Of the 22 nations polled in this year’s Pew Global Attitudes survey — completed prior to the kickoff of the famous international soccer tournament — a plurality in 14 countries predicted that five-time champion Brazil would win the 2010 World Cup.This includes all 11 countries surveyed that are not participating in the soccer competition. The only publics who did not expect a Brazil victory chose their own country to leave South Africa victorious. As might be expected, Brazilians were the most confident in their team’s chances; three-quarters predicted their country would be the eventual victors. Self-confidence was also high in Spain, where 58% saw a Spanish victory in this year’s World Cup. A plurality of soccer fans in Argentina (43% saw victory for their country), Germany (36%), Nigeria (35%), France (24%), Mexico (23%), Britain (20% chose England) and the U.S (13%) foresaw a tournament win for their country. Still, Brazil was nearly as popular a pick in France (22%), Britain (18%) and the U.S. (12%) as was the home country. Brazil was also the overwhelming favorite in South Korea (43%) and China (31%). Read More