The World Cup 2014 is only a few days away now so the question is simple - who could realistically win the whole tournament and prevail as world champions? Here is the 5 teams that could win the World Cup 2014:

Spain

This would be everyone’s most likely pick and why not? Spain have won every major international tournament since 2008 (if you don’t count the Confederations Cup) and have a squad just beaming with world class talent and experience. With that said, it’s fair to say that despite still being a great team, the current side is considerably weaker than in previous years. Inspirational Carles Puyol isn’t there anymore while the likes of Xavi, Xabi Alonso and David Villa are ageing. Gerard Pique has been regressing for a while and with Diego Costa still not 100%, there are a few doubts in this Spanish side. Their odds of 7.50 @ bet365 are still worth a punt though as it’s easy to forget that many thought La Furia Roja wouldn’t retain their European crown in 2012 and proved everyone wrong.

Argentina

Argentina are always considered one of the favourites in a tournament by default - their attacking talent is unparalleled in world football. Led by the likes of Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Angel di Maria, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Sergio Aguero and more, there really should be no excuses for La Albiceleste to not go far in a tournament. However, that has been the case as while Argentina’s attack is outstanding, their defense over the years haven’t been so as the South American side have underachieved in the last two World Cups, failing in the quarterfinal stages. This year could be different however - with Pablo Zabaleta and Ezequiel Garay, their defense has shored up while Messi, Aguero and company just keep improving every year, itching to put Argentina back on the map as the best nation in the world. And with odds of 5.50 @ bet365, it only highlights how good Argentina’s chances are.

Germany

The Germans are always in with a shot - the last three World Cups have resulted in 2nd, 3rd and 3rd place finishes respectively for Die Mannschaft. But Jogi Low’s men will want to go all the way this year and get rid of their ‘chokers’ tag as they do have the squad for it, they’ve always had the squad to go all the way. It’s remarkable but the fact is Germany’s squad has been improving consistently ever since 2006 and this year is no different with likes of Mesut Ozil, Marco Reus, Mario Gotze, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm, Lukas Podolski, Andre Schurrle and more, only Spain can really match the Germans when it comes to squad strength. However, the mentality of the Germany is to be considered especially when it comes to the final hurdles of a tournament. It’ll be interesting to see how they do and their odds of 7.00 @ bet365 certainly show that they can indeed win a World Cup.

Brazil

This really should be a no-brainer - like Argentina, the Brazilians have underperformed in the last two World Cups with consecutive quarterfinal finishes but you just can’t count them out. With a fresh, young and talented team this year as well as the coveted home advantage, it’s no surprise that the Seleção’s odds of winning the tournament are at 3.75 @ bet365 - making them favourites. Led by their talisman, Neymar who helped his side crush Spain in a stunning 3-0 victory in the Confederations Cup final last year in Brazil as well as World Cup winning coach, Felipe Scolari, the Brazilian fans are right to have high hopes. It’s not only Neymar though - the likes of Hulk, Oscar, Paulinho and more can bring happiness to a nation itching to see a first World Cup since 2002. They probably won’t have to wait that much longer.

Italy

Ever since the debacle of the 2010 World Cup, Cesare Prandelli’s Italy side are just improving and improving. Reaching the Euro 2012 final only to lose to Spain was disappointing but a testament to how far this side has come from their group stage exit in 2010. Blessed with great defensive talent, the Azzurri can now boast of their midfield and attack - the latter including the likes of Mario Balotelli, Ciro Immobile, Alessio Cerci, Antonio Cassano and Lorenzo Insigne. They’re in a tough group however; faced with the likes of Uruguay and England, there’s no guarantee that the Italians can even make it out of their group but if they were to top the group which is a possibility, then there’s no mentioning how far they can go even with odds of 26.00 @ bet365.