But the hosts couldn’t produce one against Mexico, which will have been a disappointment for them, though they came away with the draw, and their campaign is still very much on track. Brazil’s World Cup odds aren’t moving that much – they stay as the favourites for the tournament.

Before everything got underway in Brazil, there was a certain amount of talk about a young Belgium side that could easily be the revelation of this World Cup. They carried the ‘dark horses’ tag into the tournament, and into their first group match was against Algeria. And they survived a scare to win it, coming from behind to take the game 2-1. Belgium’s World Cup odds see them hovering at or around $21.00, and dropped from that fifth-favourite spot in favour of Italy, France and the Netherlands (who all put in strong performances in their first games). Belgium might still be on course for the business end of the tournament, though, and we’ve seen nothing to prove that the talk before the tournament was wide of the mark. Perhaps they’re worth a look at $21.00 to lift the cup? There are plenty more World Cup odds for you at the other end of the link, including plenty of futures and some great markets…

And they were in action yesterday against Portugal, in what on paper should have been a tricky first encounter for both sides. But it didn’t turn out that way, as a sending off for Portugal’s Pepe in the first half and a hat-trick from Thomas Muller contributed to what was a rout in the end. Combine the smooth start for Germany and the strong performance by the Netherlands, and you’ve already got an impression that there might be some European sides making real bids to claim the trophy that Brazil fans will feel is theirs by rights. Remember that no team from outside South America has won a tournament hosted on the continent: could the 2014 World Cup in Brazil see the end of that record?

Have a look at the Germany World Cup odds after their ideal start, and the Portugal World Cup odds after their nightmare first game. There’s more World Cup odds for you at the end of that last link, too…

Australia’s World Cup odds have lengthened considerably after they lost to Chile, but they weren’t alone: Spain are a $13.00 bet to win the tournament as of today, the same as the Netherlands, the side that beat them so convincingly. Italy, Argentina and France are heading in the right direction in the bookies’ eyes, while England and quietly-fancied Uruguay both lost their openers. We seem to be seeing an open tournament that could easily throw us up a few more shocks before the first round of games is even finished!

If that’s the case, then you’ll need to make sure you’ve got all your World Cup odds handy, and you can find them at the other end of the that link – make sure you drop back often to keep up to date!

Things looked particularly bleak, in fact, after a sluggish opening from the Socceroos. You can understand some nerves, of course, in a young side on the game’s biggest stage, but it didn’t flatter them, and they were chasing the game from the outset. We were very impressed to see them scrap their way back into the game, though, and Tim Cahill found the back of the net to keep Australia fans interested right up to the end, when Chile’s third goal came as the Socceroos over-reached in search of the equaliser. What we saw from Australia we liked – they let no-one down and they picked up plenty of fans with a brave performance. What we’re expecting to see from the next couple of games, we’re not sure. You can see from the Australia vs Netherlands odds that the bookies have Australia as unlikely winners. If they approach the game the same way they did the Chile fixture, though, they could easily come home with heads held high…

We have all the World Cup odds you need at the end of the link!

And did we see some of what we can expect in this World Cup in the opening game? Brazil needed the rub of the green to get past Croatia, and they definitely got it, with a penalty that could charitably be described as soft, and a tasty little elbow from Neymar that was apparently not vicious enough to get him sent off. There was a real smell of controversy in the air along with the smoke from all the victory fireworks, and we’re just hoping that there won’t be any coming the way of Australia. The Socceroos meet Chile in their first game and it’s set to be an intriguing affair for Australia fans: the pundits have been keen to point out that Australia will need to curb their attacking instincts if they are to contain Chile, but everything we’ve seen and heard from Ange Postecoglu in the build-up to this World Cup tells us he won’t want his young charges to hold back.

So fasten your seatbelts, Socceroos fans, and get ready for the rollercoaster ride that is the World Cup. And make sure you’ve got all the Australia World Cup odds and specials before kick-off!

How will Australia go? Is this a World Cup that will see some courageous Socceroos making a name for themselves, or will there be no immediate glory for this generation as they start to build for the future?

And can the fairytale come true for Brazil? The pundits have called this a Brazil side that lacks the sort of stellar talent we’re used to seeing in Brazil colours, but they go into the tournament as favourites, and the support they get will no doubt be louder than instruments can measure.

There’s danger for the hosts, though, with some strong contenders in the pack behind them. Argentina have a talisman and potential tournament-winner in Lionel Messi, and there will be no teams at this World Cup relishing the chance to take on Argentina. Or Germany, for that matter. Perpetual World Cup contenders, we’ll know more about Germany’s chances after the group stages, but the bookies have them above the holders Spain. Who shouldn’t be written off: this might be the sunset of a glorious era in Spanish football, but there will still be real hunger in the squad for another World Cup win.

So get all the odds you need before the tournament starts by hitting the links below, and check back with us regularly for results and fresh bets!

Australia World Cup odds

Group B World Cup odds

Brazil World Cup odds

England World Cup odds

And it’s not just the futures that show you Argentina’s chances are good. They’re one of the shortest odds of any nation to win their group, and that will see them with a more favourable route to the business end of the tournament. And Argentina have the players to take on and beat any side at this World Cup. The headlines will focus on Lionel Messi – and rightly so, especially if he’s finally able to find his best form on the international stage – but this is a strong Argentina squad that will be rightly feared by all opponents.

Make sure you’ve got all the World Cup odds – including those Argentina World Cup odds – just by following the links!

And it’s always something that makes punters nervous, betting against a Germany side. There might be some questions asked about the cutting edge of this Germany squad, and there might be some questions about the form that some of their key players bring to the tournament, but Germany know how to win on the world’s biggest stage, and they will almost certainly be involved in the knockout stages, we reckon, even in spite of a tricky group, and a tough first game against Portugal.

So make sure you got all Germany’s World Cup odds by following the link for all the markets and futures you’ll need. We’ve got Germany vs Portugal odds for you, too – just make sure you take a second before you bet against the Germans: we’ve been burned before!

The old men. Tim Cahill won’t thank us for including his name anywhere near this list, maybe, but we mean it in the best possible way. There are players at every World Cup who bring a little bit of grizzled experience to their national sides, and there are players who bring a lot. Cahill is the member of the Australia squad who has seen it all before, and we’re expecting to see a cool head on his shoulders even if the youngsters around him are losing theirs. And he’s in good company in the 2014 tournament. Andrea Pirlo is surely nearing the end of his illustrious career, but he will bring his suave, calm excellence to the Italian midfield. And Rafa Marquez looks set to be the first man to captain his country for an incredible fourth time when Mexico meet Cameroon on the 14th – that’s worth watching, just to see if there’s a tear in the old campaigner’s eye…

And finally, the personalities. Look out for Pepe in Portugal colours – he won’t take a backward step – and Cristiano Ronaldo preening nearby. The Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama – a man they call the cat – very nearly went a whole season without conceding a goal, so we’re looking forward to seeing him in action. And, on the sidelines, we’ve already mentioned Chile manager Jorge Sampaoli for his almost-inevitable outbursts of rage, but look out for Marc Wilmots, too – he’s a larger-than-life character with some talented charges ready to take on the world!

So get all your World Cup odds by following the link – and your Australia World Cup odds, too – and you’ll be ready to go.

Well some might say they have take it too far this time with the ‘release’ of a massive hot air balloon in the shape of Rio’s famous Christ The Redeemer statue, accompanied by the slogan and hashtag #KeepTheFaith. You see almost nobody gives the Socceroos any hope in hell of qualifying out of a group containing the 2010 Finalists (Spain and Holland) and South American dark horses Chile. In fact most pundits don’t even think Australia will score a goal, let alone bag a point. So mindful of the fact that punters not betting on Australia is bound to dent revenues a tad, Sportsbet have done the only decent things they could have, pulled off a huge publicity stunt that captures headlines all over the world, gets the social media sphere spinning with positive and negative charges, and encourages the populations of Australia’s major cities (currently Melbourne) to have a bet on the Socceroos.

We are a big fan of such publicity stunts, our only gripe being about the potential lack of common sense in encouraging Australia punters to lose money by backing the Aussies. However, one thing is for sure, if our boys in Brazil know that the nation is actually rooting for them, then maybe they can raise their game enough to score a goal, or Chris forbid, get a point!

We think the most logical game for the Socceroos to get a point is against Holland, and you can back the draw at odds of 4.60.

If you haven’t got a Sportsbet account yet, they are offering a $250 Free Match Bet* and a number of great World Cup promotions. Read all about them here.