World Cup 2014: How good were the favourites in qualifying?

Brazil qualified automatically, but how did the rest of the favourites get on?

In the latest of our series of World Cup infographics, Matt Isherwood takes a look at how the favourites to lift the World Cup in Brazil next month fared in qualifying...

As the domestic seasons around Europe draw to a close, attention is now focusing fully on next month's World Cup in Brazil. But how did the 11 most favoured teams to lift the trophy according to the World Cup Winner market on Betfair's Exchange get on in qualifying, and has that qualifying record been indicative of tournament success in the past?

(Click to enlarge)

We can see from the graphic that Germany and Netherlands had the best records in qualifying, notching up 2.8 points per game throughout the process, with Belgium (who have been backed into a scarcely-believable fifth favourites for the competition) just behind on 2.6. The interesting thing though is that, while Germany's price for glory (7.613/2) seems to have taken that into account, Netherlands' hasn't and that could be an angle worth exploiting. The Dutch sit way out at 36.035/1, despite reaching the final last time, qualifying very strongly and also boasting a good manager in charge of some fine players. 

Netherlands are surely at least worth a back-to-lay shout based on this information, and provided they can get through a tricky-looking group their price should shorten considerably.

That is of course provided you subscribe to the idea that qualification record is a good indicator at all. We see from the lower part of the graphic that, of the last six winners, only Spain qualified with what you would call an excellent record, and Brazil especially struggled badly in 2002 before going on to win. They're the hosts this year of course, and so there is no qualification data for them this time around, and at 4.03/1 the market clearly thinks the Samba Boys are likely to be the first host nation to taste glory since France in 1998.