Regarding this World Cup betting site we are not just going to let it sit around and die. We understand that the website name BetOnWorldCup2010.com is not going to cut it when it comes to the 2014 World Cup so the most likely scenario is that we are going to move this site over to a new website name. Don’t worry though, you aren’t even going to notice the move.

Thanks for joining us for the 2010 World Cup and hope to see you all again in 2 years when the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup begins.

It probably comes as no surprise that Will Hill have put the host nation Brazil as the number one favorite to win the entire 2014 World Cup. The second favorite is currently defending champion Spain.

What is very surprising though is that France is one of the top 10 rated teams according to Will Hill and so is Italy. Considering how these two teams performed this year they have a long way to go before they will even manage to qualify for the 2014 World Cup.

2014 World Cup Betting Odds from William Hill

Brazil – 4.50

Spain – 5.50

Argentina – 7.00

Germany – 12.00

Holland – 13.00

England – 17.00

Italy – 21.00

France – 21.00

Portugal – 21.00

Russia – 41.00

Chile – 41.00

Uruguay – 51.00

Croatia – 51.00

Mexico – 51.00

Ivory Coast – 51.00

Ghana – 51.00

Serbia – 51.00

Paraguay – 67.00

Turkey – 67.00

Czech Republic – 67.00

Sweden – 67.00

USA – 67.00

Denmark – 81.00

Ukraine – 101.00

Cameroon – 101.00

Romania – 101.00

Switzerland – 101.00

Colombia – 101.00

Ireland – 101.00

Poland 101.00

Japan – 151.00

Egypt – 151.00

Norway – 151.00

Nigeria – 151.00

South Korea – 151.00

Australia – 201.00

Slovakia – 201.00

Slovenia – 201.00

Scotland – 251.00

Algeria – 251.00

Austria – 251.00

Bulgaria – 251.00

Belgium – 251.00

Hungary – 251.00

South Africa – 501.00

Honduras – 501.00

China – 501.00

Northern Ireland – 1001.00

Wales – 1001.00

New Zealand – 1001.00

North Korea – 1001.00

Golden Ball: Best player of the tournament – Diego Forlan – Uruguay

Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan was named the Best Player at the 2010 World Cup after he received the most votes from the accredited media representatives. The 31-year-old managed to score five goals in the tournament as he led his team to a fourth place finish, their best in 40 years. Forlan, who plays for Atletico Madrid in Spain, proved he could score from just about anywhere on the pitch from open play and set plays.

Silver Ball: Wesley Sneijder – Holland

Bronze Ball: David Villa – Spain

Golden Boot: Top scorer in the tournament – Thomas Mueller – Germany – 5 goals, 3 assists

Midfielder Thomas Mueller of Germany enjoyed his first-ever World Cup by leading it in scoring with five goals and three assists. The 20-year-old Bayern Munich player finished level on goals with Diego Forlan of Uruguay, David Villa of Spain, and Wesley Sneijder of Holland, but captured the award due to his three assists.

Silver Boot: David Villa – Spain – 5 goals, 1 assist

Bronze Boot: Wesley Sneijder – Holland – 5 goals, 1 assist

Golden Glove: Best goalkeeper in the tournament – Iker Casillas – Spain

The Spanish keeper only let two goals in during the tournament, one of them coming in the team’s first game against Switzerland. Considering Spain won the Cup with a record-low eight goals in the event and six of their wins were by one goal, Casillas’ saves were very important, especially his diving block on a penalty kick by Oscar Cardozo of Paraguay in the quarter-finals. The 29-year-old Real Madrid keeper and Spain captain was playing in his third World Cup tournament.

Hyundai Best Young Player: Thomas Muller – Germany

The 2010 World Cup was a dream come true for Mueller as he added the best young player award to the Golden Boot. The only thing missing of course was the World Cup. He also missed the semi final against Spain due to suspension after receiving two yellow cards in his previous games. Mueller shows tremendous poise, positioning, playmaking and finishing and he’s only 20 years old.

FIFA Fair Play Award: Spain

Spain received only eight yellow cards in the tournament and five of those came in the final game. North Korea had only two yellows, but played only three matches.

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Spain finally crawled out from underneath its tag as World Cup underachievers by winning the trophy in their 13th tournament with a 1-0 win over Holland in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 11th. However, it did take them extra time do it and against a 10-man team at the time as midfielder Andres Iniesta scored his second goal of the tournament in the 116th minute to seal the win. Dutch defender Johnny Heitinga was sent off the pitch after receiving his second yellow card just minutes earlier.

It was a physical game right from the get go, but while it might have appeared to be a classic matchup on paper, it didn’t turn out that way on the pitch. In fact, it followed the disturbing trend of the past four World Cup Final games as it didn’t live up to the hype at all.

Many fans may have been dozing for the first few minutes, but Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg woke them up with a fine diving save to thwart a powerful header from Sergio Ramos in the sixth minute. Ramos got his head to a free kick from Xavi and headed it down towards the bottom corner of the net, but Stekelenburg dove to his right and knocked it away.

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The tackles were coming in fast and furious during the first half, but not the scoring chances. Nigel De Jong may have been fortunate to stay on the pitch as his high boot caught Xabi Alonso in the chest, but the Dutch midfielder escaped with a yellow card instead of a red. His was the fifth yellow of the game already by the 30-minute mark.

Holland showed some creativity in the 37th minute on a clever corner kick when winger Arjen Robben rolled the ball back to midfielder Mark van Bommell and he either purposely or unwittingly sent it into the box to unmarked defender Joris Mathijsen who then completely mis-kicked it. The Dutch got some confidence from this though, and Spanish keeper and captain Iker Casillas was forced to dive low to keep out a drive from Robben just before half time.

Holland started the second half with a bit more purpose and had a golden opportunity to jump out into the lead in the 62nd minute when midfielder Wesley Sneijder sent Robben in all alone on Casillas. Robben took a shot on the oncoming Casillas, but the keeper deflected it wide of the net with his foot.

Villa had a chance to get Spain on the board in the 70th minute when a cross from winger Jesus Nava found him in front of the net, but Villa couldn’t add to his total of five tournament goals as his shot was deflected behind the goal. Defender Carles Puyol then missed another opportunity eight minutes later as his header was thundered over the net.

Robben broke in on Casillas again in the 82nd minute as he sped by Puyol, but it looked like the Spaniard did enough to impede him and Casillas came out to make another fine save.

Spain started the extra time period strongly and Cesc Fabregas was sent in by Iniesta on what looked like a sure goal only to have Stekelenburg come racing out of the net to deny him. Spain kept the pressure on, but some fine defensive play by the Dutch kept the game goalless. However, everything fell apart for Holland after captain Giovanni Van Bronckhorst was substituted in the 105th minute for some strange reason as the defender was having an excellent game. Four minutes later, Heitinga was shown his second yellow card after hauling down Iniesta outside of the box.

Seven minutes after that, Iniesta took a pass from Fabregas in the penalty area and hammered a right-footer from about eight yards that Stekelenburg got his hand to, but couldn’t keep out of the net.

Referee Howard Webb of England is bound to come under criticism from some quarters, but to be fair, he did a fine job and the 14 yellow cards he handed out were all deserved.

While Spain are now champions of Europe and the world, let’s not forget they got out of the group round by the skin of their teeth after losing to Switzerland in their first game. And If Robben’s finishing touch matched his speed we might be singing another tune right now. So if there is a gap between Spain and Holland, and the rest of the world for that matter, it’s a very narrow one at best.

However, the Spanish put the ball in the net when it counted and all credit to them.

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Even though the 2010 World Cup opened at a very slow pace with a lot of low scoring games it offered a lot more in terms of entertainment once we hit the round of 16.

We would like to thank all of our readers that have been visiting this site throughout the World Cup and we hope that you will join us again once the qualifiers are starting for the 2014 World Cup.

We are still going to keep this site active with the latest news regarding the World Cup so make sure to check back every once in a while to make sure you are kept up to date on all the latest news regarding the 2014 World Cup.

Thanks again to all our readers and congratulations to the new World Champions, Spain.

Holland does also have one of the best attacking options in players like Sneijder, Van Persie, Robben and Kuyt. They should be able to force a goal in this match even if the Spanish showed an impressive defence so far in the tournament.

None of the teams has ever won a World Cup final so there is no such experience to gain from. Holland has lost the final twice though, and they are out for revenge. Read our full match review of Holland vs Spain.

My gamblers bet would be a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes and Holland to lift the trophy after extra time.

Here is my pick for today’s final:

Draw after 90 minutes – +235 (3.35, 47/20) at BetUS

Most goals in the 2nd half – +110 (2.10, 11/10) at Sportsbook.com

Holland to score first – +160 (2.60, 8/5) at Sportsbook.com

Holland to win the World Cup – 2.62 (13/8) at Bet365 (non US) and +150 (2.50) at SportsInteraction

Robin van Persie to score first goal – 8 times the money at William Hill (non US)

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The octopus has become a the most famous mollusc in the world over the last couple of weeks as he’s been predicting the outcome of Germany’s matches and has been right on the money all six times. Paul went to the well one last time on July 9 and predicted Germany to beat Uruguay in the third-place game and Spain to beat Holland to win their first ever World Cup.

However, it seems the parakeet doesn’t agree with the eight-armed sea-dweller and has shocked the world by choosing Holland to win their first ever World Cup instead. The Octopus chooses his winner by picking a mussel at dinner time that has a flag of a country on it while Mani flips over one of two cards that have the countries flags on them with his beak.

As you can see, it’s a Mexican standoff here and bettors all over the globe don’t know which way to turn. The 13-year-old parakeet isn’t as well known as Paul, but he’s also becoming a bit of a local celebrity after his owner M Muniyappan revealed the bird correctly chose the winners for the four World Cup quarterfinals games as well as Spain’s victory over Germany in the semi final.

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The 80-year-old Muniyappan claims to be a fortune teller and stated that Mani has been helping him forecast the future for the last five years outside the front of a restaurant located in the city’s Little India neighbourhood. However, he added this is the first time the bird has gotten involved in the wide world of sports.

Muniyappan, who was born in India, said most people come to him for advice on marriage dates and lottery numbers, but gamblers finally caught on and figured they’d give it a shot during the World Cup. He said he used to get about 10 customers a day, but that number has swelled to 30 now that Mani has made the headlines around the globe.

It seems the octopus and parakeet haven’t changed the bookmakers odds much with their psychic predictions as Ladbrokes still has Spain favoured at odds of 23/20, while Holland is listed at 53/20 and the odds of a draw at the end of 90 minutes are 11/5.

Of course, not everybody’s happy with Mani’s or Paul’s picks, but come Sunday night at least we’ll know who the real McCoy is.

The nominees are: Diego Forlan of Uruguay, Asamoah Gyan of Ghana, Andres Iniesta of Spain, Lionel Messi of Argentina, Mesut Oezil of Germany, Arjen Robben of Holland, Bastian Schweinsteiger of Germany, Wesley Sneijder of Holland, David Villa of Spain and Xavi of Spain.

The winners of the Golden Ball, as well as the silver and bronze balls are voted on by accredited media representatives. The winners of the three trophies will be announced following the World Cup Final on 11 July.

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Diego Forlan – Uruguay – Striker

Forlan has led his team’s attack with four goals and still has a chance to take the Golden Boot as well for the tournament’s top scorer. He’s an excellent player when it comes to passing, set pieces and scoring.

Asamoah Gyan – Ghana – Striker

Gyan led Ghana with three goals. He’s physically strong and fast, with a good work rate. He’s also a good dribbler and constantly causes trouble for defenders.

Andres Iniesta – Spain – Midfielder

Iniesta’s strengths lie in his ball handling, dribbling, and attacking skills. He’s one of the midfield engines that drive Spain.

Lionel Messi – Argentina – Forward

Messi didn‘t score in the tournament, but still showed fantastic offensive flair. He has speed and creativity along with fine shooting, passing, and dribbling skills.

Mesut Oezil – Germany – Midfielder

This young midfielder had a goal and showed a lot of promise for the future as he reads the game so well. He’s fast and creative and an excellent passer of the ball.

Arjen Robben – Holland – Forward

Robben possesses great speed and dribbling skills. He’s a fine crosser of the ball and scores his share of goals, with two in the tournament so far.

Bastian Schweinsteiger – Germany – Midfielder

Schweinsteiger is a great passer and ball winner. He’s also got the confidence and skills to make runs with the ball and take defenders on.

Wesley Sneijder – Holland – Midfielder

Sneijder can do it all from his midfield position, including scoring from long range. He has five goals in the tournament and is tied with Spain’s David Villa for the Golden Boot going into the final game.

David Villa – Spain – Forward

Villa’s as smooth as they come and is an excellent finisher. His five goals so far in South Africa are tops in the tournament along with Holland’s Wesley Sneijder five. He’s fast, good with both feet, and not afraid to take on defenders.

Xavi – Spain – Midfielder

Like his teammate Iniesta, Xavi is another one of the Spanish engines as he reads the game expertly and his passing is second to none.

On the Wikipedia page of Paul the Octopus we get to learn a whole bunch of stuff that we didn’t know before (maybe you knew, but we didn’t).

Here are some facts about Paul the Octopus that you probably didn’t know:

• Paul the Octopus was born in 2008 at the Sea Life Center in Weymouth, England.

• Paul is named after the children’s book “Der Tintenfisch Paul Oktopus” by Boy Lornsen.

• Since 2008 Paul have predicted a total of 12 games, 10 out of these has been correct.

• Paul’s species is called “Octopus vulgaris”.

• An “Octopus vulgaris” usually lives for about three years.

I hope you enjoyed these fun facts about Paul the Octopus and that you have learned something new.

Since the Paul the Octopus is of the species “Octopus vulgaris” which only lives for about three years it is very likely that the predictions for the 2010 World Cup will be his last. It will be interesting to see if the people over at Sea Life Aquarium are going to try to get another octopus to take over the predictions after Paul retires or if they will just give up on the idea to prove that Paul is as special as they say he is.

But there’s a fan out there somewhere who ignored the octopus and wagered €500,000, reportedly the largest bet in World Cup history with British bookmaker William Hill. The man placed the bet over the phone with the odds of a German win being 10/11. However, that went up in smoke when Carlos Puyol’s header in the 73rd minute was the only goal of the game. The man’s possible profit of €454,000 went out the window with the Germans’ chance of winning their fourth World Cup.

However, the win for Spain was a bit of a relief to most bookmakers, who were stung in the wallet earlier in the tournament when the underdog Germans beat both England and Argentina. While the bettor is out a half million euros, the bookies are taking it all in stride. A William Hill spokesperson said that a win by Holland in the final would be a great way for the tournament to end, at least to the bookmaking industry that is.

He said that not only did the €500,000 wager lose, but bets of €80,000 and €100,000 on Germany to win the Cup as well as a €75,000 bet on them to beat Spain all went down the drain. He added that even though some clients have laid out £10,000 and £25,000 bets on Spain to lift the trophy, they’re just happy it isn’t Germany as it could have cost them about £5 million.

Expekt.com has Spain listed as favourites to win the match and the Cup with odds set at 23/20, while a Dutch victory is posted at 53/20 and the odds of a draw after 90 minutes are 11/5.

You may not want to make any wagers though until Paul the Octopus has made his pick, which is scheduled to air live on television in several countries Friday at dinner time.