Spread Betting
The World Cup will often see some of the biggest sides in the tournament being eliminated at the earliest possible stage and some of the tournament minnows well outperforming expectations.
This makes World Cup spread betting a great way to make profit during the tournament. Spread betting rewards you for your bets the more you are right, but also punishes you the more you are wrong. If a bet pans out exactly as the spread betting firm predicts it you are likely to make a small loss or break even.
Go Against The Crowds
The key to World Cup spread betting is to avoid the obvious. Everyone thinks Brazil are going to do well and by backing Brazil in the tournament index you might make a bit of profit if they win the tournament and a tiny profit if they are runners up but any worse than that and you are going to make a loss, potentially a big one. If something goes spectacularly wrong and they go out at the group stage you have big problems.
Finding a team with a big reputation that is probably not as strong as many people think is often a good opportunity to sell. Likewise a team that has ideal conditions to do well but is still not fancied by the majority is a good opportunity to buy.
World Cup 2010
At the forthcoming World Cup there is likely to be one set of teams that are well worth taking on and one set of teams that are well worth backing to do well.
The Teams To Take On
European teams dont tend to do as well when playing outside of Europe as they do when playing in Europe. In the last six World Cups held in Europe, ten of the twelve finalists have been European and two have been South American. All the winners of World Cups held in Europe have been European.
Europeans Draw A Blank
In World Cups held outside of Europe there have been no European winners. In the eight World Cups held outside of Europe, just six European sides have made the final and all of those finished runner up. That means ten of the sides in the final were not European.
Europeans Are Like Fish Out Of Water
It is not just coincidence that European sides struggle outside of Europe. In years gone by teams did well in their own continent because most players played club football inside their own continent. Now most of the best Asian, African and South American players have come to Europe to play in the best leagues. This means countries with those players now perform better in Europe than they previously did. In contrast, very few European players are plying their trade outside of Europe. When faced with extreme temperatures or higher altitudes on other continents they often struggle.
Don't Write Spain Off
Not all European sides should be written off and opposed blindly. Six European sides have made it to the World Cup final in another continent after all. The team that should not be opposed is Spain. They are used to warm temperatures in Spain and they also won Euro 2008 impressively with a very young squad. With two extra years experience they should still do well.
Transition Period For France
Sides that may well be worth taking on include France, who performed badly in Euro 2008 and are clearly a nation that is in transition from an old team to a new younger team.
Italy And Germany Not As Good As They Were
Italy seem to be extremely rigid and offer little creativity and playing in Africa is certainly unlikely to see them improve at all. Another side who could be worth opposing are Germany. People say you should never write the Germans off but they have not been great for a few years now. They are simply not as good as they used to be (similar to England in some respects) but they continue to be very highly rated. They may struggle to go beyond the second round.
The Teams To Back
Invariably sides that are playing in their own continent are at an advantage. They are used to the conditions and able to perform to the best of their abilities. Their best is not always good enough but there are several African teams that should do well.
Home Advantage A Big Factor
In eighteen World Cups only twice has the tournament been won by a team playing outside of its own continent, Brazil in Sweden 58 and Brazil in USA 94. It is only Brazils immense quality in those two tournaments that saw them buck the trend, no other side has managed to win outside of their own continent. This shows the advantage of playing in your own continent.
South Africa Could Perform Well On Home Turf
South Africa have struggled over the last few years and had they been the side they were more than five years ago they would be a strong bet to win the World Cup as hosts. They dont have as much quality as years gone by but they are still decent and as the host nation they should still perform pretty well.
Ivory Coast Worth Following
The best opportunity for a tournament index buy may be Ivory Coast. They have a wealth of talent and playing in their own continent should bring about their best football. The likes of Didier Drogba, Kolo Toure and Abdul Kader Keita are some of the best players in the world and they are well capable of taking Ivory Coast to the semi finals at a minimum.
The great thing about buying a side like Ivory Coast is they will only be expected to get as far as the second round at best so if they perform badly losses will be kept low but there is scope for them to go very well and make it a very profitable tournament for buyers.
