World Cup Provides the Perfect Opportunity to Learn More about Betting

Despite seeing your favorite nations crash out of the tournament, punters can still learn something new when it comes to betting.

It would truly be great if we could go back in the past, before the World Cup commenced and have all the results memorized in our heads that would turn into highly lucrative info on the visit to the bookmaker. Since that is not possible, punters can at least take home several betting lessons that they have witnessed happen at the FIFA tournament.

UEFA qualifying rounds

• Big nations crashed out at the beginning

• American countries surprised the world

• James Rodriguez tops goal charts with 5

Some of the teams that topped their qualifying groups in the lead up to the competition are currently waiting impatiently to battle their next opponents in the quarter-finals.

Germany, Netherlands and Belgium are the nations that went completely unscathed in qualifying, as they didn’t suffer a single defeat and managed to build on their success. Now Germany is facing France, while the Dutch will go up against Costa Rica. The Belgians put on a great display against the US, which granted them a match against the Argentinians.

Spain, England, Italy and Switzerland were the other countries that secured top spot finish to the World Cup without recording a single defeat. Three out of four of these teams crashed out of the tournament in the group stage, while the Swiss surprised with their performances and proceeded to the round of 16 where they eventually lost.

During the qualifiers, Spain and France were paired in the same group which saw the latter ending with a runner-up position, but a true revelation at the World Cup. France has seen a true football “Renaissance” considering their solid goal tally. Over the course of the group stage the French scored 8 goals, as opposed to the Spaniards that only managed a meagre 4.

Online sportsbooks in France did not initially predict that their team had the potential to once again challenge for the ultimate glory. The point is that quarter-finalist nations from Europe show similarity when it comes to their performance in the qualifying rounds and their current progress at the World Cup.

Americas, Africa and Asia achieved a great deal

Nations coming from the Caribbean, North and Central America have shown strong will, despite them competing against the best teams in the world. The US team make quite a display of what they can do, while nations from Central America proved to be a tough nut to crack.

Africa was well represented, as Nigeria and Algeria showed great spirit and determination to make their mark at the tournament. Algeria displayed resilience against the mighty Germans, but were in the end unlucky as their immense efforts did not materialize into a win. Online gambling sites in Germany did not anticipate such a close call.

Nigeria might have gone on to the quarter-finals had they not come up against the invigorated French team. The Africans boasted several impressive talents in their squad that should come in handy in future competitions. As time goes by and players mature, they are certainly a team to watch out for when placing wagers.

Tournament surprises

The sheer number of goals in this year’s World Cup edition has surpassed all expectations. The current stage of the tournament has already surpassed the goal tally from South Africa in 2010. It seems that players are on a cruise control when it comes to scoring. Messi, Neymar and Muller have all scored four goals apiece.

The greatest football sensation came from James Rodriguez that managed to replace injured star Radamel Falcao as Colombia’s hero. Rodriguez scored an amazing 5 goals so far and added to that he plays on the wing, a position that is not always regarded with the duty of scoring.

Before the World Cup started, many mobile betting firms did not predict just how effective Rodriguez would be in front of goal. Some companies offered up to 100-1 odds that he would be top scorer. Had punters known that information beforehand, placing a wager on him would have been a goldmine.

Predicting results and other bets related to football can be somewhat difficult, as certain teams can surprise the world with their performances. Costa Rica is certainly a team that best fits that role. They have stunned everyone by beating Uruguay in the group stage and then proceeded to the round of 16 and eventually will face France on Saturday.

Just like James Rodriguez, the odds for Costa Rica shinning at the competition were immense. Initially, they were outsiders at the World Cup but have been successful in turning the luck in their favor.