With Germany, Belgium and Spain already out of the equation before the quarter-finals get underway, the list of World Cup favorites is only getting shorter. At the top of the bookmakers' rankings currently is Brazil. The five-time winner certainly has the pedigree, and judging by the team's performance so far (two wins at the group stage and a statement-of-intent 4-1 win in the round of 16 ), they are going to be tough to knockout.
When converting the average odds of multiple bookmakers to implied probability, Brazil is the favorite by a comfortable margin. They are far from infallible however, as their 1-0 loss to Cameroon already proved. The team seen as most likely to pounce on this potential weakness is currently France, who they would meet in the final if the quarters and semis go to plan for the two countries. Brazil's neighbors Argentina, despite a rocky start, are considered the third-most likely team to lift the trophy on December 18 - closely followed by England and Portugal.
It's not all about the teams with the greatest World Cup pedigree though. Croatia and Morocco also still have a part to play in the tournament, the latter having already sent Spain packing in the last round. The chances for both are nevertheless seen as slim (2 percent). That said, a win in the next round for Croatia against Brazil or for Morocco against Portugal, and the outlook could alter rapidly.
