Days before the start of the world’s biggest sporting tournament, Entain’s report revealed that Brazil’s fans are the most patriotic, with 50% of bettors in the country backing the national team to win the trophy.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal was next, as 41% of gamblers placed money on the team to win the World Cup, with Canadian fans coming in third with 30% ­– backing their national team, which hasn’t been to the World Cup finals in 36 years.

Elsewhere, England – third favourites for the tournament – were backed by 18% of UK bettors. Meanwhile, Argentina and Brazil tied at 15% amongst the gambling population in the UK – although Wales was backed by just 2%.

Furthermore, Spain’s gamblers appeared to be realists, with only 9% of the country’s gamblers believing that the nation would win.

Commenting on the report, Chief Commercial Officer at Entain Dominic Grounsell, said: “With just days to go until the World Cup kicks off, it’s great to see the passion and emotion that football generates around the globe.

“Our geographic scale and bench-strength of brands, combined with our industry-leading technology, gives us a unique view and ability to provide our customers around the world with exciting experiences, innovative content and a whole host of new products aimed at bringing the tournament even more to life. We’re looking forward to the excitement that a World Cup brings for our customers.”