{"id":33599,"date":"2023-12-06T16:36:21","date_gmt":"2023-12-06T16:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bettingsites.co.uk\/?page_id=33599"},"modified":"2024-04-25T13:46:40","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T13:46:40","slug":"how-to-bet-on-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bettingsites.co.uk\/how-to-bet-on-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Bet on World Cup 2026 – FIFA World Cup Betting Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is how to bet on World Cup matches and markets in the UK in five easy steps:<\/p>\n

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  1. Open a betting account – First you must take a decision as to where to bet on the World Cup. Take a look at our recommended betting sites and choose one of them. Click to register and enter your details.<\/li>\n
  2. Make a deposit – With a betting account open, you\u2019ll need to place some money before you can place your first wager. Go to the Banking section, select a deposit method, how much money you want to put into your account and confirm the transaction.<\/li>\n
  3. Find World Cup betting<\/a> markets – Go to the soccer betting section of the bookmaker\u2019s website and find the World Cup sub-section. This will display all the World Cup markets that are available.<\/li>\n
  4. Add to bet slip – Once you have found a bet that interests you, click on the odds to add it to your bet slip.<\/li>\n
  5. Place your bet – With the World Cup wager on the bet slip, all that is left to do is to select your stake. Double check that all the information that you have entered is correct and place your bet.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How to Bet on World Cup Winner Outright<\/h2>\n

    \"Paddy<\/p>\n

    No matter how long away the tournament is, you will be able to bet on which team will win the next World Cup. Whether it is wise to do so is another matter. The team that are rated as the World Cup favourites by football betting sites<\/a>, will be based on a number of factors.<\/p>\n

    Chances are, it will be one of the traditional big football nations. They will likely have a crop of players that are likely to be very competitive in the tournament when it next comes around. The identity of the host nation can also be a factor.<\/p>\n

    Yet the World Cup winner odds are always likely to see a major shift when the draw for the tournament is made. At that stage, punters are able to analyse which teams have an easier path to the final and which ones have a tricky route.<\/p>\n

    So, unless you see a team with particularly healthy odds, we would advise caution when it comes to betting on a World Cup winner before the draw is made. Taking a punt each way<\/a> is a smart option, as it means that you will get paid half the odds in one portion of the bet, if your teams reaches the final.<\/p>\n

    Betting on World Cup Qualifiers<\/h2>\n

    You don\u2019t have to wait until the tournament starts to make money from betting on the World Cup either. Before the action begins in earnest, there are qualifiers around to globe to decide which teams make the cut.<\/p>\n

    This gives you the option of having a bet on World Cup qualifiers. In many parts of the world, such as Africa, Asia and South America, the qualifiers start almost three years before the actual tournament finals takes place, so you have a long time to profit from this type of betting. The South American qualification process is particularly interesting, as all ten teams on that continent face each other in one big group.<\/p>\n

    Europe and other parts of the world tend to see their teams split into smaller groups. This means that in South America, you get to bet on encounters between Argentina and Brazil, who are generally leading contenders to win the World Cup. Other major nations such as Uruguay and Colombia are involved, so you get a real sense of how they might fare should they reach the tournament.<\/p>\n

    North & Central American Nations Host Next Finals<\/h3>\n

    CONACAF will be a qualifying region to watch for the 2026 World Cup, as three of the biggest nations – Canada, Mexico and the United States of America – from that area, automatically qualify as hosts. There will be two rounds of knockout games to determine who makes the third round group stage. The winners of the groups qualify for the World Cup, while two of the runners-up will feature in the inter-confederation play-offs.<\/p>\n

    These play-offs will see nations from every confederation bar Europe compete. In total there will be six teams, with two places at the World Cup up for grabs. With numerous matches being played over the coming years, along with a range of betting markets based around who will qualify and win the individual groups, the qualifiers provide lots of opportunities.<\/p>\n

    How to Bet on World Cup Games at the Finals<\/h2>\n

    The 2026 World Cup will see a change in the format of the competition. FIFA have decided to move away from the 32-nation tournament of recent years and expand to 48 teams.<\/p>\n

    These nations will be split into twelve groups of four. The top two from each group go through to the knockout stages automatically and will be joined by the eight third-placed teams with the best records. In theory, this change could see less \u2018dead rubber\u2019 final group games, as there should always be at least one team in the final matches in with a chance of a third-placed finish.<\/p>\n

    In total there will be 104 individual matches, up from 80. This includes an extra knockout stage, with a Round of 32 now preceding the Round of 16.<\/p>\n

    With the possibility of more meaningful group games and an increased number of matches in the knockout rounds featuring extra time and penalty shootouts, the 2026 tournament could be the best ever for bets on games.<\/p>\n

    Betting on the World Cup Group Stage at the Finals<\/h3>\n

    The group stage provide scope for outright wagers, as well as match betting. You can bet on which team will win each group, or name the top two finishers.<\/p>\n

    With third-placed teams having a chance to progress, the To Qualify market could be one of the most popular betting opportunities. Having a bet on World Cup groups can be profitable, at a stage of the tournament where results are perhaps more predictable.<\/p>\n

    Betting on the World Cup Final Itself<\/h3>\n

    After the groups get you warmed up, it\u2019s the main event of the knockout stages leading up to the World Cup final. The main difference at this juncture is that additional time and penalties come into the equation.<\/p>\n

    When you bet on football matches<\/a> in knockout stages there are essentially two main result-based markets to consider. The first is the match result, which just concerns the regular 90 minutes and injury time, which can of course end in a draw.<\/p>\n

    If you want to bet on the ultimate result, which could involve extra time and penalty kicks, then you\u2019ll need to bet on the To Qualify market. Alternatively, there’s the outright World Cup winner if you place a bet on the World Cup final.<\/p>\n

    Popular Markets at the World Cup<\/h2>\n

    Here are some of the most popular sports betting markets that you can bet on during the World Cup.<\/p>\n

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