The 2010 World Cup kicks off in South Africa on Friday morning in Johannesburg, where South Africa will take on Mexico in the opening match of World Cup wagering action. This will be the first of two Group A duels on the day, as France and Uruguay will also square off. The Bafana Bafana will face the Uruguayans in its second match, while El Tri will duel with Les Bleus on the second match day in this group.
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South Africa vs. Mexico
•Game Date/Time: Friday, June 11th, 10:00 AM ET
•Game Location: Soccer City, Johannesburg, South Africa
•TV/Radio Broadcast: ESPN, ESPN360, XM

2010 World Cup Odds: South Africa +170 pk -110 vs. Mexico +160 pk -110 – Draw +215 – Total 2 over -130 2 under +110

Expectations are high for South Africa to perform well in this World Cup, but just as was the case when South Korea hosted the event eight years ago, living up to those lofty expectations is going to be incredibly difficult. Whereas every other team had to qualify for this tournament, South Africa knew that its spot in the field of 32 was already assured as the hosting country, so there isn’t a heck of a lot to go off of in terms of history. The midfield is going to be full of potential for the Bafana Bafana, as both M Steven Pienaar and M Kagisho Dikgacoi are going to be players to watch. Dikgacoi was the only man to tally twice in the lead up matches for the World Cup, while Pienaar has a ton of experience having played a lot of his club soccer in the English Premiership with Everton.

For the Mexicans, qualification out of Group A is certainly going to be something that is a challenge, though it is clearly an expectation in their homeland as well. Mexico has qualified for four straight second rounds, and even though it hasn’t made it past the Round of 16 in any of those World Cups, going home after three matches would be devastating. F Cuauhtemoc Blanco found the back of the net three times amongst Mexico’s 36 goals in CONCACAF qualifying efforts for the 2010 World Cup, and his experience is expected to help out a rather youthful team quite a bit to try to survive this first stage of the tournament. M Rafael Marquez does have a goal under his belt at this level, scoring once in his eight career World Cup matches. Even though he only played in seven of the 16 qualifiers for this event, the Mexican captain also had a goal to show for his efforts.

World Cup Insider Tip: The host nation hasn’t been defeated in their first World Cup betting match in the history of this tournament.

Simply put, the Mexicans don’t have as strong of a team as they normally field for an event such as this, while South Africa is simply going to be buzzing. With a home field advantage that is second to none, perhaps in the entire history of this tournament, it’s very difficult to see how this is a match that the Bafana Bafana don’t at least grab a point from.

Go with South Africa on the first day of World Cup betting action.
My World Cup Prediction: South Africa
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World Cup betting action is less than a month away from kicking off, and here at BetUS Sportsbook, we’re already taking our first look at the four teams from Group A and which two of these squads are going to advance into the knockout round of the tournament.
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World Cup Betting Lines – To Win Group A
France -105
Mexico +350
Uruguay +375
South Africa +600

France – The French just barely qualified for the World Cup several months ago, as they needed a wild extra time finish that included a handball that was never called on what turned out to be the difference making goal that put Les Bleus in the tournament and kept Ireland out. Still, this is clearly the most talented team in the group even though F Thierry Henry, M Nicolas Anelka, and D William Gallas are all starting to get up there in age. The 1998 World Cup Champions are desperate for success, and they have no excuse not to make it to at least the Round of 8 in this tournament as long as Argentina isn’t the team that they draw from Group B.

Mexico – In four straight World Cups, the Mexicans have advanced through the group stages. Four straight times, they were bounced in their first knockout match. It was a tough qualifying effort for Mexico in CONCACAF, but ultimately, the 14-time participant in this event was strong enough to get the job done. F Cuauhtémoc Blanco has the ability to put the ball in the back of the net early and often in this tournament and he’ll be the key to get Mexico through Group A.

Uruguay – As the fifth South American team in the World Cup field, Uruguay needed a home-and-home victory against Costa Rica to assure its spot on soccer’s grandest stage. F Diego Forlan scored 18 goals for Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Primera league this season, which wasn’t anywhere near the production of Barcelona’s M Lionel Messi, but it was more than enough to keep Atletico competitive in arguably the toughest league in Europe. He’s going to need to carry a subpar Uruguay squad, which can’t feel like it has much of a chance of competing in this tournament.

South Africa – The hosts of the World Cup have never failed to advance out of the first round of the tournament, but the deck is certainly stacked against the Bafana Bafana in June. Yes, home field advantage is going to be crucial, but the South Africans haven’t performed well in pre-World Cup efforts and probably don’t have the talent to stick with the best teams. Still, the host country absolutely cannot be counted out.

If South Africa can steal three points from either Mexico in the opening game of the tournament or Uruguay, it has a great chance of qualifying. Still, this is France’s group to lose. It’s going to be hard for any other team to knock off the French early in the tournament. Go with Les Bleus to win Group A in World Cup betting action.

My World Cup Prediction: France -105
Source: Betus Locker Room