World Cup Betting
The FIFA World Cup is one of the most watched sporting events in the world. While not in as much demand in the United States, in some countries the World Cup is life or death. The World Cup is an international soccer competition between mens national teams. In some countries, soccer is known as football. The World Cup is played every four years, and has been awarding a winner since 1930. The only time there was no World Cup was in 1942 and 1946 due to World War 2. This year, the World Cup begins on June 11th and concludes July 11th. The Jules Rimet Trophy is awarded to the winner, named after former FIFA president Jules Rimet. The first televised World Cup was in 1954, and then in 2006 it was estimated that over 26 billion people watched the World Cup. 715 million were estimated to have watched the finals between Italy and France.
History of World Cup
The World Cup consists of 32 teams competing at different venues throughout the host country. The host country is decided well in advance by FIFAs Executive Committee. The host put together a proposal of how they will handle all the action and spectators, and then they begin work on transforming a city to prepare for the historic event. The previous ten hosts are: Mexico, West Germany, Argentina, Spain, Mexico, Italy, United States, France, Japan and Germany.
In 2010, the World Cup will be played in South Africa, while Brazil will host the first World Cup in South America since 1978. Brazil holds the most World Cup titles with 5, with their last won coming in 2002. They also have 2 runners up, 2 third place finishes and also a fourth place. Italy has won the World Cup four times, including back-to-back titles in 1934 and 1938. The United States has never won the World Cup title, but did finish third place during 1930. 7 different countries have won the World Cup.
How To Bet On World Cup
Now is a great time to get started on betting on the World Cup. Future bets are available at pretty much every online sportsbook. All 32 teams are given odds to win the title. Here are the odds for the top 16 teams competing for the 2010 World Cup:
Spain 9/2
Brazil 11/2
England 11/2
Argentina 10/1
Italy 13/1
Germany 14/1
Holland 14/1
France 16/1
Ivory Coast 28/1
Portugal 28/1
Chile 50/1
Ghana 80/1
Serbia 80/1
United States 80/1
Paraguay 80/1
Nigeria 100/1
Odds for each team can move up or down from now until the action begins. Odds for teams move according to injuries, practice sessions and other variables. With a future bet, the bet does not go off the board until the team that was bet on is eliminated. Your winnings for a future bet are based on their odds. For example, if you were to bet on the United States, and they pulled a miracle and won the World Cup, and you put $10 down, you would be the winner of $800.00!
Besides future bets, most World Cup games have lines that let you bet on each individual game. You can usually bet Moneyline or Over/Under bets for every single match of the World Cup. Read our football betting section for more detailed information about how to bet on World Cup action.
Where to Bet on the World Cup
Before you make any bet, it is a good idea to do your homework. The worst bet is a blind shot in the dark, without any knowledge of the teams involved. A good idea would be to study the trends, statistics and tips leading up to the World Cup. If you are completely sold on a team, and want to make the future bet now, go for it your odds will be locked in.
One key statistic when you are choosing your bets on the World Cup six of the 18 hosts have won the event. Thats 33% of the time. European sportsbooks such as 888 Sport, Paddy power and William Hill are some of the best-known places to bet on the World Cup.
World Cup Bonuses
A few of the most advertised bonuses available for the World Cup online are:
Paddy Power Claim
up to $100 in free bets when betting on World Cup
William Hill Free
$25 bet to make on the World Cup
Take advantage of not only these fine offers, but also others available at sportsbooks all over. The World Cup is coming right up, do not miss out on a chance to bet on one of the biggest betting events in the world!