The latest World Cup outright odds have Brazil, Germany, and Argentina on top.
The Netherlands, France, Italy, and Chile are also near the top. England, Portugal, and the United States aren’t too far away, and could shoot up with wins.
Here’s the latest standings and outright odds.
Standings
Group A
Brazil, 1-1-0, 4 points
Mexico, 1-1-0, 4 points
Croatia, 1-1, 3 points
Cameroon, 0-2, 0 points
Group B
Netherlands, 2-0, 6 points
Chile, 2-0, 6 points
Australia, 0-2, 0 points
Spain, 0-2, 0 points
Group C
Colombia, 2-0, 6 points
Ivory Coast, 1-1, 3 points
Japan, 0-1, 0 points
Greece, 0-1, 0 points
Group D
Costa Rica, 1-0, 3 points
Italy, 1-0, 3 points
England, 0-1, 0 points
Uruguay, 0-1, 0 points
Group E
Switzerland, 1-0, 3 points
France, 1-0, 3 points
Ecuador, 0-1, 0 points
Honduras, 0-1, 0 points
Group F
Argentina, 1-0, 3 points
Iran, 0-1-0, 1 point
Nigeria, 0-1-0, 1 point
Bosnia, 0-1, 0 points
Group G
Germany, 1-0, 3 points
United States, 1-0, 3 points
Ghana, 0-1, 0 points
Portugal, 0-1, 0 points
Group H
Belgium, 1-0, 3 points
Korea, 0-1-0, 1 point
Russia, 0-1-0, 1 point
Algeria, 0-1, 0 points
Brazil’s coach Luiz Felipe Scolari directs his players during the group A World Cup soccer match between Brazil and Mexico at the Arena Castelao in Fortaleza, Brazil, Tuesday, June 17, 2014. (AP Photo/Francois Xavier Marit, pool)
Odds
Thee different oddsmakers are used. The first is Paddy Power, the second is SkyBet, and the third is Vegas Insider.
Group A
Brazil 11, 10, 3/1
Mexico 100, 80, 125/1
Cameroon N/A
Croatia 100, 100, 130/1
Group B
Netherlands 11, 10, 10/1
Chile 22, 20, 25/1
Australia N/A
Spain N/A
Group C
Colombia 25, 28, 35/1
Ivory Coast 80, 80, 100/1
Japan 300, 400, 250/1
Greece 500, 500, 600/1
Group D
Costa Rica 500, 500, 700/1
Italy 16, 16, 16/1
England 28, 25, 30/1
Uruguay 100, 50, 70/1
Group E
Switzerland 100, 80, 90/1
France 16, 14, 15/1
Honduras 1000, 2500, 2000/1
Ecuador 500, 400, 350/1
Group F
Argentina 7/2, 4, 7/2
Bosnia 150, 150, 150/1
Iran 1000, 2500, 1500/1
Nigeria 500, 300, 300/1
Group G
Germany 7/2, 4, 4/1
Ghana 400, 300, 250/1
Portugal 40, 40, 45/1
United States 150, 150, 80/1
Group H
Algeria 1000, 1500, 2000/1
Belgium 20, 22, 18/1
Korea 300, 250, 400/1
Russia 150, 105, 150/1
See an Associated Press update about the World Cup below.
BRAZIL BEAT:
SAO PAULO—Mario Sergio Conti, a well-known Brazilian syndicated columnist, couldn’t believe his eyes Wednesday when he boarded a plane going from Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo.
There, sitting in one of the seats, was none other than the coach of Brazil’s national team, Felipe Scolari. Or so he thought.
The man was really Vladimir Palomo, a Scolari lookalike who did not reveal his real identity when he gave Conti an interview in which among other things he said he was surprised by Spain’s early elimination from the World Cup, praised Neymar and said Italy, the Netherlands and Germany were Brazil’s biggest rivals.
The interview was published Wednesday night by the websites of the influential Folha de S.Paulo and O Globo newspapers, which hours later took down the story when it was revealed Scolari was not on the plane and that he had spent the day in the northeastern city of Fortaleza.
The two websites published corrections and apologies.
“Mario Sergio apologizes to Scolari, Palomo and its readers for the confusion,” the Folha de S.Paulo news website said.
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CURSED CURITIBA
CURITIBA, Brazil—You’ve got to feel for the football fans of Curitiba.
First, when the draw for the 2014 World Cup took place last year, the southern Brazilian city’s allocation of games, with all due respect to the teams involved, wasn’t as high-profile as others.
Well, at least the fans would get to see Spain, the defending champion.
They will still see Spain on Monday, but it will be a team that has already been eliminated from the tournament. Not only that, but Spain’s opponent at the Arena da Baixada, Australia, also can’t advance.
It’s what is known in the parlance as a dead rubber, a game bereft of meaningful consequence.
The disappointment is evident throughout this well-manicured city that has been at the forefront of urban planning in Brazil and beyond.
One FIFA volunteer, who wouldn’t give his name in line with the football governing body’s scriptures, said everyone was “naturally upset” as Spain was the highlight in the city’s World Cup allocation.
Curitiba’s football fans have already seen one game, but the 0-0 draw between Iran and Nigeria was a fairly drab affair with few chances.
The other two matches in Curitiba are Ecuador-Honduras on Friday and Russia-Algeria next Thursday.
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TRAFFIC HOLIDAY
SAO PAULO—The perpetual traffic jam in South America’s most populous city lifted Thursday, and the 4-mile ride from downtown to the U.S. team’s training camp at Sao Paulo Futebol Clube took just 15 minutes, down from two hours two days earlier.
Most businesses were closed because of the Feast of Corpus Christi holiday, which is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday.
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TICKETS PLEASE
SAO PAULO—Lydia Gibbons walked through Sao Paulo’s hip Vila Madalena neighborhood late Wednesday with a pathetic pout on her face. Acting a little bit, she hoped, might just help her cause.
The 28-year-old from England held a homemade cardboard sign reading: “TICKETS NEEDED ENGLAND VS URUGUAY” featuring hand-drawn flags for each country.
Her friend, Tarso Liang of Brazil, said they wouldn’t be picky about who they cheered for if they actually got into Itaquerao Stadium for Thursday’s Group D match between teams that lost their openers.
“If you have tickets we can be England or Uruguay,” Liang said. “She’s English, but I can cheer for anybody.”
Thousands of English fans took to the street in this area packed with sports bars, many buying their drinks from giant coolers in the middle of the road and paying with credit cards at these outdoor establishments.
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GREEK JAPANESE
NATAL, Brazil—Japan and Greece were set to play a critical Group C match on Thursday night, but the Greeks got a bellyful of Japanese before they even came to Brazil.
Greece coach Fernando Santos took his team to lunch at a Japanese restaurant in Athens, where they snacked on sushi and sashimi.
Santos says it is his favorite restaurant, but it was chosen by a team sponsor. He called the meal and the match against Japan a coincidence.
“Well, this is probably the restaurant that I go (most) often in Greece. I often go there with my family, my wife, my children. It’s a great restaurant,” Santos said.
“I invite you to come,” Santos told the Japanese journalist who asked him about it. “The food is wonderful.”
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