goals scored by France during their success over Mexico. The European nations who did put in appearances failed to put in earth shattering performances.
The tournament was ultimately won by Uruguay who triumphed with four goals to two over Argentina in the final that took place in Montevideo. And, while that year’s World Cup was a relatively low key affair, the success of the host nation started a pattern that would be repeated throughout the tournament’s history.
Despite the ennui of England and other nations, the World Cup went ahead every four years from nineteen thirty onwards with the exception of nineteen forty two and nineteen forty six as the world felt the devastating effects of the second world war.
In nineteen thirty-four, would be participants in the World Cup had to endure the first qualification system. Sixteen countries survived the new qualification system for the second running of the World Cup in Italy. Now hosted on European soil, with travel made relatively easy, the English still didn’t send a team. Once again, the host nation and favourites in the World Cup final betting, triumphed with Italy beating their Czechoslovakian counterparts in the final.
Twenty years later, it was in Switzerland in nineteen fifty four that the TV cameras provided coverage of the World Cup for the first time, providing a fillip for World Cup betting and interest in the tournament as a whole. The final which was held at the Wankdorf arena was seen by millions of viewers. It didn’t disappoint. It was a five goal thriller in which West Germany claimed the spoils, winning by three goals to two against Hungary.
Hosted in Sweden, the lead story of the nineteen fifty eight World Cup was the sensational debut of a seventeen year old Brazilian who was destined to become a footballing legend. It brought Pele to the world stage in spectacular style. Not only did he score three goals in the semi-final round but he hit the back of the net twice in the final to help bring Brazil victory over the host nation, Sweden.
As a World Cup player, his achievements were unprecedented. He had longevity too, playing a major role for Brazil over a period of over fifteen years encompassing appearances in four World Cups. With Pele’s assistance, it is no surprise that Brazil was successful in another three World Cup contests.
It was nearly thirty years after Pele’s debut that the World Cup brought another unheard of talent to the world’s attention. In the Mexico hosted World Cup of nineteen eighty six, it was the ‘divine’ Mr Diego A. Maradona whose contribution helped propel (or punch) Argentina to glory. The English will certainly never forget him.
During the seventies, England twice experienced the dire disgrace of being unable to reach the necessary ‘last sixteen’ in order to take place in the World Cup tournament. What were the betting odds of that? In nineteen ninety four a similar fate brought doom and gloom to football enthusiasts, and bookmakers alike, across England – especially as the number of teams permitted to play in the competition had increased from sixteen to twenty four back in nineteen eighty two.
Even when they did finally turn up, in the fourth World Cup, after the war, England achieved a record in the World Cup that can at best be described as desperately disappointing. Patriotic supporters may claim that luck has not always been on the team’s side with, among other things, premature liaisons with the legends that are Brazil having a disastrous effect on their chances. The unforgiving penalty kick shoot outs that were introduced in the competition in nineteen eighty two have also destroyed the team’s odds of success on more than one heart stopping occasion.
Only in nineteen sixty six, with the well documented and universally acknowledged home advantage, did England manage to claim the World Cup. They enjoyed the unique good fortune to play all of their games in the presence of an enthusiastic home crowd at Wembley’s hallowed Stadium. Even then the World Cup betting was frenzied.
So just how significant is the ‘home advantage’? In six of the eighteen World Cups held to date, the host nation has been victorious. Just over thirty three per cent of tournaments have been won by the team who was playing ‘at home’. Those stats, if taken literally mean the betting odds of the home team ought to be no more than a mere 2/1 (that equates to a one in three chance, or 33% chance) to win the World Cup tournament.
The next most significant statistic for the uninitiated is that Brazil has triumphed five times – but, if you are contemplating World Cup betting now, remember that three of those victories were under the influence of the Pele factor.
The second most successful nation in the history of the World Cup is Italy with four victories to their name. West Germany takes third place with three triumphs. Both of these countries enjoyed one of their successes when playing at home as hosts. England's success has been insignificant by comparison and patriotic punters should take that fact on board when parting with their World Cup betting funds.
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