Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo believes England, Brazil and Spain are the favourites to win this summer's World Cup in South Africa.

Pirlo, a winner with Italy in Germany 2006, believes Wayne Rooney and Xavi could make the difference at this summer's tournament, which kicks off on June the 16th.

"I would say that England, Brazil and above all Spain are a cut above the rest as we head into the tournament," the AC Milan midfielder told fifa.com. "I think that Spain's midfielder Xavi and England's Wayne Rooney have what it takes to put their teams in contention."