Football fans from 23 countries are tipping five-time world champions Brazil to win the first ever World Cup finals held on African soil, according to a new poll by Reuters.
And South African fans agreed with that prediction, according to a separate poll of more than 2,500 supporters from the host nation, with optimistic fans of the home team backing their beloved Bafana Bafana to come second.
While British bookmaker Ladbrokes have Spain as the favourite to take the 2010 trophy, the Reuters poll of more than 12,000 enthusiasts in 23 nations tipped Brazil to triumph, with the backing of 31 percent of those surveyed.
But they did not rate South Africa's chances of reaching the July 11 final, with Brazil also emerging as the most likely runner-up with 14 percent, followed by Germany with 11 percent.