Sports Betting
World Cup 2002 Sports Betting Options
By Kelly Reynolds
Jun 2, 2002, 16:31

The World Cup was the brainchild of Jules Rimet and Henri Delauney, two French football administrators who envisioned an international football tournament that would become known throughout the land as World Cup Soccer. In 1930, the first World Cup was held in Uruguay with 15 participating nations. Currently, there are 32 countries competing for World Cup 2002. The countries are broken into eight groups, A through H, with each unit containing four nations.

The World Cup 2002 is being held in Asia for the first time since its inception. With 196 entries, the World Cup is being co-hosted by Japan and Korea. This year’s opening World Cup match between Group E participants Germany and Saudia Arabia set a new record within the international soccer tournament. Held at the Sappiro Dome, the match yielded the biggest winning margin at a World Cup Final since 1982 between Hungary and El Salvador.

The top six World Cup contenders this year are France, Argentina, Italy, Brazil, Spain, and England. Second round games will be held on June 15th through the 18th. The Quarter Finals will take place on June 21-22, and the Semi Finals on the 25th and 26th. The Third Place Play Off will happen on June 29th, and the World Cup Final will culminate on June 30th.

World Cup betting options offered by the majority of online and land sportsbooks include wagering on the Outright Winner, Group Betting, Finalists, and the Top Goalscorer. Selecting an Outright Winner consists of choosing which team will win the 2002 World Cup, while the Group Betting allows one to select which team will prevail in one of the eight specified groups. Deciding which two teams will play in the World Cup Final takes place in the Finalists, and the Top Goalscorer involves pinpointing which soccer player will score the most goals throughout the course of the World Cup.

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