The draw for the qualifying stages of the 2014 World Cup will be made in Rio De Janeiro on Saturday and it is tournament hosts Brazil who head the betting at this stage. They are 7/2 favourites with Bet 365 bookmakers ahead of the draw, while England could be drawn with a number of potentially tricky sides in qualification and they are priced 12/1 to win the tournament for the first time since 1966.
There are 53 nations awaiting their fate for the European World Cup Qualification Draw and they will be drawn into nine separate groups. The top team from each group qualifies for the World Cup, while the eight best runners up will face a play-off to qualify.
Prior to Saturday's draw, each nation has been allocated into a pot on the basis of their current world ranking. England's hugely flattering world ranking of number six means they are ranked among the top seeds, alongside Spain, Holland, Germany and Italy, in Pot One.
Meanwhile, Republic of Ireland are the highest ranked of the other home nations as they have been allocated into Pot Three, with Scotland and Northern Ireland in Pot Four, and Wales are alongside the likes of the Faroe Islands in Pot Six.
England will of course have a new manager come 2014 as Fabio Capello is set to leave the role at the end of next year's European Championships. The new man could have to oversee a tough qualification campaign, with France, Russia, Sweden and Turkey all lurking in Pot Two.
The proposition of Turkey doesn't appear so difficult as England have never lost in eight meetings with them, while they have won one and lost one of their two fixtures with Russia.
However, France, a 20/1 punt in the betting to win the World Cup, would represent a huge danger. They comfortably overcame Capello's side 2-1 at Wembley when the two sides last met and they are now unbeaten in five consecutive matches against England.
France are seen as the main danger for England ahead of the draw but of even more concern could be Sweden. The Swedes are unbeaten in twelve matches against England, a run that stretches back to 1968!
England have much to do to justify their price of 12/1 in the betting to win the World Cup with Bet365.com, particularly as they haven't reached the semi-finals since 1990. Of the other European sides it is current world champions Spain who are most fancied at 9/2, with Holland at 10/1 and Germany at 11/1 the best of the rest.
Brazil are firm favourites at 7/2 and Argentina can be backed at 11/2, but first England must get through a potentially tough European Qualifying Campaign before they can even contemplate challenging the South American giants.
You can check out the World Cup 2014 Qualification Draw on Saturday 30th July via our dedicated World Cup mini-site.
7/2 Brazil
9/2 Spain
11/2 Argentina
10/1 Holland
11/1 Germany
12/1 England
12/1 Italy
20/1 France
25/1 Portugal
33/1 Uruguay
40/1 Chile
80/1 BAR
Selected Others:
400/1 Republic of Ireland
1000/1 Scotland
5000/1 Northern Ireland
5000/1 Wales
Odds kindly provided by Bet365.com bookmakers, who provide a variety of betting markets for all football competitions.
Posted: Friday, 29th July 2011
Author: Chris James
Tags: world cup, england, qualification draw, france, bet365,
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