CC•Ghana +300
•Cameroon +450
•Nigeria +500
•South Africa +900
•Algeria +2000
Top three Faves: Ivory Coast, Ghana and Cameroon
The Ivorian Elephants are the hot favourites of the African nations and are tipped to have the best World Cup campaign of the lot. They were nigh indomitable in their qualifying campaign and stomped the competition something good. High hopes precede them indeed and with Didier Drogba fortifying their ranks it is hard to imagine they would not advance (at least) to the R16. They expect a better result, natch.
Ivory Coast were dealt a tough draw so reaching the last 16 is not going to be a cakewalk. With Brazil and Portugal in their midst in Group G, and the favourites to secure the two spots up for grabs, Ivory Coast understandably come in as the dark horse nation.
Ghana Black Stars are listed second after Ivory Coast in the Top African Team market, trading at +300. Ghana aim to improve on their last outing at the World Cup finals in German – a last 16 appearance.
Ghana qualified on the heels of a strong campaign but as they fall into a rather tough Group D, which includes Germany, Australia and Serbia, they too will have their work cut out for them.
Germany are hands-down the favourites to advance into the knockout stages. Opinion is split between Ghana and Serbia as the second faves. Most surely lean towards Ghana, but Serbia are considered the dark horse in the group and the team to watch for the possible shakedown.
Cameroon Lions will be looking to replicate the heroics of their nation’s 1990 roster that competed in the World Cup in Italy and surprised all asunder by reaching the quarterfinals. Cameroon are listed third in the Top African Nation market at BetUS, carrying a price of +450 odds.
Just as the 1990 squad had a go-to guy in Roger Milla, the 2010 squad has their talisman in Samuel Eto’o. Eto’o, thrice an African Footballer of the Year Award recipient and a genuine world-class superstar, gives Cameroon’s odds value. Eto’o was the second highest top scorer in the African zone, with nine goals – three shy of Moumouni Dagano at 12 goals (Burkina Faso). At times, Eto’o seemed to singlehandedly carry Cameroon through the qualifying rounds, and they will be looking at him to be their leader in South Africa.
Cameroon fall into Group E with the Netherlands, Denmark and Japan. They are considered by and large the second favourites in this group to advance but they will have to overcome an attractive Denmark and a lethal Netherlands, both outfits that arrive in South Africa on the back of convincing qualifying campaigns.
The tipping question is whether this is finally the year when an African nation will come of age on the biggest soccer platform, scripting history unimaginable at previous World Cups as the first-ever African country to win the title. Indeed, if it were to happen it could not happen at a better moment in time or a better place than South Africa.
Naturally, there are several peripheral BetUS markets involving these nations and this very question, such as Winning Continent, which is as follows:
Europe -210 South America +185 Rest Of The World +1200
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Thanks for article.
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