Spain favored to win World Cup at betED.com

By Craig Macleish - San Jose, Costa Rica    

The World Cup – the equivalent of the Super Bowl and March Madness rolled into one for soccer fans – takes place in June and betED.com has a wide range of betting options, including outright winner, group winners and team matchups.

Spain, which has never won the title, is the favorite when the FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11 in South Africa.

betED.com World Cup Betting Odds have the Spaniards at +450.

England, which hasn’t won a World Cup title since 1966, and Brazil, the country with the most wins (5) of any nation, are both at +500 to capture the 2010 championship.

Argentina, which has won two championships, is next at +900, while the last winner, Italy, which outlasted France in the 2006 World Cup to claim its fourth title, is at +1100.

The USA is at +6600 while the biggest long-shots are North Korea and New Zealand, both at +75000.

Group Betting is as follows (Group, Country, Odds): France, Group A, -110; Argentina, Group B, -190; England, Group C, -300; Germany, Group D, -125; Holland, Group E, -165; Italy, Group F, -300; Brazil, Group G, -175; Spain, Group H, -350.

The World Cup has a rich history, as the championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930, with the exceptions of 1942 and 1946 when they were cancelled due to World War II.

A total of 32 countries will be competing at various venues in South Africa.

Contrary to what many might have heard about Super Bowl TV ratings, the World Cup is the highest-rated sporting event in the world. An estimated 715.1 million people watched the 2006 Final.

Check out betED.com for a full list of World Cup Odds.