2014 World Cup Betting Trends Recap

2014 World Cup Betting Trends Recap

The 2014 World Cup was the second time the country hosted the World Cup finals tournament in Brazil. The last time Brazil hosted the World Cup was more than 60 years prior, in 1950. At the start, the host team was one of the favorites to win the tournament with their squad and the home team’s advantage. Most players and fans remember the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as one of the most memorable and successful tournaments in history.

2014 World Cup Betting Trends

Some of the betting trends observed in the 2014 FIFA World Cup include the use of goal-line technology, one of the biggest wins in the semi-finals, the top scorers of the tournament, and the all-star and dream teams of the match.

Goal-Line tech

It was the first time a significant tournament incorporated goal-line technology. Goal-line technology and regulations impacted the outcome of games and wagers. Before, referees had to rely on intuition, and a decision by the referee was the final decision in a game. With goal-line technology, a referee was alerted if there was a goal through vibrations on a watch-like device. Adopting goal-line technology led to counted and disallowed legitimate scores to ensure a fair game. Spain, the defending World Cup Champions from 2010, was eliminated in the group phase along with England and Italy.

Biggest Semis Wins

The tournament produced one of the most significant score lines in World Cup history in a semi-final game between Germany and hosted Brazil. Germany managed to defeat Brazil in a humiliating 7-1 loss. Germany would win the tournament while Brazil lost their 3rd place game, ultimately finishing 4th. While most finals and semi-final games end in a one or two-goal margin, this semis stood out as the most significant margin win in a semis in the World Cup.  

Top Scorers

The tournament produced 171 goals, a deviation from the lower number of goals scored in the FIFA World Cup finals in the last four matches. James Rodriguez scored the golden boot award with six goals in the tournament for his country Columbia. Thomas Muller, the German striker, scored five goals, while Messi and Neymar scored four goals for Argentina and Brazil, respectively. Manuel Neuer, the German keeper with the cleanest sheets, picked up the golden glove award. They placed several wagers on the golden boot award on Messi and Neymar, and both players missed out on the prize by a single goal each. However, Messi managed to pick up the golden ball award. The few wagers placed on Muller paid out some of the highest odds on the golden boot winner.

All-Star And Dream Teams

The all-star team is released based on the player performance index based on the performance of the previous tournament. The all-star FIFA World Cup 2014 team, based on player performance, included Neuer (Germany), Rojo (Argentina), Hummels (Germany), Silva (Brazil), de Vrij (Netherlands), Oscar (Brazil), Kroos (Germany), Lahm (Germany), Rodriguez (Columbia), Robben (Netherlands), and Muller (Germany). The dream team is by fans and users who vote for their favorite or the best performing players on FIFA’s official website. The dream team for the 2014 World Cup included Neuer, Marcelo, Hummels, Silva, Luiz, Di Maria, Kroos, Rodriguez, Neymar, Messi, and Muller, managed by Low.

2014 World Cup Fun Facts

• The 2014 World Cup was the First World Cup in South America won by a European team.
• Apart from goal-line technology, the 2014 World Cup also saw the introduction of the vanishing spray for free kicks and marking 10 yards away from the spot. The spray mark would vanish after a minute of play.
• The match ball used for the World Cup in Brazil was Brazuca, developed by Adidas.  
• The German striker Klose made two records in the 2014 World Cup; it was the player’s 4th World Cup for over 12 years, more than any other player. He scored more 16 goals in the World Cup finals than any other player (including Ronaldo).
• The total prize money distributed to teams and used on player insurance by FIFA was above US $575 million, with the winners taking home $35 million in winnings.