Price is right on Brazil and Germany both topping World Cup groups

What do Brazil and Germany have in common at the World Cup, aside from having the longest active streaks of participating in the finals?

Brazil have played in all 20 World Cups to have taken place since the maiden instalment in 1930 and Germany are on a run of 16 successive appearances, having failed to qualify in 1950.

However, the answer to the opening question is that not only the only two nations to have topped their respective groups at all three finals this century, but this run also stretches back for six finals, dating back to 1990.

Therefore, as the pair are so proficient at qualifying for the knockout stages as group winners, 4/5 actually seems a price well worth accepting in the World Cup betting for the double of Brazil topping Group A and Germany finishing at the head of Group G.

In fact, only three teams have finishing at the summit of their groups in the last two World Cups, with the third member of this clan being Spain.

Being the host nation is no bad thing for Brazil’s prospects of topping Group A either, as Germany reached the knockout stages as group winners in 2006, both Japan and South Korea topped their respective groups in 2002 and France did the same in 1998.

It is 1/5 that Brazil finish at the head of Group A, above Mexico, Croatia and Cameroon. Meanwhile, Germany are the better value single bet at 1/2 to top Group G ahead of Portugal, Ghana and the USA.

Although not being in the easiest qualification group, no team scored more points than Germany in reaching Brazil, with the only points dropped in 10 games by Joachim Loew’s men being in a 4-4 draw with Sweden, where they somehow threw away a four-goal lead with 28 minutes remaining.