FIFA World Cup Preview

As final preparations take place in Brazil for the 2014 FIFA World Cup next month, here at Online Casino Reports we will post weekly previews in anticipation for the tournament with write-ups on the different teams and groups, estimations, sports and sports betting news.

The Special Brazilian Flavor

The World Cup is always a reason for a festival, but this year in particular, football fans all over the world are extra hyped. A nation which brought the world some of the greatest footballers the likes of Pele, Socrates, Ronaldo, Robert Carlos and many more, Brazil is synonymous with football. Brazil has already hosted the World Cup once in 1950, where the Brazilian national team finished as runners-up after losing 2-1 to Uruguay in the Estádio do Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro.

The South American World Cup Tradition

Statistics show that punters are better off sticking with South American teams this World Cup: In all four FIFA World Cups which were held in South American countries, South American teams ended up winning the title. Uruguay did it in the first ever world cup held in the country in 1930, then again in Brazil 20 years later, then Brazil won the 1962 tournament in Chile and Argentina won the World Cup it has hosted in 1978.

Let's take a look at the potential for Group A's World Cup. 

Group A

Brazil: The national team of Brazil was and is widely considered one of the best football teams in the world, having led the FIFA ranking for many years, winning the world cup a total of 5 times with their latest win coming against Germany in the 2002 South Korea and Japan world cup. In their respective group, Brazil will face Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon. The opening game for the tournament will be held in the Arena de Sao Paulo stadium in the city on June 12^th next month, with Mexico meeting Cameroon on the very next day at the city of Natal.

Croatia: While Brazil is a clear favorite to win the tournament on its own soil, it certainly won't be a cakewalk for the hosts. Croatia has become a very strong and valued team in the last few years, with big names like Mario Mandzukic and Luka Modric and others who play in the biggest leagues in Europe, the Croats are not going to be stepped on.

Mexico: In the 2012 Olympics, it was Mexico who beat Brazil for the gold medal, but the Mexicans had a very rocky road to the world cup, losing 8 out of their 10 qualifiers, making it into the tournament ultimately against New Zealand in the CONCACAF - OFC play-off November 2013.

Cameroon: The weakest team in the group, Cameroon will be lucky to get a point in its three matches. The team's opponents are out of its league, all placed in the top 20 in FIFA's current ranking, while Cameroon is positioned 50^th.

Live Betting on the World Cup

Sports betting sites like bet365, Winner Sports and 888 Sport already offer outright bets on national teams, qualifiers, finalists, goal scorers and many other betting markets. In the next few weeks, we'll bring your more special reports focusing on teams, odds, and players. Stay tuned!