Which teams look best in Germany so far?

Have you worked out who's going to win the World Cup yet? Argentina have overtaken Brazil as favourites with Sporting Index, and pushed England in to third place. If you're looking for a slightly different bet, check out the World Cup markets at Sporting

Dave Harris

22-Jun-2006

Click here to spread bet on the World Cup at Sporting Index

We've taken a look at some of their prices (see preview below) - new clients can claim a big free bet:

£200 World Cup Bet for New Clients

Open a Sporting Index account*, place five sports bets (each with the potential to win and lose £20) and claim a free £200 per goal bet on any live World Cup match.**

World Cup - Outright Winner
Unlike a fixed-odds Outright Winner bet, with Sporting Index you can still make money even if a team fails to progress beyond the last sixteen. At the time of writing, their prices for some of the top teams are:

Argentina 50 - 53
Brazil 47 - 50
England 38 - 41
Germany 36 - 39
Spain 34 - 37
Italy 29 - 32
Holland 28 - 31
Portugal 23 - 26
Ukraine 18 - 21
Sweden 17 - 19
France 18 - 21

Points are awarded for how far a team progresses: Winner = 100pts, Runner-Up = 75pts, Losing Semi-Finalists = 50pts, Losing Quarter-Finalists = 25pts, Last 16 = 10pts, All Others = 0pts.

To bet on this market, you bet high or low depending on whether you think a team will do well or badly.

How it all works

For example, let's say you want to bet on England's chances in the World Cup. You have a choice to make: Will England get more than 41 points (ie reach the semi-finals), OR Will England get less than 38 points (ie no further than the quarter-finals) Let's assume you think that we've not seen England's full potential yet, and you want to back them to progress. In this case, you would bet high at 41 points, for a stake of eg 2 per point. If you're right, and England lose in the final, they would be awarded 75 points. As you bet high at 41 points, you would win (75 - 41) x 2 = 34 x 2 = 68. Clearly, you would win even more if England earn 100 points by lifting the trophy: (100 - 41) x 2 = 59 x 2 = 118. If England just make it to the semi-finals, then you're still in the money as they would earn 50 points on this market. You would therefore win (50 - 41) x 2 = 9 x 2 = 18. However, it can go the other way. Another key injury, or some bad decisions by Sven, and the team could be flying home early. If England fail to get past the quarter-finals, they would only earn 25 points. As you bet high at 41 points, you would lose (41 - 25) x 2 = 16 x 2 = 32.

For all the latest prices and to open your Sporting Index account, click here.

*Credit and suitability checks, **terms and conditions apply. See site for further details about an account with Sporting Index. Sports spread betting involves a high level of risk and you can lose more than your original stake. It is not suitable for everyone so please ensure that you understand the risks involved and only bet with money you can afford to lose.

Sporting Index is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Please note that all prices are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change.

The information contained herein is for your general information and use. In particular, it does not constitute any form of advice or recommendation by Sporting Index Ltd and is not intended to be relied upon by users in making (or refraining to make) any specific decisions.

Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.