Unlike many US-based sports and leagues, the draw is reasonably common in soccer. In fact, at the 2022 World Cup, 16 of the 48 group stage games ended level. For bettors more familiar with American sports, this can be easy to overlook. But the draw is a legitimate betting market and one that often offers great value. This is particularly true in evenly matched group games where neither side is a clear favorite. Keeping the draw in mind when placing your bets could make a real difference.
How To Bet On The 2026 World Cup: Beginner’s Guide
One of the most prestigious events in global sports, the soccer World Cup, is fast approaching! In our World Cup betting guide 2026, we’re going to show you how to bet on World Cup action, how to understand betting odds, and all you need to know to get started.
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How to bet on the World Cup
Before we delve into our 2026 World Cup betting tips and strategies, we’re first going to take you through the steps to start betting on the tournament. While the specific process might vary slightly depending on who you're betting with, you can expect the steps below to apply at most sportsbooks.
1
Choose a sportsbook
First up, choose a sportsbook. There are a variety of factors to consider when choosing a betting site. Since you want to bet on the World Cup, it’s important your sportsbook of choice covers the tournament extensively and offers competitive odds.
The best online sportsbooks provide a variety of markets on a range of sports and events. In addition, think about the types of payment methods available, customer support options and usability of each site. All of these factors affect your overall betting experience.
It’s also a good idea to create accounts with different sportsbooks. By doing so, you can compare odds easily as well as take advantage of various offers and promotions.
Before signing up, make sure sports betting is legal in your State. Regulations vary, so check our US legal gambling guide for details.
2
Create an account
Once you’ve chosen your sportsbook, you can then create your betting account. The exact process will differ depending on the site, but it usually takes just a couple of minutes. Head to the sportsbook, click on Registration or Sign Up and complete the registration form.
You will also need to complete a verification, or Know Your Customer, process. This must be completed before you can place bets and make a withdrawal from your account. You could be asked to provide proof of any or all of the following:
- Full name
- Residential address
- Date of birth
- Last four digits of your Social Security number
3
Deposit funds
Now you’ve created your sportsbook account, you can make your first deposit. There are a couple of important points to remember. Firstly, and most importantly, only deposit an amount you can comfortably afford to lose.
It can be incredibly easy when betting online to deposit more than you initially planned to. Always have a set amount you’re willing to deposit and bet with.
Secondly, take a look at the terms and conditions of any welcome bonus you might look to take. We’ll cover this topic in more detail later, but we’ll point out here that many welcome bonuses or new customer offers come with payment method and minimum deposit amount restrictions.
The best sportsbooks tend to offer a variety of payment options for their users. The most popular methods include:
- Debit card
- Online wallet
- Online bank transfer
- E-check
To find out more about banking options, check our detailed guide to payment methods.
4
Find World Cup markets
Once you’ve completed the above steps, you’re ready to start betting on the World Cup 2026! Head to the Sports tab and click on Soccer. From here, you’ll find a list of domestic and international leagues and competitions available to bet on.
Scroll to find the World Cup tab. Click on this tab to open up all of your World Cup betting options, including Outright and Futures betting as well as individual games.
5
Choose your bet
Now choose your bet. The best sportsbooks offer an array of odds and markets for both individual matches and outright betting.
Tournament bets include Outright Winner, Top Goalscorer and Group Winner. Odds on these markets are available in the run up to the World Cup and throughout the competition. As such, prices can fluctuate dramatically depending on factors such as previous results, importance of fixture and player selection.
Similarly, odds on individual matches can also fluctuate. For example, odds on Mexico vs South Africa, the first World Cup 2026 game to be played, are already available at many US sportsbooks. As the fixture approaches, we can expect the odds to change. Factors that can lead to odds fluctuation include final squad selection and player injury.
To give yourself the best chance of betting successfully on this year’s World Cup, make sure to follow the latest news and information coming out of squad camps, as well as analyzing game stats and results.
6
Place your bet
Once you’ve found a bet you’re happy with, click on the odds. This will automatically add your selection to your betting slip. Typically, your betting slip is found on the right hand side of the page and activates when you add a selection.
Next, choose your bet type. For just one selection, the Single bet will be your option. For more than one selection, other bet types such as Double, Treble and Parlay bets become available.
Enter your stake in the box provided and confirm the wager. Boom! You’ve just placed your first bet on the World Cup!
Understanding World Cup Odds
Understanding odds is vital when you’re looking to learn how to bet on World Cup games. In this section, we’re going to look at the types of odds you’ll find at US sportsbooks and exactly what they represent.
Types of odds
Odds are presented in different formats, generally depending on where in the world you reside. For US bettors, most sportsbooks display their prices using American odds.
You’ll see that American odds either have a + or a – sign in front. The Plus sign indicates the outsider, with the Minus sign representing the favorite.
Let’s look at an example. Australia are playing Turkey in their first World Cup 2026 game. The odds look like this:
| Australia | Draw | Turkey |
| +285 | +225 | -115 |
As you can see, Turkey’s odds feature the Minus sign, which indicates the sportsbook believes they are favorites to win the game. Australia, with the Plus sign, are considered outsiders. The draw also features the Plus sign, but the odds of +225 indicates the operator believes a draw is more likely than the Australia win.
Decimal odds are often regarded as the easiest way to understand prices. Commonly used in Europe, Decimal odds show your total return if you placed a $1 stake. So, using our same example, Decimal odds would look like this:
| Australia | Draw | Turkey |
| 3.85 | 3.25 | 1.87 |
Fractional odds are most common in the UK. This odds format can sometimes be difficult to understand and to calculate your potential winnings. For instance, odds of 9/5 at first glance can seem quite confusing.
At its most basic level, the figure on the left represents your potential profit and the figure on the right of the fraction represents your stake. So, odds of 10/1 means you’ll receive $10 profit on a $1 stake.
To compare Fractional odds to American and Decimal, look at how the odds on the Australia vs Turkey game are represented.
| Australia | Draw | Turkey |
| 2.85/1 | 2.25/1 | 0.87/1 |
Visit our odds calculator page for a more detailed guide to understanding odds and calculating your potential return.
How odds work
Odds represent the probability of an event happening. As we’ve seen in the section above, there are different formats which a bettor can choose to read odds in.
If we return to our Australia vs Turkey example from earlier, it’s clear to see that the bookmaker considers Turkey to be the favorite to win the game. So, if we placed $10 on Turkey to win, our return would be $18.70, making $8.70 profit.
A successful bet on the draw would return $32.50, for $22.50 profit and a bet on Australia to win would give us a return of $38.50, for a profit of $28.50.
Visit our dedicated page for more options of online gambling tools. As you become more experienced in your betting, you might consider hedge betting. Take a look at our hedge betting calculator page before you do.
Most popular World Cup bet types
As the World Cup is one of the most popular sports competitions to bet on, most sportsbooks offer a huge range of betting markets. For soccer betting for beginners, it’s best to start with the simplest markets.
1. Match result (1X2)
The Match result market is the easiest, and most common, way to bet on a soccer match. With this bet, you’re simply betting on the result of the game – home win, away win or draw.
Let’s look at an example. USA’s first World Cup fixture at this year’s tournament is against Paraguay. When you log into your betting account and click on this fixture, Match Result odds will typically be at the top of the page. They’ll look something like this:
| USA | Draw | Paraguay |
| -120 | +250 | +280 |
If you think the USA will win the game, click on the odds stated (in this case, -120). If you’re predicting a Paraguay victory, you’d click on +280. If you think the game will end in a draw, you’d click +250, or whatever odds the sportsbook is offering.
Note that the Match Result market can sometimes be titled Full Time Result or Moneyline, depending on which sportsbook you’re betting with. They all mean the same thing, you’re betting on which team will win the game or the draw.
2. Over/under goals
The Over/Under Goals market, also called Total Goals, has become one of the most popular ways to bet on soccer matches.
This market can often provide more value than a standard Match Result bet. With an Over/Under wager, you’re betting on how many goals will be scored in a particular game, over or under a stated number. The actual result of the game doesn’t matter for this market, just the number of goals scored.
The standard Goals figure is 2.5 goals. If you choose this option, you’re betting on if the total number of goals scored in the fixture is over or under 2.5 goals.
So, Canada is playing Bosnia and Herzegovina in their first Group game of World Cup 2026. If we believe the game will be a tight affair, with very few goals scored, we might bet on Under 2.5 goals.
If the game finishes 1-1, there have been two goals scored in the game and so we’d win our bet. If the game finishes 2-1 to either side, therefore three goals scored in the game, we’d lose our bet.
Or, if we think both sides possess a great attacking threat, and therefore expecting a number of goals to be scored, we could bet on Over 2.5 goals. If the game finishes 2-1, so three goals scored, we’d win our wager. If it finishes 0-0, 1-0 or 1-1, we’d lose our bet as there hasn’t been over 2.5 goals scored.
While 2.5 is the standard figure, most sportsbooks offer a variety of goal options ranging from 0.5 goals up to 6.5 goals or higher.
Now, there’s no such thing as half a goal in soccer. The reason why betting sites use .5 is to eliminate the possibility of a push bet.
For instance, if the line was set at 4 and we placed a bet of Under 4 goals, our wager would be classed as a push bet if the game finished 2-2 or 3-1 to either side. By adding the .5, bookmakers are ensuring that every bet either wins or loses.
3. Both teams to score (BTTS)
Calling the winner of a World Cup match, particularly during the latter stages of the tournament, can be a difficult task. Many soccer bettors prefer to bet on markets that don’t depend on the final result. Both Teams To Score is one of those markets and is one of the easiest markets to understand.
With a Both Teams To Score bet, you’re betting on if both sides in a particular fixture will score a goal Yes or No. If you choose a BTTS Yes bet, both teams must score at least one goal in the game. If you choose a BTTS No bet, at least one team must fail to score for your bet to be successful.
Let’s look at another example. Brazil are playing Morocco in World Cup Group C. We think both teams will score at least one goal in the game and so we choose a BTTS Yes bet. The game finishes 2-2, therefore we win our bet.
However, if the game finishes 3-0 to Morocco, we’d lose our bet as only one team has scored a goal.
4. Outright winner (futures)
One of the benefits of betting on soccer is the variety of Outright, or Futures, betting options most websites provide. The best sportsbooks offer Outright markets such as Group Winner, Top Goalscorer and To Reach Final.
Some operators offer even greater depth in Outright betting options. You can find Futures markets like Stage of Elimination, Winning Continent and Eliminated by Penalty Shootout markets at the best World Cup sportsbooks.
The most popular Outright market, though, is the Outright Winner market. With this bet, you’re simply betting on which nation you think will win the World Cup. Outright Winner odds are available in the lead up to the tournament and throughout, with odds changing as teams are eliminated.
5. Group betting
Another aspect that points to the depth of World Cup betting markets is Group betting. There are a variety of Group betting markets available which can often provide greater betting value than other bets.
The most common Group betting markets include Group Qualification Yes/No, where you’re betting on if a particular side will qualify from their Group; Group Winner, where bettors can place wagers on the sides they think will win their specific Group; and Group Forecast, where you can bet on which two sides will finish in first and second place in their World Cup Group.
6. Player props
Along with betting on individual teams, bettors can also place wagers on Player bets. For each game, you’ll find an array of player prop bets.
Let’s take Belgium vs Egypt in World Cup Group G, for example. Many sportsbooks offer markets such as Kevin De Bruyne to score or Kevin De Bruyne to assist, as well as total passes, key passes and shots taken.
The most common Player prop bet, though, is the Top Goalscorer bet. This is an Outright betting market, where you’re betting on which player will score the most goals throughout the tournament.
7. Live betting (in-play)
The popularity of live betting has exploded in recent years. Also called betting in-play, this betting option allows you to place your bets as the game is being played.
One of the reasons why live betting has become popular is that it can sometimes offer more value than standard pre-match betting.
For example, England are playing Croatia in their first Group L game. The pre-match odds on England to win are around -163 with most sportsbooks. These odds don’t present much value. However, if Croatia were to go 1-0 up in the game, the odds on the England win would increase.
It’s important you follow the action closely when you’re looking to place a live bet on a particular World Cup match. You’ll notice that odds can fluctuate dramatically, depending on the events of the game.
For instance, if a player gets sent off, the odds on the opposition team to win will increase. If a team is creating numerous chances and posing a serious attacking threat, the odds on them to score the next goal will decrease.
How World Cup Betting Works
An important point to remember when you’re learning how to bet on World Cup 2026 action is that this tournament works differently to many others you might be used to, including other soccer leagues and competitions.
The World Cup is split into two main stages, the Group Stage and the Knockout Stage. A different approach and thought process is required to successfully bet on both Stages.
Group stage betting
This year’s edition is the first to consist of 48 teams, which is the highest number of participants in World Cup history. Teams have been split into 12 Groups of 4 teams. Within each Group, there’s generally a favorite to win it and a favorite to finish bottom.
Unlike previous World Cups, where only the top two teams in each group advanced, 2026 introduces a new Round of 32. As well as the top two finishers from each group, the eight best third-placed teams across all 12 groups will also progress to the knockout stage. This makes group betting markets like Group Qualification Yes/No more nuanced than before — finishing third doesn’t necessarily mean going home.
While each Group, generally speaking at least, has a clear favorite to win it, anything can happen in the World Cup! Due to its unpredictability, many bettors choose to focus on Totals or Over/Under markets, rather than Match Result bets.
It’s also important to remember that the draw is a possible result in Group games with each side earning a point. This is especially important to know if you’re looking to bet on which teams will finish in which position.
Knockout stage betting
While the World Cup is one of the most thrilling sports competitions to bet on generally, it’s in the Knockout Stage where the excitement is really ramped up.
The Knockout Stage features one-off games – the team that wins progresses to the next round, the team that loses goes home. If the 90 minutes ends in a draw, 30 minutes of Extra Time follows. If the scores are still level, the tie is decided by penalty shootout.
Additional markets are available during the Knockout Stage, with markets such as To Win In Extra Time and To Win On Penalties available at many sportsbooks. As the Knockout Stage tends to feature the best teams, match odds can be pretty tight between the two.
Why odds change
There are a variety of reasons why betting odds can change. A major reason is betting volume. If a particular market or outcome has received numerous bets placed on it, the sportsbook is likely to reduce the odds. Similarly, if a market has seemingly been left alone, the sportsbook is likely to increase the odds.
There are other factors, too. Player injuries and team form are key aspects sportsbooks look out for. Is England’s star striker out of the game? The odds on the England win will likely increase.
Have Brazil just scraped through the Group Stage? The odds on Brazil to win will also likely increase. This is why doing your research is vital, you can assess a team’s chances of success and find where the betting value lies.
World Cup betting strategies for beginners
To continue our World Cup betting guide 2026, let’s consider some tips and strategies for soccer betting for beginners.
1
Start with simple bets
When you first start betting on World Cup action, it can be easy to be overwhelmed by the vast range of betting options sportsbooks provide.
Keep it simple. Focus on Match Result or Totals markets, these are the easiest to understand while still providing value.
2
Understand team form
Research is key to successful betting. One aspect to research and understand is team form. Look at recent results, consider how many games a team has won in recent fixtures, how many goals they’ve scored and how many they’ve conceded.
In addition, look at the matchday squad. Is a team struggling with injuries? Are players struggling for form? These can be key indicators to how a match might play out.
3
Avoid emotional betting
When you start betting, try and remove any emotional attachment you might have to a specific team or player. It’s important you’re objective in your betting. For example, if you’re a USA fan, look at the game purely objectively and don’t let your heart rule your head. Personally, I never bet on the club or country I support for this reason.
4
Watch line movement
If you follow the odds, you’ll notice they can fluctuate. This movement can offer clues about how the market is leaning. For example, if the odds on a team shorten (drop), it typically means they’re considered more likely to win or that there’s strong betting support behind them.
That said, line movement shouldn’t replace your own research. Some bettors prefer to wait for better value, placing their bets when the odds drift higher instead of jumping in early.
5
Shop for the best odds
If you sign up to more than one sportsbook, you’ll notice that often each operator offers different odds. Always look out for the best odds available.
While a slight difference in odds might not seem like an issue for a one-off bet, consistently taking shorter odds can cost you a lot in potential profit over the long-term.
For more strategies and tips, check out our guide on how to bet on sports.
Essential World Cup Betting Tips
Don’t ignore the draw
Choose your games wisely
It can be easy to bet on a ton of different matches. Instead of doing this, concentrate on just one or two at a time and conduct your research thoroughly. This will also help you stretch your bankroll to last throughout the tournament.
Understand the odds
We’ve covered this in more detail in our World Cup odds explained section but it’s worth noting here, too. It’s vital you understand the odds presented to help you assess if they provide value, or otherwise.
Think about Single bets
Parlay, or accumulator, bets can dramatically enhance odds and therefore your potential winnings. However, betting on Multiples also increases your risk of losing your bet completely. When you first start betting on the World Cup 2026, stick to Single bets – one result or one outcome is much easier to predict correctly than numerous selections tied up in one bet.
Always do your research
We cannot stress this point enough. Research everything that can have an impact on the events of a particular game. Think about player selection, form, injury and head-to-head records. By doing so, you’re giving yourself the best chance of spotting a winning bet as well as finding value.
Bankroll Management Tips
Another important factor in successful World Cup betting is to keep a tight rein on your bankroll. Only ever deposit and stake funds you can comfortably afford to lose.
Set a budget before you start betting. It’s a good idea to keep a record of all of your deposits, stakes, wins, losses and withdrawals so you can easily view your overall spend.
Many bettors use the Flat Betting strategy, which is certainly worth considering in soccer betting for beginners. This is where you stake the same amount on every bet you place, no matter what the odds are.
Follow the golden rule – never chase losses! Many bettors get tempted to place further bets in an attempt to recoup lost funds. Don’t do this! If you do so, you’re running the extremely high risk of losing even more of your bankroll.
World Cup betting bonuses and promotions
Most sportsbooks offer welcome bonuses and existing user offers. Specific offers will vary, depending on who you’re betting with. You can, though, expect to find World Cup promotions such as deposit matches, profit boosts and bonus bets with many operators.
To learn more about World Cup promotions and other sport bonuses, visit our sports betting promotions page.
Is betting on the World Cup legal?
It is legal to bet on the World Cup 2026 in many US States. The specific rules and regulations, including age restrictions, vary State by State. To start betting on the World Cup, make sure you only sign up to fully licensed sportsbooks which are regulated by your State’s regulatory body.
Final tips for betting on the 2026 World Cup
To end our guide, let’s go through some key World Cup betting tips for you to consider. Firstly, gambling should be a fun hobby you can comfortably afford to partake in.
It’s vital you bet responsibly and keep a tight rein on your bankroll. Visit our dedicated page for more information on responsible gambling.
Another important tip for soccer betting beginners is to start with small stakes. Learn how the tournament works and follow the action to help you spot value bets.
Talking of value, this is the key to successful betting. It isn’t just about picking the winning team; there can be plenty of value to be found in other markets that don’t depend on the full-time score.
