With the 2020 Six Nations now just around the corner, anticipating is growing ahead of what could be a famous tournament.

While England fell short against South Africa in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final, their journey to rugby’s showpiece fixture helped to reignite wider interest in the game across the country.

Wales head into the 2020 tournament as the defending champions after winning the Grand Slam last season. Warren Gatland’s departure was emotional but Welsh fans will be getting behind new Wales boss Wayne Pivac ahead of the upcoming Six Nations.

Here though, we take a look at the Six Nations tournaments of the past. Who is the most successful team in Six Nations history? 888sport look through the record books to see who comes out on top…

 

Italy

Italy have been Six Nations whipping boys since their introduction to the competition back in 2000.

To put their performances into perspective, Italy have been awarded the Wooden Spoon in 14 of the 20 Six Nations tournaments in which they have competed in – which says a lot about the state of Italian rugby.

https://www.888sport.com/blog/football-prediction

However, there are a few reasons to be optimistic ahead of 2020. Italy will play Scotland in Rome this year and some punters may fancy the hosts to get the better of the Scots on that occasion.

If so, Italy may avoid the Wooden Spoon for the first time since 2015. Neutrals will have everything crossed for an Italian success.

Six Nations titles: 0

Scotland

Scotland supporters would love nothing more than to celebrate a first Six Nations success in 2020 but you won’t find many punters backing Gregor Townsend’s side.

Without a doubt, Scotland are much improved these days though, avoiding the Wooden Spoon in each of the previous four editions of the Six Nations.

Murrayfield is one of the best Six Nations stadiums and Scotland fans will create a rousing atmosphere for travelling fans in 2020.

A first Six Nations crown continues to elude them though and you have to back to the 1999 Five Nations to find their last triumph at the top level of rugby union in the northern hemisphere.

Six Nations titles: 0

Tournament titles: 15

 

Ireland

With three Six Nations triumphs in the last six years, it has been a glorious era for Ireland fans. However, that wasn’t always the case – Ireland had to wait 24 years from 1985 before their next tournament success.

Their style of rugby hasn’t always reaped rewards but Irish fans after always in good spirit, particularly in Dublin.

Ireland slipped down the Six Nations pecking order in 2019 but it wouldn’t be a huge shock to see them bounce back in 2020.

With Andy Farrell taking over from Joe Schmidt after the Rugby World Cup, the 2020 Six Nations offers an ideal opportunity for Ireland to announce themselves as major players once again.

Six Nations titles: 4

Tournament titles: 14

 

France

Once regarded as the northern hemisphere’s rugby union superpower, France have lost their way a little in recent times.

Their last Six Nations success came back in 2010 and you won’t find many punters backing Les Bleus to get back to winning ways this year. However, there is plenty of talent in this French squad…

In terms of overall tournament titles, France are a deserved third behind Wales and England.

Historically, France were always one of the strongest teams in world rugby and that is reflected in their performances on the big stage, with France reaching the Rugby World Cup final on three separation occasions.

Six Nations titles: 5

Tournament titles: 17

Wales

With a grand total of five Six Nations triumphs and 27 total tournament titles, Wales sit just behind England in terms of success.

One area where Wales do have an edge though is in Grand Slam wins – Wales lead the way with four compared to three for France and just two for England and Ireland.

The Principality Stadium crowd played their part in 2019, getting behind their team in hard-fought victories over England and Ireland.

Wales have enjoyed most of their success when their two closest rivals have to visit Cardiff, with three of their five Six Nations triumphs in those particular campaigns.

Six Nations titles: 5

Tournament titles: 27

 

England

England are the most successful team in Six Nations history with six tournament wins.

The talent pool in England is arguably the strongest in world rugby and that certainly helps when it comes to challenging for Six Nations glory. It doesn’t always translate directly to success though; England went seven years without the title from 2004 to 2011.

888sport’s rugby union betting odds have England at 41/50 to win their seventh Six Nations title this year – probably because of their success in Japan.

England fans will be hoping that Eddie Jones can bring the Six Nations trophy back to Twickenham after a couple of barren years.

Six Nations titles: 6

Tournament titles: 28

 

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Tim Ireland / AP Photo*

December 31, 2019

By Alex McMahon

Alex McMahon Sport
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Alex is a sports betting tipster, specialising in Premier League football, the Champions League and horse racing.

He loves placing a weekly accumulator on the football at the weekend and dreams of landing the big winner that will take him back to Las Vegas.

As well as writing sports betting tips for 888sport since 2015, Alex has produced content for several international media companies, such as Goal.com and The SPORTBible. 
 

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The 2020 PDC World Championship is almost done and dusted but it has been a fantastic tournament for so many reasons.

Fallon Sherrock’s rise to power has been well-documented while Peter Wright’s heated semi-final success over Gerwyn Price sent shockwaves across the sporting universe.

In this article, we look at the greatest moments in PDC World Championship history. As the highlight of the darts calendar, fans have been treated to many memorable moments over the years but some in particular stand out above others.

Here are our favourite ever PDC World Championship moments:

 

2007: Van Barneveld And Taylor Shine

Without a doubt, Raymond van Barneveld and Phil Taylor played out the greatest PDC Darts World Championship final of all-time in 2007. Circus Tavern was the venue and that match is still talked about to this day.

Van Barneveld had won his previous three tournament matches by a combined 15-0 and the Dutchman was expected to go close in his pursuit of glory. However, what followed exceeded all expectations as it went right down to the wire.

Both players topped the 100 average mark but Van Barneveld came out on top 7-6 after an intense affair. It was a topsy-turvy contest between two of darts’ greatest ever players and it is unlikely we will see a World Championship final to compete in terms of drama and excitement.

2013: Van Gerwen’s 17 Perfect Darts

Van Gerwen was the red hot favourite in his World Championship semi-final against James Wade but nobody expected the Dutchman to be quite as dominant. This performance had everything; a convincing win, a high average and an incredible nine-dart finish.

Arguably the best darts player ever, Van Gerwen almost became the first player in history to record back-to-back nine dart finishes in a televised event. Surely it is only a matter of time until the Dutchman defies the odds and achieves this feat.

Van Gerwen went on to lose the PDC Championship final on that occasion as Taylor claimed his 16th world title. We’ll get onto that shortly but Mighty Mike deserves plenty of plaudits for his incredible effort in that semi-final against Wade.

 

2013: Taylor Claims 16th World Title

Taylor got the better of Van Gerwen in a high-scoring World Championship final, with both players again topping the 100-average mark. The Dutchman was touted to get the better of his opponent but Taylor defied the odds to claim his 16th world title.

Van Gerwen found himself 2-0 up and then 4-2 up but Taylor won five sets in a row from that point to clinch victory. It wasn’t his easiest success but it was incredibly sweet as that triumph silenced Taylor’s doubters – particular as Van Gerwen was the new world number one.

At the time, many darts fans claimed that Taylor should announce his retirement there and then but he continued to play until the end of the 2018 PDC World Championship. He went on to reach the showpiece event but fell short against new kid on the block Rob Cross.

2018: Cross Caps Off Euphoric Rise To Power

The 2018 World Championship will be forever known for Cross’ exploits. His rise to power was well-documented, with Cross’ nickname Voltage a play on words relating to his work background as an electrician and he quickly matured into a fan favourite.

Cross defeated the great Phil Taylor in the final – an impressive feat but made even more impressive as Cross was a Sussex pub player when Taylor won his most recent PDC world championship.

Even the most ardent Taylor fan would admit that Cross was full value for his victory and, if anything, the 7-2 margin was probably kind on the 16-time world champion. Cross hasn’t quite lived up to the hype since then but time is very much on his side.

 

2020: Fallon Sherrock Changes The Game

Fallon Sherrock is now a household name in the world of darts. In the space of a whirlwind couple of weeks, Sherrock went from an unknown quantity to ‘Queen of the Palace’ and we could see lots more of her at future darts tournaments.

Nobody expected Sherrock to emerge victorious in round one but she defied the odds to beat Ted Evetts. In the second round, she raised her game further to defeat 11 seed Mensur Suljovic – arguably the biggest scalp of the 2020 PDC World Championship.

Sherrock quickly became a fan favourite but exited the competition at the hands of Chris Dobey in the third round. However, her impact and influence on the tournament has changed the game for female players in the future.

Find here all the latest Darts odds

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Tom Hevezi / AP Photo*

December 30, 2020

By Alex McMahon

Alex McMahon Sport
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Alex is a sports betting tipster, specialising in Premier League football, the Champions League and horse racing.

He loves placing a weekly accumulator on the football at the weekend and dreams of landing the big winner that will take him back to Las Vegas.

As well as writing sports betting tips for 888sport since 2015, Alex has produced content for several international media companies, such as Goal.com and The SPORTBible. 
 

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The second major event of the golf calendar, the 2020 US Open could be one of the sporting highlights of the year. One of the four majors in golf, the US Open ranks highly on the list of popular golf tournaments for 2020.

The US Open has been rather one-sided in recent years, with two of the previous three champions winning by at least three strokes. It has been unpredictable at the best of times, with 15 different winners in the last 16 years.

Our Masters 2020 guide referenced the total prize money for golf’s major tournaments – the US Open is the largest in terms of earnings. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the 2020 US Open and all the ‘need to know’ information ahead of this summer’s event.

 

When Is The 2020 US Open?

The 2020 tournament will get underway on Thursday 18th June,  with a $12.5 million purse available in prize money. Defending champion Gary Woodland claimed victory by three shots in 2019 and he will hope to challenge for the $2.25 million winner’s prize this year.

Should the US Open 2020 finish in a tie, there will be a playoff to decide the winner. There hasn’t been a playoff in the US Open for 11 years so it would be a bit of a shock to see the 2020 tournament go that way.

 

US Open 2020: Location

The location for the US Open changes annually and Winged Foot Golf Club will play host to the tournament in 2020. Unlike the US Masters where it is held at Augusta National every year, the US Open location changes and the schedule is already available for future years.

With a number of golf courses in the rotation for the US Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship, golf can be a difficult sport to follow and the general outlook of each major event is ever-changing. That makes winning all four majors in a single year very difficult indeed.

Winged Foot has hosted the US Open on five occasions while the PGA Championship has been held at the venue just once back in 1997. The last major competition to take place at Winged Foot was back in 2006, with Australian Geoff Ogilvy taking the prize.

 

US Open Winners

Willie Anderson claimed four US Open successes in the space of five years between 1901 and 1905 – though three other players have gone on to emulate that feat.

Of the current crop of golfers, Tiger Woods leads the way with three US Open wins. His last victory at the event came back in 2008 and it would be some achievement if he can get back to the top of the sport at the US Open 2020.

Brooks Koepka could be the one to watch after his back-to-back victories in 2017 and 2018. If the American can perform at his brilliant best, there’s no reason why Koepka won’t be celebrating another US Open victory in the summer.

Betting On The US Open 2020:

As per usual, the golf betting odds on the 2020 US Open are wide open. As one of the most difficult major events of the year, winning the US Open is not straightforward by any means. Here are the latest golf odds ahead of the US Open 2020:

  • Brooks Koepka – 8/1
  • Rory McIlroy – 10/1
  • Dustin Johnson – 10/1
  • Tiger Woods – 14/1
  • Justin Thomas – 20/1
  • Patrick Cantlay – 22/1
  • Justin Rose – 25/1
  • Bar – 25/1

 

2020 US Open With 888sport

Keep an eye on the 888sport blog for the latest golf news, tips and online betting odds ahead of the US Open 2020. We’ve got the US Masters to get past first but the US Open 2020 will be here before we know it.

 

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Carolyn Kaster / AP Photo*

December 31, 2019

By Alex McMahon

Alex McMahon Sport
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Alex is a sports betting tipster, specialising in Premier League football, the Champions League and horse racing.

He loves placing a weekly accumulator on the football at the weekend and dreams of landing the big winner that will take him back to Las Vegas.

As well as writing sports betting tips for 888sport since 2015, Alex has produced content for several international media companies, such as Goal.com and The SPORTBible. 
 

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The only major to take place outside of North America, the Open Championship has a long and illustrious history. It is the oldest golf tournament on the planet, with the first event held at Prestwick Golf Club in 1860.

Nowadays, the location for the British Open changes each year, with various courses in the Open Championship rotation. In 2020, it will be the turn of Royal St George’s to host the prestigious event for the 15th time.

We’ve already looked at two of golf’s four major tournaments but the focus in this piece is on the British Open.

2020 could be a huge year for golf with the Ryder Cup and it is a great time to get involved in the sport. Without further ado, here is everything you need to know ahead of the 2020 Open Championship.

 

When Is The 2020 British Open?

The best players on the planet will travel to Kent for this year’s event, with Thursday 16th July slated in as the opening day of the 2020 British Open. With $10.75 million up for grabs in prize money, winning the Open Championship will be high on the agenda for the best golf players in the business.

As is the case with all of the four majors in golf, there is always a possibility that a playoff may be needed to determine the outright British Open winner. With just one of the last 10 tournaments going to a playoff, history suggests that the 2020 Open Championship could be decided in regulation.

British Open 2020: Location

Royal St George’s has hosted 14 Open Championship tournaments in the past, each with varying levels of success. The 2011 competition tugged on the heartstrings after Darren Clarke’s emotional victory while Greg Norman’s dominant performance in 1993 was one of the golf purists.

The course itself isn’t the most straightforward and that is reflected in most of the winning scorecards. Just one of the previous six winners at Royal St George’s has finished on six-under-par or better and that bodes well for an exciting 2020 British Open.

It will be interesting to see whether the best golf players in the world can handle Royal St George’s – it can be an unforgiving course at the best of times. An interesting fact, the deepest bunker in championship golf is located on the fourth hole of the Kent course.

 

Open Championship Winners

Harry Verdon was the dominant force in the early years of the British Open, notching six wins between 1896 and 1914. To this day, he is the most successful player in Open Championship history.

The great Jack Nicklaus, arguably the best golf player of all-time, won the British Open on three occasions. Tiger Woods, perhaps Nicklaus’ only rival for golf’s greatest title, has also claimed three Open Championship triumphs ahead of 2020.

Americans tend to perform well at the British Open, with players from the United States notching 44 wins in the competition – more than any other nation. Meanwhile, Scottish golf players have a combined 41 victories but the most recent of those was back in 1999.

Betting On The 2020 British Open:

According to the latest golf betting odds, the Open Championship 2020 is wide open. The usual contenders are at the top of the market but that does not correlate directly to success of course – here are the 2020 British Open odds at the time of writing:

  • Rory McIlroy – 9/1
  • Brooks Koepka – 11/1
  • Dustin Johnson – 14/1
  • Jon Rahm – 16/1
  • Tiger Woods – 16/1
  • Justin Rose – 20/1
  • Tommy Fleetwood – 22/1
  • Bar – 25/1

 

2020 Open Championship With 888sport

Keep an eye on the 888sport blog for the latest golf news, tips and online betting odds ahead of the US Open 2020. July will be here before we know it and all eyes will be on Royal St George’s for what promises to be a very exciting British Open tournament.

 

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Jon Super / AP Photo*

December 31, 2019

By Alex McMahon

Alex McMahon Sport
Body

Alex is a sports betting tipster, specialising in Premier League football, the Champions League and horse racing.

He loves placing a weekly accumulator on the football at the weekend and dreams of landing the big winner that will take him back to Las Vegas.

As well as writing sports betting tips for 888sport since 2015, Alex has produced content for several international media companies, such as Goal.com and The SPORTBible. 
 

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Boxing can be a difficult sport to judge at the best of times.

With several weight classes and disciplines in the sport, the sport has evolved in the modern era. Fighters like Canelo Alvarez and Oleksandr Usyk have moved up the weight classes and that can have a major impact on the divisional rankings.

In today’s day and age, boxing aficionados have come up with ‘pound for pound’ rankings to determine which fighters are the best in the business. Here are our top 10 pound-for-pound boxers as we end 2019.

 

Juan Francisco Estrada (40-3-1, 27 KOs)

Estrada is a two-weight world champion and he deserves his spot on this list. He lost to Roman Gonzalez in his first world title bout at light-flyweight level but relished the step up to flyweight, eventually unifying the division.

Since then, the Mexican has gone on to win the WBC belt at super-flyweight and he will be one to follow in 2020. Estrada proved himself as tough as they come against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai back in April, securing victory by unanimous decision.

 

Anthony Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs)

Joshua sneaks onto this list after regaining his world heavyweight titles in the Clash of the Dunes. The British fighter was dominant from start to finish against Andy Ruiz Jr and boxing fans will hope to see Joshua face Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury in 2020.

Now arguably the best heavyweight boxer in the sport, Joshua’s euphoric journey to the top of world boxing has been fantastic to follow. British boxing fans will hope that he can cement his status as a top 10 pound-for-pound superstar.

 

Mikey Garcia (39-1, 30 KOs)

Garcia was undefeated before his bout against fellow boxing star Errol Spence but he failed to cope with the move to welterweight. Even the most ardent Garcia fan would struggle to argue against that but it wouldn’t be a huge shock to see the American bounce back.

With a tough clash against Jessie Vargas approaching in February, Garcia could get back to winning ways at the first time of asking. Garcia failed to win a round on all three judges’ scorecards in the Spence bout and a change in tactics may be adopted.

Mikey Garcia
Photo credit: AP Photo / Eric Gay

Gennady Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 KOs)

Golovkin and Canelo’s rivalry has been well-documented over the years, with their second bout ranking as one of boxing’s greatest rematches. Known all over the world, Golovkin is to boxing what Roger Federer is to tennis.

Often referred to as ‘Triple G’, Golovkin has been linked with a third bout with Canelo. Fans from all over the world will be hoping that boxing could be set for one of the biggest trilogy bouts in the history of the sport – and Golovkin might even settle the score.

 

Oleksandr Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs)

Usyk’s rapid rise up the cruiserweight division led to him unifying the belts inside just 15 professional bouts. The Ukrainian’s fight with fan favourite Tony Bellew put him on the map in British boxing and Usyk could be the next heavyweight superstar.

Although he doesn’t boast tremendous height, Usyk is tactically astute and he will put the best heavyweights in the business under immense strain. Write him off at your peril, we may see Usyk climb these pound-for-pound rankings in the coming months.

 

Errol Spence (26-0, 21 KOs)

Spence has been dominant in the welterweight division since 2017, defeating Kell Brook to claim the IBF title. Spence has since gone on to defeat the great Mikey Garcia before unifying the division against Shawn Porter.

At 29 years old, Spence has the world at his feet and he is still improving. One of the sport’s biggest names, Spence is likely to feature prominently in boxing betting odds ahead of his next fight. Keep up with he latest news and tips ahead of 2020. 

 

Terence Crawford (35-0, 26 KOs)

Another fighter with a spot cemented in the top five – Crawford has won world titles in three different weight classes. However, his greatest achievement of all was becoming the undisputed super-lightweight king. That fight with Julius Indongo will live long in the memory...

You could argue that he has yet to be seriously tested. Crawford has been accused of hand-picking opponents but it would be disrespectful to ignore his accomplishments. If he can unify the welterweight division, he could break into the top two in these rankings.

Naoya Inoue (18-0, 16 KOs)

One of Japan’s sporting heroes, Inoue has cruised through the light-flyweight and super-flyweight divisions and he is building a stronghold in the bantamweight division. Without a doubt, Inoue is one of the most exciting fighters in world boxing.

Inoue has been dominant against good opponents in recent fights, defeating Jamie McDonnell, Juan Carlos Payano and Emmanuel Rodriguez within a combined total of four rounds. His most recent bout went to the judges’ scorecards but he did more than enough to come out on top.

 

Vasyl Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs)

Lomachenko had an incredible 396 victories from 397 fights as an amateur and he has taken to professional boxing like a duck to water. The two-time Olympic gold medallist has already won world titles at three different weight classes – an incredible feat.

He made light work of Anthony Crolla before outclassing Luke Campbell for 12 rounds to notch a one-sided unanimous decision. He is the clear pick as the second best boxer on the planet, with only Canelo above him in our pound-for-pound rankings.

 

Canelo Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs)

You only have to look at Canelo’s impressive list of scalps to understand why the Mexican ranks at the top of our list. Barring that courageous defeat to Floyd Mayweather Jr, Canelo has been almost perfect throughout his 14-year professional career.

Canelo has wins over the likes of Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs, Amir Khan and Miguel Cotto and you won’t find too many boxing fans playing down his achievements. He is our pound-for-pound king and hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for his next fight.

 

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Kevin Hagen / AP Photo*

December 30, 2019

By Alex McMahon

Alex McMahon Sport
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Alex is a sports betting tipster, specialising in Premier League football, the Champions League and horse racing.

He loves placing a weekly accumulator on the football at the weekend and dreams of landing the big winner that will take him back to Las Vegas.

As well as writing sports betting tips for 888sport since 2015, Alex has produced content for several international media companies, such as Goal.com and The SPORTBible. 
 

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The European Championship is the second most prestigious international competition in world football.

Obviously nothing can compete with the World Cup in terms of history and heritage but the Euros is always competitive and the 2020 tournament could go down as one of the greatest in recent memory.

A slight change to the traditional format means that 24 teams will now compete at Euro 2020 instead of the usual 16.

At the time of writing, we have 20 confirmed teams for the finals next summer while eight teams will do battle for the final four spots in a two-legged playoff.

Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the tournament. Whether England emerge victorious or not, Euro 2020 could be an iconic competition for the future of international football.

It isn’t going to be as straightforward for travelling supporters but Euro 2020 has all the makings of a roaring success.

 

Euro 2020: Format

The format for the 2020 European Championship will be exactly the same as it was for Euro 2016. The top two from each group will advance to the last-16, with the four best third-place finishers joining those teams in the next round.

From there, it is a round robin knockout format all the way to the final. The Euro 2020 final will take place on July 12th and Wembley Stadium, one of 12 stadiums hosting the tournament, will be the venue for the competition’s showpiece fixture.

Host Cities At Euro 2020

There are 12 host cities in total, with matches taking place across the continent.

Wembley Stadium in London will host the final and semi-finals, as well as one last-16 game and three group stage matches. The other host cities and stadiums are listed below:

  • Baku, Azerbaijan – Baku Olympic Stadium
  • Munich, Germany – Allianz Arena
  • Rome, Italy – Stadio Olimpico
  • Saint Petersburg, Russia – Saint Petersburg Stadium
  • Budapest, Hungary – Puskas Ferenc Stadion
  • Bucharest, Romania – Arena Nationala
  • Amsterdam, Netherlands – Johan Cruijff Arena
  • Bilbao, Spain – Estadio San Mames
  • Glasgow, Scotland – Hampden Park
  • Dublin, Republic of Ireland – Aviva Stadium
  • Copenhagen, Denmark – Parken

 

Euro 2020: How Are Matches Split?

Host nations that qualified for the competition were automatically put into appropriate groups to ensure three group stage home games. England were entered in Group D and will play all three group matches at Wembley Stadium.

At the time of writing, football betting odds have England as 9/2 favourites to win Euro 2020 – those fixtures at Wembley will certainly help. As previously mentioned, the London venue will also host both semi-finals and the final as well.

Euro 2020: Groups

  • Group A – Italy, Turkey, Wales, Switzerland
  • Group B – Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Russia
  • Group C – Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria, Playoff Winner D
  • Group D – England, Croatia, Czech Republic, Playoff Winner C
  • Group E – Spain, Sweden, Poland, Playoff Winner B
  • Group F – Portugal, France, Germany, Playoff Winner A

 

Euro 2020 Tickets – How To Buy

With around 2.5 million tickets for Euro 2020 going on sale to fans, a ballot application is the fairest way to determine who can purchase tickets for each fixture.

If you are unsuccessful in the ballot, don’t worry just yet. UEFA have introduced a ‘Fans First’ programme to give supporters another opportunity to purchase tickets ahead of next summer’s competition.

It is well worth keeping an eye on the official UEFA Euro 2020 website for the latest ticketing news ahead of the competition. 888sport will also be here with betting news, Euro 2020 tips and odds on the tournament.

 

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Andreea Alexandru / AP Photo*

December 30, 2019

By Alex McMahon

Alex McMahon Sport
Body

Alex is a sports betting tipster, specialising in Premier League football, the Champions League and horse racing.

He loves placing a weekly accumulator on the football at the weekend and dreams of landing the big winner that will take him back to Las Vegas.

As well as writing sports betting tips for 888sport since 2015, Alex has produced content for several international media companies, such as Goal.com and The SPORTBible. 
 

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Wimbledon is the third tennis Grand Slam of the year, and the only one that takes place on grass.

This hasn’t always been the case, but it is the focal point of the ‘grass court season’ now with smaller warm-up events preparing players with the Grand Slam final in the United Kingdom.

Like the clay courts of Roland Garros, Wimbledon provides an opportunity to those players that specialise on grass.

Lesser known entrants can shock a few who aren’t accustomed to the pace of grass court tennis and write their own pieces of history along the way, perhaps joining the lists of famous Wimbledon upsets.

Wimbledon in 2020 is the focus of this piece, starting with the dates and running through to some Wimbledon tips...

When Is Wimbledon 2020?

The 2020 version of Wimbledon begins on Monday 29th June. The event runs for just shy of a fortnight, finishing with the men’s singles final on Sunday 12th July.

Like all Grand Slams, the journey to the tournament proper begins long before the excitement of 29th June with qualification taking place in the weeks before.

The British summertime weather can cause some delays, and this can give the schedulers some headaches.

If matches from the outer courts are moved, or there’s a particularly poor spell of weather, the finals can end up being moved but this is very unlikely.

Wimbledon 2020: Where is it?

Wimbledon is held at the All England Club and has been since 1877, when the first tournament was hosted. Wimbledon is an affluent area of south-west London, and obviously attracts a lot of tourists during the tournament fortnight.

The main court at the All England Club is inventively named Centre Court and had a retractable roof added in 2009. The secondary court, with an equally thrilling name, No1 Court, has recently had a roof added too, which was first used at Wimbledon 2019.

Wimbledon is renowned for its strict all-white dress code and the traditional consumption of strawberries and cream.

Wimbledon 2020: Reigning Champions

The media might be focused on the singles events, but there are more than two people celebrating glory come the end of a Grand Slam fortnight. There were 29 Wimbledon champions in 2019 across 18 different events.

Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer in the 2019 men’s singles finals in what is widely considered one of the greatest matches ever played.

Djokovic has won Wimbledon on five occasions and will be looking to make it three titles in a row in 2020. Wimbledon prize money has played a major part in Djokovic’s $140 million tournament earnings.

Simona Halep lifted the women’s trophy to secure her second career Grand Slam following her French Open triumph in 2018.

The only British success was for Andrew Lapthorne and his Australian partner Dylan Alcott in the wheelchair quad doubles.

Wimbledon 2020: Betting

The latest tennis odds offer prices for the men’s and women’s Wimbledon draws.

After his historic win in 2019, Djokovic leads the way in the men’s market, while Serena Williams is favoured over Halep and Ashleigh Barty in the women’s draw.

Women’s Odds

Serena Williams – 6/1

Ashleigh Barty – 7/1 

Simona Halep – 7/1

Bianca Andrescu – 9/1

Petra Kvitova – 9/1

Karolina Pliskova – 9/1

Naomi Osaka – 12/1

Angelique Kerber – 16/1

Belinda Bencic – 20/1

Johanna Konta – 20/1

Elina Svitolina – 20/1

Men’s Odds

Novak Djokovic – 6/4

Roger Federer – 9/2

Rafael Nadal – 9/2

Daniil Medvedev – 11/1

Stefanos Tsitsipas – 12/1

Andy Murray – 20/1

Wimbledon 2020 With 888sport

Along with the British Grand Prix, FA Cup final and Lord’s Test match, Wimbledon is a huge occasion in the British sporting summer.

The 2020 edition will be no different, and 888sport is the place to find all the news, odds and tips.

888sport.com has tennis markets galore - all the tennis bets you could ever want

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Tim Ireland / AP Photo*

December 30, 2019
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Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.

He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.

Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.

Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.

Sam Cox
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Football boots aren’t just a shoe to play a sport. They are iconic and often as famous as the international athletes that were paid to wear them.

Getting a new pair of boots as a young footballer is an event in itself, and a chance to share the same footwear (not literally) as your heroes. 

We all know the big boot manufacturers from Nike and Adidas through to Puma, Umbro and Under Armour. Whether you’re just learning the best football skills or getting ready to play matches on a Sunday afternoon, footballers spend a lot of time deliberating over which boots to buy.

Here are the most famous football boots ever, starting with a boot worn by some of the greatest to play the game…

Adidas Predator

Released in 1994, the Adidas Predator was not only worn by Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham, it changed the design of boots long-term.

The initial idea was to increase the power and spin that could be generated by the player – the ‘fins’ that were added to do this have become commonplace in modern football boots.

There have been several new versions of the Predator since the days of Rui Costa and Zidane. It is the definitive boot of a generation and has been used by multiple superstars from Kaka through to Patrick Vieira.

Adidas F50

The predecessor to a boot that was far more influential, the Adidas F50’s party trick was the hidden laces.

Although manufacturers soon realised this was pointless and a pretty silly gimmick, it was a fun boot when it first arrived on the scene.

Arjen Robben was probably the biggest star to wear the F50, though some of the best players in the world also laced them up including Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ashley Cole. Cheaper options, the F30 and F10, were available.

Puma King

A true ground-breaker, the Puma King changed – and in a sense created – the football boot industry. It added fuel to the fire that was the Adidas and Puma rivalry and opened the door to football boot sponsorship deals.

The Puma King was the first boot to really address the issue of weight – it was lighter than any competitor – and opened the world’s eyes to coloured boots with its all-white version.

Pele, Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona, Eusebio and Paul Gascoigne all wore the Kings (that would’ve been a good five-a-side team).

More recently, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and France manager Didier Deschamps sported the revolutionary boot. Find odds for Deschamps and Arteta’s teams in 888sport’s football betting.

Nike Total 90

Considered a ‘power boot’ the Nike Total 90 advertising campaign has its own place in football history.

The off-centre lacing was as a first in the world of football boots too, and they had more than a few world-famous figures to endorse their game-changing boot.

Luis Figo was the headliner, but fellow generational talents Roberto Carlos, Wayne Rooney and Patrick Kluivert were Total 90 athletes. The boot has changed in recent years, and its not quite as popular as it was in the mid-2000s.

Adidas Copa Mundial

The Copa Mundial is the highest selling football boot ever. It was first released back in 1979, and is still being sold as we head into the 2020s.

The boot was well ahead of its time back when Franz Beckenbauer was lacing them up – it was far lighter than any other boot on the market.

Beckenbauer wasn’t the only big name to put on the Copa Mundials. French legend Michel Platini and Franco Baresi, arguably the greatest defender in the history of the sport, were also known to wear the boots.

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Gregory Bull / AP Photo*

December 30, 2019
Body

Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.

He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.

Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.

Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.

Sam Cox
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