New to World Cup Betting? Here's How to Get Started in 2026

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How to Bet on the World Cup 2026
A Beginner's Guide to the Biggest Sporting Event on the Planet

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is going to be unlike anything we've seen before. Forty-eight teams. Three host countries. Sixteen cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico. A hundred and four matches crammed into 39 days of football that will consume the entire planet from June 11 to July 19. If you've never bet on a World Cup before, or if you've never bet on anything at all, this is the tournament that's going to pull millions of first-time bettors off the sidelines. The sheer scale of it practically demands it.

I've been covering sports betting on Sports-King for a long time, and the World Cup is always the event that brings in the most new bettors. People who wouldn't normally look twice at a betting site suddenly want some skin in the game when their country is playing on the world stage. I get it. It makes every match feel like it matters more when you've got something riding on it, even if it's just a small amount. So this guide is for you - whether you've never placed a bet in your life or you've bet on other sports and just haven't tackled the World Cup yet. By the time you're done reading this, you'll know how the tournament works, what the main bet types are, who the favourites are, and how to actually get a bet on.

The Basics - What You Need to Know About the 2026 World Cup

This is the first World Cup in history to feature 48 teams, up from 32 at Qatar 2022. That expansion changes everything about how the tournament works, and it's important to understand the format before you start betting on it.

The 48 teams are split into 12 groups of four. Each team plays three group stage matches. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout rounds, along with the eight best third-place finishers. That means 32 of the 48 teams make it out of the group stage, which is a much more forgiving setup than previous World Cups. Once you hit the knockout rounds, it's single elimination all the way to the final. Win or go home.

The draw already happened on December 5, 2025 in Washington, D.C. We know almost all the groups, though there are still six spots being decided through playoffs in March 2026. The three host nations - USA, Canada and Mexico - each play their group stage matches entirely within their own borders, which is a nice logistical touch for fans planning to attend.

Key dates you need to know:

- June 11 - Opening match: Mexico vs South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City
- June 12 - Canada's opener at BMO Field in Toronto. USA's opener at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles
- July 4-5 - Round of 32 begins
- July 11-12 - Quarter-finals
- July 15 - Semi-finals
- July 19 - The Final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey

That's 39 days with only five rest days across the entire tournament. For bettors, that means there's almost always a match to bet on. Some days will have four or five games running simultaneously.

You Need a Betting Account

You can't bet on the World Cup without signing up with a bookmaker or sportsbook. If you don't already have one, Bet365 is one of the biggest and most trusted online betting platforms in the world. They operate in dozens of countries, their football coverage is as deep as you'll find anywhere, and they typically offer an extensive range of World Cup markets - from outright winner all the way down to individual player props for every single match.

Bet365 also offers live streaming and in-play betting, which for a tournament like the World Cup is a big deal. You can watch matches live through the app or website (depending on your region) and place bets while the game is happening. If a team goes a man down in the 30th minute, you can react to that in real time. More on that later.

To get started, visit Bet365, create an account, deposit funds, and you're ready to go. New customers may be eligible for a welcome offer depending on your location - check the Bet365 website for the latest promotions available in your country. The sign-up process takes a few minutes and you'll need to verify your identity, which is standard across all regulated bookmakers.

Who Are the Favourites?

I wanted to get into the odds early because this is usually the first thing people want to know, and honestly, the 2026 market is one of the most interesting I can remember. The expansion to 48 teams means more chaos, more upsets, and more value in the outright markets.

As of early 2026, here's how the top of the outright winner market looks:

Source: Bet365
Time Stamp: February 17th, 2026 12:41 pm EST
Odds Subject to Change

Spain +400 - The betting favourite. Ranked number one in the world, riding a young and absurdly talented squad led by Lamine Yamal, who at 18 already has a European Championship on his resume. Spain won the 2010 World Cup and flopped at the last three tournaments, so the pressure is on to deliver. They're in Group H with Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde, and Denmark/Czech Republic/Ireland/North Macedonia (pending playoff).

England +600 - Perpetually "next year is our year" but genuinely dangerous under Thomas Tuchel. They're in Group L with Ghana and two more opponents to be confirmed. England reached the semi-finals in 2018, the quarter-finals in 2022, and the final of the last two Euros. Whether they can actually win a knockout tournament is the question that haunts English football.

France +700 - Kylian Mbappe. That's the argument. Runners-up in 2022 and winners in 2018, France always show up at World Cups. The depth of their squad is staggering. They're the kind of team that can lose their best midfielder to injury and replace him with someone who would start for almost any other nation on earth.

Brazil +800 - Five-time winners trading on name recognition more than recent form. Their qualifying campaign hasn't been convincing and there are real questions about this squad compared to the Brazils of old. But it's Brazil. You never count them out, and the attacking talent is always there.

Argentina +800 - The defending champions. The big question is whether Lionel Messi plays. He'll be 38 by the time the tournament kicks off. If he does, this could be his farewell, and the romanticism of that narrative alone will attract enormous betting interest. With or without Messi, Argentina have the squad to compete. They've proven they can win without him carrying every attack.

USA +5000 - The hosts, or at least the primary hosts. Home advantage is real at World Cups. South Korea reached the semi-finals in 2002 when they co-hosted. The crowd energy, the travel advantages, the familiar pitches - it all adds up. At +5000 the USA represent a genuine long-shot value play, especially through the group stage and early knockouts where home support matters most.

The full tournament odds are available at Bet365, where you can also find group winner markets, top goalscorer odds, and team-specific props like "stage of elimination."

Bet Types for Beginners - Start Here

This is the section I always spend the most time on because it's where new bettors get overwhelmed and either bet something they don't understand or don't bet at all. World Cup betting doesn't have to be complicated. You can enjoy the entire tournament using just three or four bet types. Learn these and you're covered.

Match Result (1X2) - This is the most basic football bet in the world. You're picking whether the home team wins (1), the match is a draw (X), or the away team wins (2). This applies to group stage matches only, because in the knockout rounds there has to be a winner. Group stage football produces a lot of draws - roughly a third of all World Cup group games end level - so don't overlook that X option. It's where a lot of the value sits.

Outright Winner (Futures) - Pick which team you think wins the whole tournament. You can bet this right now, months before kickoff. The earlier you bet, the bigger the odds tend to be, because there's more uncertainty. The risk is obvious - you're locking in one team across seven matches. But the payouts can be huge, and this is the bet that makes the entire tournament exciting from start to finish. Even a small bet on your country to win the World Cup makes every single match feel like it matters.

Both Teams to Score (BTTS) - A simple yes or no bet on whether both teams will find the net during the match. This is popular for a reason - you don't need to pick a winner. You're just betting on the nature of the game. Matches between attacking nations at a World Cup tend to produce goals from both sides. It's an easy entry point for beginners.

Over/Under Goals - The bookmaker sets a line, usually 2.5 goals, and you bet on whether the total goals scored in the match will be over or under that number. Over 2.5 means three or more goals. Under 2.5 means two or fewer. This is another bet where you don't need to predict the winner, which takes some pressure off. If you think two strong attacking sides are going to produce a thriller, take the over. If you think it's going to be a cagey tactical battle, take the under.

Goalscorer Markets - Bet on which player will score. "Anytime goalscorer" means your player just needs to score at any point during the match. "First goalscorer" pays more but is harder to hit. These are fun bets that give you a personal stake in watching a specific player. There's nothing quite like watching your goalscorer pick lurking near the box in the 88th minute when you need one more goal.

Accumulator / Parlay - Combine multiple bets into one. All selections need to win for the bet to pay out. A four-match acca picking the result of four different group stage games can turn a small stake into a serious payout because the odds multiply together. The risk is that one wrong pick kills the entire bet. They're high risk, high reward, and extremely popular during the World Cup when you've got multiple games in a single day.

Asian Handicap - This is more advanced, but worth understanding. The bookmaker gives one team a hypothetical head start (or deficit) to level the playing field. So if Brazil are -1.5 against a weaker team, Brazil need to win by two or more goals for your bet to win. If you back the underdog at +1.5, they can lose by a single goal and your bet still pays out. Asian handicaps eliminate the draw, which means you're always betting on one of two outcomes. It's a popular market for experienced football bettors and it often offers better value than the standard 1X2.

How to Actually Place a Bet

I'm going to walk through this step by step because this is the part nobody ever explains and it stops a lot of first-time bettors before they even start.

Once you've created your Bet365 account and deposited funds, head to the Football (or Soccer, depending on your region) section. During the World Cup, it'll be the most prominent thing on the site - you won't have to dig for it.

Click into the match you want to bet on. You'll see the available markets - match result, over/under goals, both teams to score, goalscorer markets, and dozens more. Click on the odds next to the selection you want and it'll be added to your bet slip (usually on the right side of the screen, or at the bottom on mobile). Enter your stake - that's how much you want to bet. The bet slip will show you the potential return. Review it, make sure everything looks right, and hit "Place Bet." That's it.

If you want to build an accumulator, just keep clicking on selections from different matches. They'll stack up in your bet slip and the odds will multiply automatically. The potential payout updates in real time as you add legs.

For in-play betting - which is where a lot of the World Cup action happens - just click into a live match. The odds update constantly based on what's happening on the pitch. You can bet on the next goal, the final score, the number of corners, even things like the next throw-in. It's fast and it's addictive, so set your limits before you dive in.

The Groups at a Glance

I'm not going to break down all 48 teams because we'd be here all day. But here's a quick look at the groups that matter most from a betting perspective.

Group D - USA, Colombia, New Zealand, UEFA Playoff - The USA play all three matches on home soil (SoFi Stadium and Seattle). Colombia are a serious team - Jhon Arias, Luis Diaz, that midfield - and will make this a genuine contest. This group is worth watching because of the home crowd factor and its potential to produce upsets.

Group F - Brazil, Germany, Serbia, Intercontinental Playoff - This is the group of death. Two former winners in the same group is brutal. One of Brazil or Germany could genuinely be eliminated before the knockout rounds, which would be a seismic result.

Group L - England, Ghana, two TBD - England should progress but they have a nasty habit of making things harder than they need to be. Ghana will be physical and direct. The unknowns from the remaining playoff spots add an element of uncertainty that could affect group betting markets.

Group H - Spain, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde, UEFA Playoff - Spain should cruise, but remember Saudi Arabia beat Argentina in the 2022 group stage. Never assume anything at a World Cup.

Tips for First-Time World Cup Bettors

Set a budget for the tournament and do not go over it. Thirty-nine days of football is a long time. If you blow your bankroll in the group stage, you'll be watching the knockout rounds with nothing on the line, and that's when the really meaningful matches happen. Pace yourself.

Group stage draws are your friend. Around 30% of World Cup group matches end in a draw. The odds on draws are typically in the +200 to +350 range (roughly 3.00 to 4.50 in decimal), which means they offer consistent value. Two evenly matched sides grinding out a 1-1 in their first group game is one of the most common results in World Cup history.

Don't bet on every match. There are 104 games. You don't need to have action on all of them. Pick the matches you've actually thought about, where you have a genuine opinion. Some of the early group stage games between smaller nations won't have much data to work with - it's fine to skip those and focus on the matches you know something about.

Watch for in-play opportunities. A goalless first half at a World Cup doesn't mean the game will stay goalless. Teams often come out more aggressively after halftime, especially in group games where they need a result. The in-play odds at halftime can offer real value if you've been watching the match and noticed which team has been creating the better chances.

Consider the time zones. With matches spread across three countries and four time zones, kickoff times will vary dramatically. West Coast USA games will kick off late for European viewers. Mexico City games will hit at different times than Toronto games. This matters because some of the live betting markets are sharpest when fewer people are watching.

Why Bet365 for the World Cup

I've used a lot of different bookmakers and sportsbooks over the years, and Bet365 consistently comes out on top for major football tournaments. The depth of their World Cup markets is unmatched - you're not just getting match results and goalscorers, you're getting corner counts, booking points, half-time results, exact score, team props, player props, and tournament specials. They cover everything.

Their in-play betting platform is rapid and responsive, which matters when you're trying to get a bet on while a game is unfolding. The live streaming feature means you can watch and bet in the same place, on your phone or laptop. The cash-out feature lets you lock in a profit or cut your losses before a match finishes, which is genuinely useful when you're sweating a 1-0 lead in injury time.

For a global event like the World Cup, it also helps that Bet365 operates internationally. Wherever you are, chances are they've got a product available for your market. Check the Bet365 website for current promotions and welcome offers specific to your region.

The Short Version

The 2026 World Cup runs June 11 to July 19 across the USA, Canada and Mexico. Forty-eight teams, 104 matches, first expanded World Cup in history. Spain are the favourite, England, France, Brazil and Argentina are right behind them. The format is 12 groups of four with 32 teams advancing to the knockout rounds. Stick to match result, over/under, and BTTS bets until you're comfortable. Set a budget. Don't chase losses across a 39-day tournament. And open a Bet365 account so you're ready when the first whistle blows in Mexico City on June 11.

This is going to be the biggest World Cup in history. Don't just watch it - be part of it.

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