The 2010 World Cup is just a few weeks away and bettors at the sportsbook are ready for action. With matches set to begin on June 11th, bettors are considering the many different sportsbook online odds. Sportsbook odds list Spain and Brazil as the two favorites with England a close third. Argentina and Italy are also in the mix with single-digit odds. Spain and Brazil are 4-1, England is 5-1, Argentina is 8-1 and Italy is 9-1.
Four other teams have odds of less than 20-1. They are Germany at 10-1, the Netherlands at 11-1, France at 12-1 and Ivory Coast at 19-1. The one team from that group getting some action is Ivory Coast. Their odds have dropped since they opened months ago. Ivory Coast has superstar scorer Didier Drogba and he could be a major factor. He lead the Premier League in goals this season for champion Chelsea.
Portugal is listed with odds of 25-1 but they are not really considered a serious contender even though they have Cristiano Ronaldo. Portugal has the talent but whether they have enough players who are healthy is the question. No other team on the odds board at the sportsbook has odds of less than 45-1 to win the World Cup. Chile is 45-1 while Serbia is 48-1. The United States is listed at 55-1 and they may actually have a better chance of advancing than a team like Portugal. The U.S. team has gained some respect and might be worth a look as a big longshot.
At 60-1 to win the World Cup is Ghana and Paraguay. Cameroon, Denmark and Mexico are 70-1. The host country South Africa is 90-1 along with Uruguay, Nigeria and Australia. Listed at 110-1 is Greece. Switzerland is 120-1 while Slovenia and Slovakia are 180-1. Algeria is 200-1. Japan and Korea are 250-1. The longest shots on the board are Honduras, Korea DPR and New Zealand at 500-1.
The host country South Africa begins the World Cup as they host Mexico on June 11th. Also on that day it will be France playing Uruguay. Both of those matches will be televised on ESPN. South Africa is an underdog in sportsbook online odds but they could be worth a look against a Mexico team that is overrated. France should have little trouble with Uruguay in the other match.