World Cup Futures
World Cup 2006 soccer action kicks off beginning June 9 with group play in host country Germany. The 32-team field again includes its share of clear favorites and a couple of intriguing underdogs, giving bettors around the world a chance to wager on the World Cup.
Brazil, ranked #1 in the latest FIFA world rankings, is the clear favorite to win the 2006 World Cup soccer tournament. The defending Cup champions, and winners of two of the last three Cup tournaments, are posted at 5/2 betting odds at Bodog.com, +285 at Pinnaclesports.com, and at 3/1 at SportingBetUSA.com to win the Cup this time out.
Many of the other usual suspects when it comes to wagering on the World Cup are clustered in the 7/1 to 15/1 range. They include Argentina at +870 at Pinnacle, 2002 Cup runner-up Germany at +815 at Pinnacle, England at 7/1 at SportingBetUSA, the Netherlands (listed as Holland at some sportsbooks) at +1400 at Pinnacle, Italy at +990 at Pinnacle, and France, the 1998 Cup champions, at +1300 at Pinnacle.
But betting the favorites may not necessarily be the way to go when it comes to picking the World Cup champ. Remember, three of those teams listed above - England, France and Italy - all were knocked out of the Cup tournament in the early stages in 2002.
Spain is listed at +1625 at PinnacleSports.com, and Portugal is posted at +2350, also at Pinnacle. Further down the board, Mexico is 50/1 at SportingBetUSA.com, and the United States, despite its No. 5 rank in the most recent FIFA world rankings, is listed at 60/1 at SportingBetUSA.
Bringing up the rear of the field are Saudi Arabia at 750/1 and Trinidad & Tobago at 1,000/1, both at SportingBetUSA.com.
In group play betting, Germany is the 5/12 favorite at Bodog.com to win Group A, which also includes Poland, Ecuador and Costa Rica.
England is a 1-2 favorite at Bodog to win Group B, which also includes Sweden, Paraguay and the aforementioned longshot T&T.
Argentina is listed at 1-1 and the Netherlands at 7/5 at SportingBetUSA to win Group C, a tough bunch that also includes Serbia & Montenegro and the Ivory Coast.
Portugal is posted at 5/6 at SportingBetUSA and Mexico is 7/5 at Bodog to win Group D, which also includes Angola and Iran.
In Group E, Italy is an obvious favorite at 5/6 at Bodog to come out of it, while the U.S. is listed at 13/2 at SportingBetUSA to win the group, which also includes the Czech Republic and Ghana.
Powerhouse Brazil is 1-5 to win Group F, which includes Australia, Croatia and Japan.
France is the chalk to win Group G at 1/3 at Bodog. That group also includes Switzerland, South Korea and Togo.
And Spain is a 10/19 favorite at Bodog to win Group H, which also includes Ukraine, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.
Only seven nations have won the World Cup title since the first tournament was conducted in 1930. Those seven are Brazil, with five Cup titles, Italy and Germany with three Cups apiece, Uruguay and Argentina with two titles each, and England and France with one apiece.
The World Cup final will be played July 9 in Berlin.
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