2018 World Cup Winning Continent Odds: Europe vs South America

Europe with 14 teams in the World Cup are the favourites, with a good chance for South American magicians to return to the winning feelings. But what about the rest of the world, could we see a winner from Asia, Africa or Central America? Here’s a look at 2018 World Cup winning continent odds.

The World Cup is among many things a sporting event, a spectacle, and the world’s most peaceful demonstration of full-throated nationalism. The entire world will follow closely online sportsbook news in Russia for a full month to see who will become the 21st World Cup Champions. Yet it’s amazing that with over 200 countries in the world, just eight have won the championship, and they come from only two continents Europe and South America. Will the history repeat itself, or there is a prospect for new team from the rest of the world to dominate 2018 World Cup winning continent odds?

2018 World Cup Winning Continent Odds

When looking at past winners it reveals an alarming geographical trend. Only two continents have won the FIFA World Cup. As a matter of fact, only two continents have even made it to the finals every year. Those continents are South America and Europe. In 20 editions of the World Cup the Europeans Italy, Germany, England, France and Spain total 11 championships, just two more than the titles won by Brazil with five trophies, Argentina and Uruguay. Thus the two continents do not only compete in collecting trophies but also in producing different football styles.

European discipline vs South American creativity

If you check Bet365 Sportsbook, you will see how Europe are the favourites with (1.36) odds to retain the World Cup for the fourth time in a raw. Simply because Europe produces the greatest teams now, with their hierarchical training academies and sophisticated coaching. This is the land that created the patient defensive powers from Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, and constructed a system in which any player plays any position at any time, like a machine with interchangeable parts.

South America still has a good chance to win back the World Cup with (3.00) odds according to Bet365 Sportsbook. That is because as opposite to the European mindset South America has always celebrated individual style. This is the continent that produced magicians like Pele and Maradona, who could make the ball dance over the heads and through the legs of the European opponents. Does that mean there’s no place in Russia for contenders from other continents?

Asia and Africa hope to reach the semifinals

2018 World Cup winning continent odds are (34.00) for the rest of the world to produce the first time winners in Russia. But there is no particular team expected to compete so far, especially that Europe and South America dominate the top 20 teams at FIFA World ranking, with only Mexico ranked as 17. Yet Mexico fell in Group F with Sweden and Germany, so it remains to be seen if they manage to pass through to the round-16.

If we look back in history, when South Africa hosted 2010 World Cup African continent felt certain it would produce its first semifinalists. Just one team, Ghana, made it past the group stage into the round of 16. Asia has produced one semifinalist so far, co-host South Korea in 2002. Team USA was North America’s one and only semifinalist at the inaugural World Cup in 1930. It seems that the hope of other continents rests in reaching the semifinals first, before aiming to win the World Cup.