world cup history

Host: South Africa
Winners: Spain
Runners-up: Holland
Third Place: Germany
Fourth Place: Uruguay
Top Goalscorer: Thomas Mueller (Germany) – 5 Goals

Participants: 32 Teams

Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Holland, Honduras, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Korea, Paraguay, Portugal, Serbia,  Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay, USA

The first World Cup finals ever to be held on African soil will be deemed a success by many, although the football at times wasn’t great. The support from the locals and from a nation was second to none though, but the hosts will be remembered for being the first host nation not to qualify for the last-sixteen after failing to bypass Group A. They did, however, secure victory over the 1998 winners France, winning 2-1, and their enthusiasm before every game and on the pitch was both infectious and endearing to the rest of the world.

But, after 64 matches played in South Africa, there’s only one game that will ever truly be remembered and that was the final itself. The pre-tournament favourites were Spain and they justified their hype with a 1-0 victory in the final over Holland, who in a hot-tempered game were reduced to 10 men. Andres Iniesta scored the only goal of the final as Spain clinched their first FIFA World Cup and also made history by becoming the first country to win the tournament despite losing their opening game which at the times was a major shock (Spain 0-1 Switzerland). For Holland, it was another case of so near but yet so far as they finished as runners-up for the third time in their history.

Final:

Holland 0-1 Spain (AET)

Goalscorer(s): Andres Iniesa

Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg

Third Place Play-Off:

Uruguay 2-3 Germany

Goalscorer(s): Edinson Cavani, Diego Forlan; Thomas Mueller, Marcell Jansen, Sami Khedira

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

One interesting bet which online bookmaker Sporting Bet are carrying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, is one for the total amount of goals which will be scored in South Africa. The market itself is broken down into bands to make life easier, so here we will take a look at the history of goals being scored during the world cup. This will help with betting strategies for the 2010 World Cup, which starts on June 11th with hosts South Africa playing Mexico. The very first World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930 returned a total of 70 goals in the tournament. With the modern game developing and the tournament growing, there has been numerous occasions when tournaments have returned double that amount. There have been minor fluctuations of course, but over time, the amount of goals scored has increased, partly due to higher skill levels, and partly due to more teams entering the competition.

For full history of the World Cup, there is has been and average of 114 goals per tournament. However, the tournaments have grown from 13 teams participating in the first World Cup, to the current full quota of 32. So, if we take a look just at the past three World Cups, which are the only other ones to have switched to the thirty two team format, there have been 479 goals scored in 192 games, which equates to an average of 159 goals per tournament. That is almost 2.5 goals per match. The brackets for the tournament total goals bet at Sporting Bet, which have the shortest prices, are in the ranges between 150 and 160 goals, and is where a lot of the betting will naturally be attracted to. There is some justification to look a little higher than the average for 2010, as there is some genuinely good attacking sides, and of course some weaker teams in groups, which will push the goal count up. This happens every World Cup of course, but the likes of England, Spain and Germany all scoring an average of above 2.5 goals per game through qualification, hints that the brackets in the 160 goal ranges are a decent bet as well.

World Cup Tournament Total Goals Banded Betting Odds with SportingBet
135 or less = 14/1
136-140 = 14/1
141-145 = 9/1
146-150 = 11/2
151-155 = 9/2
156-160 = 9/2
161-165 = 5/1
166-170 = 7/1
171-175 = 10/1
176 or more = 8/1

The highest scoring tournament in World Cup History was a fairly recent one, as France 1998 yielded the biggest return of goals of all time. 171 goals were scored that year, with the hosts top scoring themselves with 15 goals, despite not having an individual top scorer in the top five. The longest prices on the World Cup Tournament total goals aren’t the ones which stand above that bracket, it is the ones which fall around the 130-140 mark. The previous World Cup, Germany 2006 was the lowest scoring tournament out of the three which have had the larger format, with just under the 150 goal mark. But indications are that these lower brackets will be best avoided, unless you fancy a really long shot of course.

Over the history of the FIFA World Cup, there have been over 2,000 goals scored, and what does that mean in terms of betting? Well, it averages out to just under three goals being scored per game for complete World Cup history. That should help a little with betting strategies on a game per game basis if you are looking at over/under odds. But, looking at the past three years, when the tournament has crept up to 32 teams and have therefore had more games played per tournament, the average goals per game stands around two and a half, which is the average for over/under bets. 

World Cup Goals Scored (32 team format)
France 1998 = 2.2 goals per game (171 goals total)
Korea/Japan 2002 = 2.5 goals per game (161 goals total)
Germany 2006 = 2.6 goals per game (147 goals total)

Another interesting bet open at the moment, is the amount of goals which will be scored in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final. This of course, is a narrow shot than predicting the total amount of goals in the entire tournament. So here are some recent stats that may help you to take a decent price now before the tournament starts. The sooner you can get your bets on, the bigger your rewards could be, as markets like these will shift down a little when the participants for the final are known.

World Cup How Many Goals Will Be Scored In The World Cup 2010 Final? (regular Time Only) Betting Odds at Bwin
0 goals = 6/1
1 goal = 5/2
2 goals = 5/1
3 goals = 16/5
4 goals = 6/1
5 or more = 10/1

Again, the last three tournaments have averaged out at 2.3 goals in the final, with the two finals before that, only producing 1 goal between the pair of matches.
1990 West Germany 1, Argentina 0
1994 Brazil 0, Italy 0
1998 France 3, Brazil 0
2002 Brazil 2, Germany 0
2006 Italy 1, France 1
 

When placing bets on the 2010 FIFA World Cup, it is always helpful to look back at World Cup history, as it can definitely lead to pointers of what may happen in the current tournament. Studying this aspect of World Cup form can help sway decisions on matches as well outright winners of groups and the tournament itself. History of the World Cup is packed full of thrilling matches, some incredible moments of skill that will get replayed over and over again, some controversial decisions and moments, upsets, and all of the aspects of the beautiful game which makes this the greatest football competition on earth. Statistics against group and knockout opposition can all be found in the annals of World Cup history, guides to year’s past can all help in determining what could happen this time around in South Africa 2010.

World Cups 1930 - 2010

Details about all World Cups unitil now:

2010 World Cup in South Africa

2006 World Cup in Germany

2002 World Cup in South Corea/Japan

1998 World Cup in France

1994 World Cup in the USA

1990 World Cup in Italy

1986 World Cup in Mexico

1982 World Cup in Spain

1978 World Cup in Argentina

1974 World Cup in Germany

1970 World Cup in Mexico

1966 World Cup in Enland

1962 World Cup in Chile

1958 World Cup in Sweden

1954 World Cup in Switzerland

1950 World Cup in Brazil

1938 World Cup in France

1934 World Cup in Italy

1930 World Cup in Uruguay