The Football Index recently revealed details of their plans for the World Cup in terms of the promotions they will run, but perhaps more importantly, the scheduled performance buzz payouts for World Cup matches.

The Football Index announced that for Group Games and the 3^rd place play off match, they will pay out dividends based on a Single Day performance buzz, i.e 4p per share for best player in each category and 2p for the star player.

For the Round of 16 and Quarter Final matches it will be a Double Day payout, 8p per category and 4p for the star player, and the Semi-Finals and Final will be subject to a Treble Day payout, 12p per category and 6p for the star player.

The Index also confirmed that on match days the Media Buzz payout will remain at 5p and on non-match days the Media Buzz payout will also be the usual format of 8p for 1^st place, 5p for 2^nd and 2p for 3^rd.

So, following the announcement and with the World cup now less than 3 months away, traders have been getting their portfolios ready for what promises to be a massive summer on the Football Index.

With so much competition for the coveted media and performance buzz payouts though, who should you have in your portfolio and is there good value still to be had?

Let’s look at the World Cup favourites to consider this…

Argentina

Argentina really struggled to qualify for the World Cup and only scored 19 goals in 18 qualifying matches. They are extremely reliant on Messi and this was emphatically shown the other night when Spain dismantled them 6-1 in a friendly without him. There will almost certainly be a lot of media focus on Messi throughout the tournament, so he is a good bet for media buzz dividends. In addition, given that he is Argentina’s focal point in attack, he should be in the mix for performance buzz too. The down-side with Messi though is that he is almost £10.50 a share now, so you will have to dig deep into your pockets to get many shares in him. Other than that, despite having lots of talented players, it is hard to make a case for anyone else in the Argentina squad.

Belgium

Clearly Belgium have the individual talent to win the World Cup with Hazard and De Bruyne etc, but I am still not convinced by them and it obviously doesn’t bode well that De Bruyne came out and criticised Belgium’s tactics following a 3-3 friendly draw with Mexico in November. Eden Hazard is perhaps the stand out player to have in terms of media and performance buzz, although full-back Thomas Meunier has the potential to sneak the odd PB win so could represent decent value. There is no-one else in the Belgium squad that I would be in any particular hurry to add to my portfolio.

Brazil

There is likely to be significant media interest in Neymar’s recovery from injury and whether he will be fit for the World Cup. Assuming he is fit for the World Cup, similar with Messi, Neymar is almost a sure bet for a media buzz payout during the tournament and given his talent, is sure to be in with a good shout for performance buzz too. Again though, like Messi, if you want him in your portfolio it is going to cost, with Neymar currently trading just above £11.50 a share. I expect that to rise even further the closer we get to the tournament so if you can spare the cash, in my view he is a must have player in your portfolio for the World Cup. I expect Brazil will at least make the quarter finals so that would mean a minimum of 5 matches for Neymar to potentially win PB. Other than the obvious, Gabriel Jesus will probably be the main striker for Brazil and is looking in good form at the moment so shouldn’t be ignored. For cheaper PB options, I would recommend Casemiro and Danny Alves.

France

Similar to Belgium in many ways, France have the individual talent to win the World Cup, but they are perhaps not the best team and I’m not really convinced by them. Deschamps doesn’t seem to know his best eleven and with so much talent at his disposal there are very few players who are guaranteed a start and then last the full 90 minutes which hampers PB opportunity. The media focus will no doubt be on Griezmann and Pogba and as Griezmann was the top goal scorer in Euro 2016, this perhaps makes him perhaps the best French player to have in your portfolio. Mbappe is of course worth considering too, if you are looking for a slightly cheaper option.

Germany

One of the favourites for the World Cup and Timo Werner might just be the breakout star for Germany. Werner excelled in a recent friendly against Spain and looks certain to be Germany’s number 9 for the tournament, something they lacked in their run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016. If you haven’t got him in your portfolio yet, then perhaps do it sooner rather than later as he has already crept up above £4 a share in recent weeks. Aside from Werner, Toni Kroos should be in the mix for PB everytime he plays and Joshua Kimmich and Ilkay Gundogan are another couple of decent options for PB in my view.

Portugal

I don’t see them repeating their heroics of the Euro 2016 but any team with Ronaldo in it should be respected. Ronaldo will obviously be key to their hopes and naturally there will be a lot of media attention on him so, like with Messi and Neymar, is likely to be a good MB option if nothing else. Andre Silva could be a good option to have for PB and had an excellent record in qualifying scoring 9 times. Another potential PB player for Portugal is Bernardo Silva who is starting to make an impact for Man City on a regular basis.

Spain

I expect them to go far in the tournament so picking up a few of their players may pay off. There is a question mark over who will start upfront for Spain, but I would imagine Diego Costa will get the nod so is worth considering. Isco seems to have hit some goal scoring form and with a potential summer move away from Madrid, is someone perhaps worth holding on to after the World Cup ends. Koke of Atletico Madrid should feature a lot for Spain and at just under £2 a share, could also prove to be great value. In addition, Marco Ascensio of Madrid is a very talented young player and is another player to keep an eye on.

And last but not least…

England

They almost certainly won’t win it, but nonetheless there should be plenty of media focus around England during the tournament and I suspect a lot of that will focused on England’s attackers, with Kane being the obvious one, assuming he is fit. Kane is probably a decent player to have but he is quite expensive at around £9.50 a share. If you are looking for cheaper options then Rashford, Sterling or Vardy may be good alternatives. Sterling has looked good for England in the last couple of friendlies so could be a key player in the summer. At the back, England have a fairly good defensive record under Southgate and as they are likely to play with a back three then Stones, Trippier and Walker could be a worth having as a PB option.