Germany are the hosts, holders and odds-on favourites for the tournament and with the last two World Cups and seven European Championships to their name they are certainly the team to beat. As expected the Germans got off to a winning start on Sunday after they beat Canada 2-1, courtesy of goals from Kerstin Garefrekes and Celia Okoyino Da Mbabi, with Christine Sinclair scoring a spectacular free-kick for Canada.

With odds of 9/2 with Bet365 Brazil are the second favourites in the betting. The Brazilians have surprisingly never won the Women’s World Cup but they will be eager to create a new slice of history and come away from Germany victorious this time round. They have in their ranks the five-time defending FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year, Marta, and are likely to avoid the fellow big guns Germany and the USA until the final.

The USA come into the tournament as the number one side in the world and third favourites at 6/1. However, they struggled to qualify for the tournament, needing to win a two-match playoff against Italy, and have suffered surprise defeats to Mexico, Sweden and England over the last 12 months. The USA have already won two World Cups (1991 and 1999) and have never finished below third place, and with a relatively easy group which includes North Korea, Columbia and Sweden, they have an excellent chance of winning their third World Cup.

Other teams to keep an eye on include Canada and England, who both have the talent and determination to spring an upset. Canada come into the World Cup fresh off the back of winning the CONCACAF last year, which will have filled them with confidence. Canada have been drawn in arguably the most difficult qualifying group which features Germany, France and Nigeria, and must be on top form if they are to progress through to the quarter-finals.

England are available at 25/1 outsiders to win the 2011 Women’s World Cup. England have a number of good players in their ranks, including veteran striker Kelly Smith, Fara Williams and Rachel Yankey. Hope Powell’s team know they can beat the best teams in the world following their confidence boosting win against the USA earlier this year and after an impressive qualifying campaign they will be looking to make an impact in Germany.

England have been drawn with Japan, Mexico and New Zealand in Group B. Their first game is against Mexico tonight at 5pm in Wolfsburg, and Bet365 have England as the clear 4/9 favourites to win, while Mexico are priced at 6/1 and a draw is at 10/3. Mexico upset the USA in qualifying and will definitely be a tough opening fixture. England will also have to do battle with the group favourites Japan, who are currently ranked fourth in the FIFA women’s world rankings. New Zealand aren’t expected to pose much of a threat, and have suffered heavy defeats to both Netherlands and fellow Group B competitors Mexico in recent times.

England’s Group B matches:

Monday 27^th June: v Mexico (Wolfsburg, 5pm).
July 1: v New Zealand (Dresden, 5.15pm).
July 5: v Japan (Augsburg, 5.15pm)

Women’s World Cup Outright Odds

• 8/11 – Germany
• 9/2 – Brazil
• 6/1 – USA
• 16/1 – Sweden
• 22/1 – France
• 25/1 – England
• 33/1 – Norway
• 33/1 – Canada
• 40/1 – Japan
• 40/1 – North Korea
• 100/1 – Australia
• 100/1 – Mexico
• 200/1 – New Zealand
• 200/1 – Colombia
• 250/1 – Nigeria
• 500/1 – Equatorial Guinea

Group B Outright Odds

• 10/11 – Japan
• 11/8 – England
• 10/1 – Mexico
• 14/1 – New Zealand

Group C Outright Odds

• 8/13 – USA
• 15/8 – Sweden
• 15/2 – Korea DPR
• 50/1 – Columbia

Group D Outright Odds

• 2/5 – Brazil
• 23/10 – Norway
• 12/1 – Australia
• 80/1 – Equatoria Guinea

All odds supplied by Bet365

Each country that has wanted to bid to host the tournament has now handing very big bid books in to FIFA, England’s tiny 1,752-page bid book was handed over by former England captain David Beckham to FIFA president Sepp Blatter. The bid book contain outlines of what venues will be used and what infrastructure is in place and what will be need to be developed to enable a successful World Cup, on top of this they must indicate how much it would cost to host and how much income would be generated. With this in mind England will have a very good chance as the 2010 and 2014 World Cups are taking place in emerging markets where income is not guaranteed unlike in a European country where football is part of everyday life.

Set backs for potential host nations

England were looking the favourites to be chosen as the host nation for the 2018 World Cup but recent investigations by newspapers into the bidding process has rumoured to have harmed England’s bid.  Some FIFA delegates fear they are being persecuted by elements in the English press amid allegations that have been made in the Sunday Times that two executive committee members involved in the process had accepted bribes.

The two FIFA delegates Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii have today (18th November 2010) have been banned from football activities for 3 years and 1 year respectiviely.

Russia were also dealt a blow to their chances of staging a world cup when details of operational risks were leaked that has graded Russia’s a medium risk with England and Spain and Portugal’s bid both graded as low risks in terms of infrastructure that is in place

Who will host the 2018 World Cup?

There are high hopes that England will again be chosen to host the tournament having only done so on one previous occasion in 1966, and we all know what happened there! Whatever the result we can be guaranteed that the 2018 World Cup will take place on European soil, the only variant will be the temperature.

• 10/11 – Russia
• 5/4 – England
• 6/1 – Spain and Portugal
• 33/1 – Belgium and Holland

Who will host the 2022 World Cup?

• Qatar 4/6
• USA 7/4
• Australia 9/2
• Japan 40/1
• South Korea 40/1

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England World Cup Presentation

This is the video that was submitted by the Football Association to the FIFA World Cup Bid Committee.

This will be the first time that Spain and Holland (the Netherlands) have ever met in a world cup fixture, they have not even faced each other in the European Championship before. The two teams have met in only nine games in the last 90 years with both sides quite evenly matched with both sides winning 4 fixtures and drawing with each other once.

Holland v Spain match odds

Odds below are for the 90 minute market, Spain are the favourite to win at odds of 8/15 to lift the trophy with Holland at odds of 6/4.

• 13/5 – Holland win
• 11/10 – Spain win
• 23/10 – Draw

For the last game of the 2010 World Cup from South Africa the bookmakers Boylesports are running a cash back offer on the game. If Holland’s winger Arjen Robben manages to score the last goal of the game (in normal time) then they will refund all losing single bets made on the goal scorer and scorecast markets that have been made on the match.

World Cup Goal scorer odds

All odds are supplied by Boylesports, we don’t expect a goal fest of a game but one of the top players from either side is likely to score a goal.

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Uruguay v Germany

Germany are the clears favourites to win this fixture with odds of 4/6 and Uruguay at odds of 9/2.

Cash back offer

The internet bookmakers Victor Chandler are running a cash back offer on the final two games of the tournament. If either of the two games goes to the dreaded penalty shoot out then they will refund all of the losing first and last goal scorer bets as a free bet for you to use the following week.

Netherlands v Spain

The final at Cape Town Stadium on July 11th is sure to be an exciting tie with both teams having the joint tournament goal scorer with 5 goals each (David Villa and Wesley Sneijder). According to odds supplied by Victor Chandler Spain look the favourites to lift aloft the cup at odds of 1/2 and the Netherlands at odds of 6/4.

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Online bookmakers Stan James will be running a cash back offer on tonight’s semi final. It will all depend however on the Bayern Munich striker Miroslav Klose, if he can manage to find the back of the net at anytime during the standard 90 minutes of play then Stan James will gladly refund all of the losing goal scorer bets that have been made on the match.

The game is almost guaranteed to be one of the highlights of the tournament but whoever wins tonight it will mean that the final for the second World Cup tournament in a row will feature an all European fixture.

Semi final match odds

• 2/1 – Germany win
• 6/4 – Spain win
• 23/10 – Draw

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Uruguay v Netherlands match odds

The two teams face each other tonight at the Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town and Bert van Marwijk’s side are the clear favourites to get to the World Cup finals, but as this World Cup has shown us any result is possible.

• 11/2 – Uruguay win
• 5/2 – Draw
• 4/6 – Netherlands

The online bookies Stan James are running a cash back offer on this game. If the Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan manages to score in 90 minutes of the game for Uruguay then they will refund all losing bets made on the first, last and anytime goal scorers as well as all scorecast bets.

Currently Forlan is at odds of 7/1 with Stan James to be the first goal scorer and is at 5/2 to score at anytime during the match. Forlan has so far managed to knock in 3 goals during the tournament and is 2 goals behind current golden boot leader David Villa who is on 5 goals, he is at odds of 20/1 to overtake Villa.

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World Cup outright odds

• 15/8 – Spain
• 2/1 – Germany
• 2/1 – Holland
• 12/1 – Uruguay

Holland have seen their odds drop from 14/1 pre the tournament start to just 2/1 equal that of Germany. Their big task now will be to get to the finals and on paper they have the easier of the two semi finals as they take on Uruguay tomorrow from the Cape Town Stadium.

The bookmakers Betfred are running another one of their World Cup cash back offers on the match. If Holland and Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt can score either the first or last goal of the game then Bet Fred will refund all of the losing first and last goal scorer bets that have been made on the game.

Uruguay v Holland match odds

• 6/1 – Uruguay win
• 8/13 – Holland win
• 13/5 – Draw

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So far his side have managed to net an impressive 10 goals in the tournament with five different players on the score sheet but so far star striker Lionel Messi has managed to avoid sticking the ball into the back of the net. Maradona has come to Messi’s defence on this matter stating that the official World Cup ball the controversial jabulani is to blame as the ball does not spin or curve like past balls do.

Argentina’s goal tally

Higuain is the surprise of the tournament for the match against Germany his is at odds of 5/1 to be the games first goal scorer and is showing odds of to 5/2 win the tournaments golden boot.

• 4 goals – Gonzalo Higuain
• 2 goals – Carlos Tevez
• 1 goal – Martin Demichelis
• 1 goal – Martin Palermo
• 1 goal – Gabriel Heinze
• 1 goal – Park Chu-Young 1 (own goal Korea Republic)

With the lack of goals from where you would have expected during the world cup, even England’s Wayne Rooney failed to score a solitary goal and Germanys Miroslav Klose who was expected to feature heavily in the golden shoe odds and has only managed 2 out of Germany’s 9 goals the Irish bookmaker Boylesports have decided to run one of their now famous cash back offers on the player. Should the Bayern Munich striker Klose score the last goal of the game then they will refund punters losing stake money on certain markets of the 90 minute game.

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Top of the list to jump into Roy’s shoes is former West Ham United boss Alan Curbishley, Curbishley was last in charge of a side back in 2008 before he resigned his post after the Hammers sold Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney against his wishes and managed to get £2.2 million out of his old bosses for constructive dismissal, this going against the board could make other boards less inclined to offer him a role.

Our favourite to takeover at Craven Cottage is former England boss Sven Goran Eriksson who is currently the head coach for the Ivory Coast. They had an impressive World Cup but unfortunately for them they were placed in Group G which was affectionately known as the Group of Death as it also featured Brazil and Portugal, even so they managed a respectable 4 points but it was not enough to get them through to the round of 16. With this is mind we feel that Sven will looking for a fresh challenge and what better place than back in the Premiership?

Next Fulham Manager odds

All of the odds are supplied by William Hill and more potential managers are available.

• 9/4 – Alan Curbishley
• 5/2 – Sven Goran Eriksson
• 4/1 – Carlos Queiroz
• 5/1 – Mark Hughes
• 7/1 – Sean O’Driscoll
• 10/1 – Glenn Hoddle
• 10/1 – Slaven Bilic

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Capello will be facing flak for not including in the squad the younger players such as Theo Walcott and Leighton Baines and relying on old “past it players” like Jamie Carragher and Emile Heskey, of late Japan have scored more goals for England than Heskey has.

The names being banded about to replace Capello are surprising name that have been associated with England on past occasion but were deemed to be too old school, men like Harry Redknapp and Roy Hodgson are two of those in past years they have been put aside for flashy foreign manager and could be that the Football Association look towards placing an Englishman as head of the national team.

Next England Manager odds

With the back pages dominated by hacks wanting Fabio Capello to be replaced and to have a new manager in place for England’s next tie who will be be brought in to replace him should he go? All odds have been supplied by Sky Bet.

• 7/4 – Harry Redknapp
• 11/4 – Roy Hodgson
• 11/2 – Martin O’Neill
• 10/1 – Sam Allardyce
• 10/1 – David Beckham

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