Brazil Remains World Cup Favorite

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao -- Now that the month-long tournament has reached the quarterfinals, only eight of 32 teams remain in contention for the most prestigious trophy in sports, the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
With the specatular play of Ronaldo, Brazil is favored to win the 2006 World Cup  With the hopes of fans pinned on their national teams, leading online sportsbook PinnacleSports.com today announced updated odds on the eight remaining teams capturing soccer's biggest prize.

World Cup favorites before Group play began, Brazil remains the bookmaker's pick to win their sixth world championship at 5/2 odds. After a thrilling overtime victory over Mexico, PinnacleSports.com lists Argentina at 9/2 odds to become World Cup champions along with host-country Germany, who'll face Argentina in the first quarterfinal match Friday. Meanwhile Italy stands at 13/2 to capture their fourth World Cup following their controversial penalty-kick win over Australia. Despite uninspired play in both the Group stage and versus Ecuador, England currently stands at 7/1 to end the country's 40-year World Cup drought. Meanwhile, PinnacleSports.com lists France (11/1), Portugal (14/1) and Ukraine (55/1) as long shots to emerge as world champions.

"Entering the tournament, Brazil was known for its explosive goal scoring ability, but after only allowing one goal in World Cup play, they appear to be equally skilled on the defensive end," said Simon Noble of PinnacleSports.com. "Argentina has become a trendy World Cup pick with experts and bettors, but the young Argentineans next face the grueling task of playing the Germans in front of a hostile Berlin crowd. Although they advanced thanks to a controversial foul call in extra time, Italy, with their exceptional defense led by Buffon in goal, cannot be overlooked for the remainder of the tournament."

PinnacleSports.com is offering the most comprehensive menu of World Cup betting options available online with limits of up to $50,000. For each match Pinnacle Sports will offer three-way betting, low-margin Asian handicaps priced to just 1.5%, exact scores and over/under total goals scored. Bettors will also find a wide variety of in-running action on games, as well as proposition bets on each match. For a complete list of World Cup odds, please visit the soccer section at www.pinnaclesports.com.

    Current Odds:    *All Odds Subject to Change*

    Odds to Win 2006 World Cup
    Brazil            5/2
    Argentina         9/2
    Germany           9/2
    Italy            13/2
    England           7/1
    France           11/1
    Portugal         14/1
    Ukraine          55/1