The Final Sixteen: Odds

The number of teams in the World Cup has been split in two. Already, two World Cup winners are out: France and Italy. We are left with Brazil, Uruguay, Germany, Argentina and England as teams who have lifted the trophy (although Germany won as West Germany).

Unusually, few European teams have made it through; this year it is truly an international competition. Here are the teams and the different odds for each of them to win in order of FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings (from British betting agencies bet365.com, Ladbrookes and William Hill respectively on 25/6/2010 at 21:50*):

1-Brazil. They have won the cup 5 times already (2002, 1994, 1970, 1962 and 1958), and are the only team to have never missed a cup. (7-2, 7-2, 10-3) [Top in each place]
2-Spain. The highest-ranked team to have never won a World Cup. Also the cleanest-playing team in the cup. They won Euro 2008. (4-1, 5-1, 4-1) [Ladbrookes less sure of Spain]
3-Portugal. The betting companies rank Portugal lower than FIFA. Portugal were defeated by Greece in the final of Euro 2004, and face Spain next. (25-1, 22-1, 22-1)
4-Netherlands. The only team to have won all their matches so far. And they play in orange! Came 4th in 1998. (7-1, 6-1, 7-1) [Under 'Holland']
6-Germany. As Italy are out, Germany come next. They've won the cup several times as West Germany, and came close in previous years. But can they beat England? (11-1, 10-1, 12-1)
7-Argentina. They used to be good in World Cups and are led by Diego Maradona. But are they good enough? They came second in the 2007 Copa America. (9-2, 9-2, 9-2)
8-England. They last won in 1966, but have Fabio Capello at the helm. Will they be able to defeat their German rivals? (10-1, 10-1, 10-1)
14-USA. With so many teams above them out, the USA have a good chance. Their country is solidly behind them. (40-1, 33-1, 40-1) [But not the betting companies]
16-Uruguay. They hosted the first World Cup, but have done poorly in more-recent cups. Can they change things? (16-1, 16-1, 18-1)
17-Mexico. They made it to the last 16 in the last four World Cups. Their best result is the quarter-finals. (66-1, 66-1, 66-1) [Nobody really thinks they'll do it]
18-Chile. They scraped through after Spain, and they have a player called Isla, which is my name! But will that be enough? (40-1, 40-1, 66-1) [William Hill is doubtful]
31-Paraguay. It's a long way down the list to the next team. They're one of several South-American teams still around. (40-1, 28-1, 40-1)
32-Ghana. They're the only African team left in it. Will this be the first African team to win a World Cup? They're playing USA next! (50-1, 40-1, 50-1)
34-Slovakia. Their first ever World Cup! They've only been a team since 1993, and now they're in the last 16! (200-1, 80-1, 125-1) [The bets are against them, but they have a good ranking]
45-Japan. They have a lower ranking than Scotland, but they made it to the final 16. The last time was on home turf. (80-1, 80-1, 80-1)
47-Korean Republic (South Korea). A surprising good team in 2002. But was that just home support? (100-1, 50-1, 80-1) [bet365 has them second-last]

Who do you think will win? Luck has a lot to do with it, but so does skill. I hope England will win, but it's all down to Germany!

*Please note- I do not at all condone gambling. Bet at your own risk. You will probably lose your money! I linked to the tournament winner bets where possible to save you searching.