World Cup betting

World Cup group matches don’t get any more tense and exciting  than the one taking place in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday afternoon, where England need victory in order to qualify for the last sixteen of the competition. For such a huge game, many bookmakers are offering promotions and concessions which are well worth checking out.

Over at Paddy Power, they are still reeling from having to refund all losing 1st / last goalscorer, correct score and scorecast singles on the England v Algeria match last Friday and their Bore War promotion is continuing for this game. There’s obviously a strong chance that Slovenia will look to keep things tight and play for a goalless draw, something which would result in another mass refund.

Bet365 go even further with their Bore Draw offering, with the UK bookmaker also offering to refund Anytime Goalscorer and Half Time / Full Time bets if the match finishes goalless. Customers should note that this applies to every match taking place during the World Cup and there are bound to be a few cagey goalless draws when we enter the knockout stages.

Bet365 also have their Penalty Payback promotion where they will refund any losing bets on the outright market on a team that is knocked out of the World Cup on spot kicks.

Back to the England v Slovenia match and Victor Chandler will have their “Roo Beauty” promotion running for this and every other England match in the World Cup. If Wayne Rooney scores the last goal of the match, they will refund all losing First Goalscorer and Correct Score bets on that match as a free bet. It’s certainly high time that the Manchester United forward delivered the goods for the Three Lions.

Meanwhile, William Hill are offering a special England and Germany bet which is sure to attract the attention of patriotic punters. Both teams are in action on Wednesday and face a strong chance of playing each other, although Hills offer 6/1 that England qualify for the last sixteen and Germany miss out. If the Three Lions win their game, it could be a nice bet to have in the evening as the Germans battle it out with Ghana. This bookmaker offers over 180 markets on the big match.

Over at Sky Bet, they are offering plenty of England special bets, as has been the case throughout the summer. You can actually bet on whether Fabio Capello will still be manager of England by the end of the World Cup (yes = 2/7, no = 5/2), while they also offer customers some England qualification combinations.

You can get 4/1 that England draw and go out on points, with Sky Bet offering 18/1 that the Three Lions draw and go out on goals scored. There are also World Cup Enhanced Multiples available, with 7/4 available that England and USA win on Wednesday afternoon and 10/3 that England, Germany and Serbia all win.

There was a huge gamble on Argentina ahead of Saturday’s match against Nigeria at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. Earlier in the week, odds of 8/15 were available about Diego Maradona’s team, although punters were filling their boots on the favourite as the game approached its 3pm kick-off.

The 8/15 had disappeared on Saturday morning, with Ladbrokes and Paddy Power the only firms to offer 4/9 about the Albiceleste before the match kicked off. Victor Chandler had clearly accepted some big best from high-rolling clients and had trimmed their price on Argentina to 1/3. Bet365 were another firm to be feeling the weight of this weekend gamble, with the leading bookmaker offering odds of 2/5 about Maradona’s team, 7/2 that the match finished in a draw and 8/1 that Nigeria could pull off a shock.

Despite the fact that Jonas Gutierrez played as a left-winger all season for Newcastle all season, the player was selected to play as a right-back against the Super Eagles, although that didn’t stop bet365 offering odds-on (10/11) that Argentina were ahead at half-time, while this was the first occasion where Over 2.5 Goals (4/5 bet365) were available at a shorter price than Under 2.5 Goals (10/11 bet365).

Gabriel Heinze’s early goal put Argentina 1-0 in front and the gamble appeared to be paying off. The former Manchester United defender was given the freedom of the penalty area to head home from a corner and bet365 swiftly cut the south American team to 1/8 and then, moments later, into 1/9. Over 3.5 Goals was available at odds of 10/11, with Under 3.5 Goals on offer at 4/5.

However, the goalfest didn’t materialise and Nigeria had chances of their own during a first half which failed to yield any more goals. This was great news for the customers who had backed Argentina to lead at half-time at odds of 10/11. But could this monster gamble on La Albiceleste to win the match pay off? As the second half started, Argentina were still on offer at 1/9 at bet365 and there was a nagging feeling that a poor defence didn’t make the home favourites complete certainties to win this match.

However, there were customers enjoying a bet on Next Goalscorer, with Lionel Messi on offer at 4/1, Carlos Tevez available at 6/1 and Gonzalo Higuain priced at 6/1. The Real Madrid striker had already missed two gilt-edged chances in the first half, something which won’t have been pleasing to those who had backed him at 20/1 on the Top Goalscorer market!

With half an hour left, Nigeria were continuing to hold their own. While Argentina continued to trade at 1/10 with bet365, the odds on them scoring the next goal at 4/5, with no second goal on offer at 7/4. Punters who backed this latter option would have had a nervous but successful outcome to the match, with both teams creating chances to win the game.

While the money continues pour in for Spain, Brazil, Argentina and Holland to win this summer’s competition in South Africa, we should remember that this is a cup competition where the best team doesn’t always win. Indeed, from the last sixteen stage onwards, games are often decided by a fatal error or a brilliant piece of individual skill, while there is nearly always one ‘outsider’ that makes it to the quarter finals and sometimes further.

Mexico look as though they have a tremendous chance of going far in the World Cup, providing that they can cope with the pressure of playing hosts South Africa in the first game. Perhaps Bafana Bafana will be the ones who struggle under the weight of expectations, although the Mexicans are certainly worth a second look at odds of 80/1 (Ladbrokes) on the outright market. Javier Aguirre’s team have prepared for the World Cup with matches against England, Holland and Italy, the latter of whom they beat 2-1.

El Tri have a lovely brand of attacking football and if Javier Hernandez and Carlos Vela can produce some cutting edge in the group stages, Mexico can go through to the last sixteen where they might play a team like Nigeria or South Korea. Even if you don’t think they can go all the way, there’s a case for backing them at 89/1 on betfair as their odds will shorten significantly if they get as far as the quarter final stages.

Serbia are another team who could have a favourable route to the last eight and they have been backed into 66/1 with Sky Bet on the outright market. The White Eagles finished ahead of France during World Cup qualifying, so it’s mystifying as to why they are three times the price of Les Bleus. Radomir Antic’s team look as though they’re getting their act together after a 4-3 win over Cameroon and they have some excellent players within the squad.

Captain Dejan Stankovic is a Champions League winner with Inter, while Branislav Ivanovic and Nemanja Vidic are two of the best central defenders in the Premier League. In attack, Pantelic and Zigic should trouble defences and there’s a strong case for saying that Serbia will finish above Germany and face a team like the US or Slovenia in the last sixteen.

Paraguay are the other team who might be worthy of consideration, especially at odds of 100/1 (Sporting Bet). This is a team that finished just a point behind Brazil and five ahead of Argentina in south American qualifying, with manager Gerardo Martino able to call upon a brilliant striker named Lucas Barrios who could be one of the stars of the tournament. If they get a favourable result against Italy on Monday, Group F could be there for the taking and it would mean a likely last sixteen match against Cameroon or Denmark.

The Ultimate World Cup Winner Tipping Contest!

Here at soccerbetting.info/online-betting.me.uk, we have £500 in free bets to give away thanks to the generous folk at bet365. They are one of the world’s biggest and best bookmakers, who will be providing an excellent betting service on the 2010 World Cup.

For your chance to win a free bet between the value of £10 and £200, you simply need to make sure that you open a bet365 account, before predicting the team that will win the 2010 World Cup. Here are the full instructions:

1) Sign up at bet365 by clicking on this link
2) Deposit and place at least one bet with this bookmaker
3) Send an email to competitions@soccerbetting.info with the subject line “I want a free bet with bet365”. You should include the following details:

- Your World Cup winner prediction (only one team allowed)
- Your bet365 username
- The date you signed up and the first deposit amount

The deadline for all entries is 16th June, with one lucky participant walking away with a first prize of £200. The second prize on offer is £100, while there are eight other free bet prizes between the value of £10 and £50.

Get involved in this fantastic competition and win a free bet!

Next to this one, we are organizing 2 other World Cup tipping contests:

The Ultimate World Cup Winner Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Ivory Coast V Portugal Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Cameroon V Denmark Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Ivory Coast V Portugal Tipping Contest!
 
Group games don’t get any more exciting than Ivory Coast v Portugal on 15th June, with both teams looking to secure the three points ahead of other Group G matches against Brazil and North Korea. Here at soccerbetting.info/online-betting.me.uk, we have £500 in free bets to give away to those who can predict the correct outcome in this match, courtesy of our friends at William Hill.

Somebody has to win a first prize of £150, while there are nine other prizes between £10 and £100 for those that are also correct with their prediction. In order to get your hands on some free cash, simply take the following steps:

1) Sign up at William Hill by clicking on this link
2) Deposit and place at least one bet with this bookmaker
3) Send an email to competitions@soccerbetting.info with the subject line “I want a free bet with William Hill”. You should include the following details:

- Your Ivory Coast v Portugal prediction (Ivory Coast win, Portugal win or draw)
- Your William Hill username
- The date you signed up and the first deposit amount

The deadline for all entries is 2.55pm on 15th June, which is five minutes before the match kicks off. One lucky participant will be walking away with a first prize of £150 for getting the outcome right – will it be you?

Next to this one, we are organizing 2 other World Cup tipping contests:

The Ultimate World Cup Winner Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Ivory Coast V Portugal Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Cameroon V Denmark Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Cameroon V Denmark Tipping Contest!
 
This could be the match that decides which team finishes in the Group E qualifying places and books their place in the last sixteen. It should be a keenly-fought contest, but do you have the skill to predict which team will win when Cameroon play Denmark? The generous folk at Paddy Power have given soccerbetting.info/online-betting.me.uk no less than £500 in free bets and somebody has to win them!

The first prize is a massive £150, while there are nine other prizes between £10 and £100 for those that are also spot-on with their prediction. In order to get your hands on some free cash, simply take the following steps:

1) Sign up at Paddy Power using this link
2) Deposit and place at least one bet with this bookmaker
3) Send an email to competitions@soccerbetting.info with the subject line “I want a free bet with Paddy Power”. You should include the following details:

- Your Cameroon v Denmark prediction (Cameroon win, Denmark win or draw)
- Your Paddy Power username
- The date you signed up and the first deposit amount

The deadline for all entries is 7.25pm on 19th June, which is five minutes before the match kicks off. One lucky participant will be walking away with a first prize of £150 for getting the match verdict right – will it be you?

Next to this one, we are organizing 2 other World Cup tipping contests:

The Ultimate World Cup Winner Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Ivory Coast V Portugal Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Cameroon V Denmark Tipping Contest!

The 2020 FIFA World Cup Group Favourites are well worth looking at in World Cup Betting Odds, especially if you are looking for relatively secure bets. The seeded team in each group, will naturally start as favourites to win their respective groups, but that will not bring a great deal of reward in terms of long odds. So, if you want to chance your arm a little bit more and discover some longer odds, as with any form of betting, you will need to look towards the outsiders in the group to cause a surprise upset and steal top spot. The top spot in each of the eight groups are all important, because it generally should mean easier opposition in the last 16 stage of the competition, where the knockout stages start and World Cup lifelines get no second chance.

Group A Favourites: France 11/10 at Ladbrokes
An odd group in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, simply because hosts South Africa were one of the seeded teams, but France are clear favourites to win it. South Africa will likely struggle to even get out off of bottom spot in the group, but France aren’t a particularly strong side in relation to other European teams such as Spain, Italy and England. The French though, who needed a qualification play-off to reach the finals, are expected to be strong enough to pip the group at a price around Evens, which is not particularly flattering to them. As unpredictable as they are, they could come under pressure from Mexico in particular who are around 3/1 depending on your online bookmaker to win Group A. Either one makes a decent return on such a restricted market.

Group B Favourites: Argentina 8/15 at ExtraBet
Clear outright winner in Group B should be South American’s Argentina. They had their troubles through qualification, and maintain an air of unpredictability with World Cup legend Maradona in charge, but they have remained around third favourites to win the tournament even when they were on the cusp of missing out on qualification. Why? Simply because they have a pure wealth of talent with the likes of Lionel Messi, Thiago Motta, Sergio Aguero, Diego Milita, Carlos Tevez and Gabriel Heinze.

Group C Favourites: England 4/11 at SkyBet
England are strong favourites to win Group C, and in all honesty there does not appear to be too much opposition to stop them doing that. This does mean that the odds on it happening are short, and World Cup Betting at SkyBet have England at 4/11 to win the group. The bookmakers have the USA as second favourites at around 5/1, and then Slovenia back out at around 10/1. This is the strength which England are meant to carry in the tournament and there is not much doubt that they won’t win the group.

Group D Favourites: Germany 10/11 at Victor Chandler
This could be a tighter group that the online bookmakers may suggest. Germany are the favourites, as they always seem to perform at tournaments, even when they go into them in less than ideal form. They are in decent shape, but perhaps not strong enough to win the tournament outright. Online bookmakers will attract plenty of betting on European counterparts Serbia though, as they look a great dark horse bet. Ghana, if they field a strong side could also pose a major threat to the European sides. Plenty of good prices here in Group D, which should be one of the most interesting.

Group E Favourites: Holland 8/13 at Bet365
The Netherlands had a flawless record in qualification and should have the class and technical ability to top Group E. They are relatively untested against major opponents, but still look a good strong side, certainly strong enough over their Group E opponents. If things pan out here as expected, there could be a close race for second spot between Denmark and Cameroon. Can either of them upset the Dutch? If it is going to happen, then it could well be Cameroon getting their act together on the day, and putting a disappointing African Cup of Nations behind them. They should carry more of an offensive threat than Denmark in challenging Holland.

Group F Favourites: Italy 1/2 at Ladbrokes
Defending World Cup Champions Italy have great pedigree in the touranment, and start as favourites to win Group F. Italy often get the job done, even when the odds seem stacked against them, and everyone is excpecting an adventurous teams to come along and beat them. Italy know how to win games, but they do have good teams in their group which could make it all interesting. Paraguay are a strong South American dark horse and look like a good outside bet to edge the Italians. Slovakia too proved technically apt during qualification, any could play their way into group contention.

Group G Favourites: Brazil 4/6 at BetFred
The Group of Death as the media quickly labelled this one. Brazil are favourites to win the Group even with a tough level of opposition. They could have drawn an easier group, but will they be too worried? Probably not, as this is Brazil and they look in good shape, particularly as an all round solid unit, and when you add that bit of Brazilian flair into the mix, you have a favourite. The main battle behind Brazil will be between Portugal and the Ivory Coast for second spot. That is the opening group fixture and it should be a cracker. Can Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal edge Brazil? Can Didier Drogba’s Ivory Coast top them both? Unlikely looking at the qualification process and the African Cup of Nations, but at around 4/1, either of them could make an interesting bet.

Group H Favouites: Spain 1/3 at Stan James
Outright favourites to win the World Cup, so naturally favourites to win Group H as well. It should be an entertaining group, as well as being something of a formality. Spain really are a class act and should win this at a breeze. They appear to have gotten over their hoodoo of blowing things on the big stage when they won the European Championships a couple of years ago. Chile look a good side too, but back at 5/1 to win the group, shows how good the Spaniards are.

In summary, if you were to do all of your World Cup Betting at Bet365, then you would be looking at something like this if you take these early odds on the Group winners. These are all favourites and therefore always represent something of a safe bet. France 10/11, Argentina 8/15, England 1/3, Germany 4/5, Holland 8/13, Italy 2/5, Brazil 4/7 and Spain 2/7. That is backing all favourites to win, and they could of course be combined into a multiple bet.

Last Friday, 32 nations discovered their fate as the draw for next summer’s World Cup took place in Cape Town. Never before has the draw received so much attention, with the media keen to identify ‘Groups of Death’, despite the fact that every team playing in the competition are there on merit (with the exception of South Africa).

A couple of bookmakers have already decided to offer a generous cashback special on the World Cup, with Sky Bet offering to refund all losing outright bets if England are triumphant. This is possibly an attempt to encourage less English people to back their own country, with many UK bookmakers likely to run up liabilities on Fabio Capello’s team ahead of the tournament starting.

Similarly, Boylesports are offering to refund all losing outright bets if France repeat their 1998 victory and win the World Cup for the second time. This is a reaction to the controversial way in which Ireland were eliminated from the play-offs by Les Bleus, although this is not a vintage French team, with Blue Square offering 16/1 that Raymond Domenech steers them to glory.

The bookmakers have already gone into overdrive with a wide range of markets on the 2010 World Cup, with every group match already priced up by the likes of Paddy Power and Sky Bet. In addition, betfair have set up the matches on their website, although it might be some time before there is reasonable liquidity. Paddy Power have also priced up correct score, double chance and HT / FT opportunities for each game, with each of these related to the match betting.

Coral, Sky Bet, Paddy Power and bet365 have also priced up a ‘Stage of Elimination’ market for 14 of the 32 teams, with England available at 9/2 (Coral) to go out of the competition at the semi-final stage. For those that think that Brazil might suffer in the ‘Group of Death’, Paddy offer 5/1 that the five-time winners go out at the group stage, although Portugal might be a more sensible bet with the Irish firm at 6/4.

Totesport have priced up a ‘Top African Team’ market and it’s no surprise to see Ivory Coast available at even money, although a tough group could see Ghana (9/2) or Cameroon (11/2) go further than their continental cousins. Totesport also offer ‘Top European Team’ which is naturally a competitive market, but will anyone get further than Euro 200 winners Spain (11/5)? It’s no surprise to see Europe a best price 4/9 (bet365) to be the winning continent, with South America next at 9/4 (Blue Square).

Finally, Blue Square have opened a market on which England players will make the 23-man squad that jets out to South Africa in the summer. Shaun Wright-Phillips is clearly a borderline decision at 10/11, with Gabby Agbonlahor an interesting price at 9/4. His Villa team-mate James Milner looks more likely to take a place on the plane, with his odds at 4/11 right now.

We now know the 32 teams who will contest the 19th renewal of the World Cup next summer in South Africa. France’s progress to the finals was heavily controversial, although Stan James offer a best price 16/1 that Raymond Domenech’s team repeat their success of 1998. The big surprise on Wednesday evening was the exit of Russia, although the bookmakers don’t rate Slovenia’s chances in their first ever tournament. Coral make them 400/1 outsiders, although they are there on merit after finishing second in a tough qualifying group.

Portugal managed to ease through against Bosnia despite missing Cristiano Ronaldo, although they are sure to have officially the world’s best player back for the finals. Sporting Bet offer 18/1 that Carlos Queiroz steers the team to glory, although they continue to lack a cutting edge up front. Meanwhile, the dream is still alive for Euro 2004 winners Greece, who landed a 1-0 win in Ukraine to go through this week. Otto Rehhagel’s tactics worked a treat in Kiev, although the bookies are less convinced that they’ll make an impact in South Africa. Victor Chandler offer 150/1 that they are triumphant.

Some people are suggesting that the 2010 World Cup winner is going to come from a select group of two. Spain proved during Euro 2008 that they are an outstanding team and Ladbrokes make them slight favourites at 4/1 to prove that they’re the best nation on the planet. Manager Vicente del Bosque is blessed with some technically brilliant players and it’s hard to pick holes in them at the moment. Similarly, Brazil have an excellent World Cup pedigree and Paddy Power are lifting their heads above the parapet by offering 5/1. The South Americans have featured in three of the last four finals and qualified easily. Perhaps backing both of these teams will prove to be a profitable excursion.

In recent months, one of the big market movers have been the Ivory Coast, with William Hill going as short as 20/1 that they become the first African nation to win the tournament. They very nearly beat Germany in a friendly recently and have arguably the world’s best striker in Didier Drogba. The Elephants will have plenty of competitive match action in the African Nations cup and are the continent’s best chance of success. While the hosts will obviously have home advantage, they looked to be a mediocre team during the Confederations Cup and Coral are prepared to lay them at 200/1.

One of the teams that has drifted the most is Argentina and the rumour on the grapevine is that the bookmakers are out to get Diego Maradona’s team next summer. Bet Fred offer a standout 10/1 about the Albicelestes, although they were slightly fortunate to qualify and having Lionel Messi in the team does not equal success. However, firms are reporting a brisk trade on the Netherlands and England to win next summer’s competition. The Dutch blew the opposition away in qualifying and have been cut to 14/1 (bet365), while England are 13/2 (Coral), with Fabio Capello fielding a weakened team against Brazil recently. It might be worth taking this price now as there will be a flood of patriotic money coming for the Three Lions by the time next summer comes around!