The Best FIFA World Cup Betting Sites for Qatar 2022

How to Choose a Bookie for the World Cup

Licensing

Before you even begin considering your options for World Cup betting sites, a quick and easy way to narrow down the choices available to you is to steer clear of unlicensed bookies. If a sportsbook doesn’t hold a valid license to operate, it isn’t worth a punt. Having a license means that a gambling operator is required to adhere to the rules of a governing body, such as the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). This simply means you can expect to be treated fairly, including industry-standard encryption technology to ensure secure transactions and receive fast betting payouts following withdrawals. Fortunately, you won’t come across any rogue betting sites here at Compare.bet – all online bookies on our site are fully licensed.

The Best Odds

Of course, we all want to win big on the World Cup – it’s a special opportunity that only comes by every four years. So while it’s here, you might as well get the best prices available for Qatar 2022 – and it appears that many of you agree, with 36% of respondents participating in a YouGov survey stating that better odds is an important factor when choosing the best betting site.

The odds on matchday usually don’t vary a great deal as bookies price competitively, but any slight increase in potential winnings can add up over the course of the tournament. When it comes to odds, it’s a no-brainer – the best price is your best option. Our top World Cup betting tip is to keep an eye on the outright markets prior to the tournament – you’re likely to find some price variation here and could potentially find some great value!

Welcome Bonuses

Each time the World Cup comes around, it brings a huge influx of new bettors to the bookies. Thousands of first-time punters will flock to the web to find the best destination for World Cup betting, which presents an excellent opportunity for bookies to land some new customers.

To sweeten the deal, bookies offer enticing welcome bonuses for new punters, including free bets, huge matched deposits, no deposit bonuses and risk-free bets. You can even expect to find a number of World Cup exclusive bonus offers! These new customer bonuses are understandably a huge part of the decision-making process for punters seeking a new home for their bets – they can get you off to a flying start when betting on the 2022 World Cup.

Promotions

The World Cup will run for just over a month, so if you pick out a new bookie for the start of the tournament, it’s highly unlikely that your bonus offer will be valid by the World Cup final. To keep punters coming back for more, bookies offer a number of amazing promotions, including free bet clubs, money-back specials and enhanced odds. Of course, there are a number of World Cup specific promotions too! These are a great way for bookies to reward loyalty and punters to get some great value on their bet slips.

Fast/Easy Payments and Withdrawals

Whether you’re new to the betting scene or an experienced pro, payments are always a concern. When staking your hard-earned cash, you’ll want to know that your money is in good hands. Punters want payments that are fast, simple and secure – 17% of participants responding to a YouGov survey even stated that this is a particularly appealing trait when choosing a World Cup betting site, and thankfully the best sites offer a range of payment options that tick all three boxes.

While some of the newest sites may only offer debit card support, the biggest names in the industry offer e-wallet options such as PayPal, which is now a household name used by over 20 million in the UK alone and among the most trusted payment methods in the world. The top online bookies also offer support for similar e-wallet alternatives such as Neteller and Skrill.

Easy to Use Platform

19% of participants responding to a YouGov survey stated that finding a site that’s easier to use is hugely attractive when looking for the best World Cup betting site – and we couldn’t agree more. There is much competition between online bookies these days, so the best sites will make it a priority to offer easy navigation, clear signposting to the most popular pages, as well as sharp graphics and a smooth performing platform.

Mobile Betting Apps

With kick-off times falling anytime between 11am and 7pm GMT for Qatar’s 2022 World Cup, chances are you won’t be at home to place your bets in time for every game in the competition. You’ll be grateful then, that the top World Cup bookies offer mobile-friendly sites that allow you to place your bets on the go with ease. You can expect the same top-notch betting experience – the top sportsbooks cater to all your betting needs, even on the smaller screen! Some operators even offer dedicated mobile apps available for download on iPhone, Android and more. So whether you’re out watching the game with friends or lucky enough to grab a ticket to Qatar, you won’t be tied to your desktop when placing your bets. You’ll be able to bet anywhere, anytime with the same great bonuses, promos and odds!

World Cup Betting Tips

Once you’ve figured out where to place your bets, the next task on your hitlist is figuring out who to back. While the bookies have their favourites, there’s no right answer here – instead, there are multiple ways to tackle this tricky question.

History

Many seek out the usual suspects when adding to their bet slips. These are almost always the most decorated teams in football history, such as five-time winners, Brazil, defending champions Germany and France. Between them, these three countries have won the World Cup a whopping 10 times. While the distant past may not necessarily have any bearing on future performance, these nations have consistently produced excellent talent decade after decade – from the likes of Zinedine Zidane to Kylian Mbappe. While you’ll find that these nations are usually pretty solid options at the bookies, the unpredictable nature of knockout competitions can spring a few unpleasant surprises for favourites – The 2002 World Cup saw defending champions France and odds-on favourites Argentina eliminated in the group stage!

Top-Ranked Teams

Recent form is arguably the most accurate indicator of future performance in football and the FIFA World rankings gives you a complete breakdown of how well each team in world football has performed in recent times. As many would expect, Germany and Brazil come first and second respectively in the most recent rankings, but there are a few surprise inclusions in the top 10, too. Poland, Switzerland and Chile rank among the world’s best after successful World Cup qualifying campaigns. While the chances that one of these nations actually go on to win the tournament are pretty slim, you might find some great betting value in backing them to grab huge wins at Qatar 2022.

Dark Horses

Once the tournament is well and truly underway, there are likely to be a few surprise candidates that emerge as ‘dark horses’. These teams are often ranked as underdogs by World Cup bookmakers but could very well go on to exceed expectations and enjoy great success in the tournament. Spurred on by roaring home crowds, host nations have historically performed well, from the stunning South Korean team of 2002 to 1998’s French squad – the last team to win the World Cup on home soil.

Watch the Games

As if you weren’t already glued to every match of the tournament! If you’re not, that’s a pretty good change to make if you want to boost your potential World Cup betting profits. By watching all the games, you’ll be able to get a feel for how individual teams and players are performing in the Qatar heat. Are they living up to expectations or off to a disappointing start? Are the lengthy periods of extra time after the first half affecting players’ performances in the second? You can also take note on how refs are letting the games play out. For example, are they quick to stop play after a foul or will they let things ride out for a moment if it’s in the fouled player’s favour? 

Compare Different Odds

In exciting times like the World Cup, top bookies often compete to offer punters the best betting odds. Take 10bet, for example. At the start of the tournament, this popular online sportsbook was offering a whopping 10/1 on the Three Lions to win the World Cup — the best odds up for grabs at the time. While you’d be hard-pressed to find a 10/1 offer now that England has just smashed their way through to the round of 16, that’s no reason not to compare betting odds across different bookies. Many bookmakers offer daily odds boosts offers, and, for the next few weeks, you can expect many of these specials to be on World Cup markets.

World Cup 2022 Betting Preview: The Bookies’ Favourites 

Many punters will enjoy placing an outright bet on who they think will win the 2022 World Cup. After all, this is the ultimate question that’ll be on everybody’s lips, and it can be fun to back a team from the outset and see how they fare.

It’s a tough call this far in advance, but it’s worth bearing in mind that a small number of top-tier teams are always the main contenders, with no underdogs lifting the trophy in recent history. Let’s look at five nations that are hotly tipped to go far in this year’s competition.

Argentina

Argentina competed in the inaugural 1930 World Cup, losing 4–2 to hosts Uruguay in the capital city of Montevideo. The South American team have turned the tables twice since, winning in 1978 on their home turf, and again at Mexico 1986. Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina team kicked off their World Cup 2022 campaign with a bit of a shocker, losing 2–1 to underdogs Saudi Arabia at Lusail Stadium in their Group C opener. A 2–0 win against Mexico in Argentina’s second game of the tournament has limited some of the damage, and saw Messi put his eighth overall World Cup goal in the back of the net to take him level with Maradona. No matter. Messi and co are going to need to pick up the pace if they want to progress through the round of 16, quarterfinals, and semi-finals to reach the main event and claim victory in Qatar. 

Brazil

Brazil are the most successful World Cup team of all time, though it has been two decades since they last got their hands on the trophy. They were sensationally booted out by Belgium in the 2018 World Cup quarter-finals, which dealt a huge blow to the Seleçao’s status in many pundits’ eyes. And, while they did make it to the 2021 Copa América final, they were ultimately beaten by Argentina. However, things are looking good for the team in 2022. They’ve enjoyed convincing victories in the World Cup qualifiers, including three back-to-back 4-0 thrashings against Paraguay, Chile and Bolivia. With Neymar and Vinicius Junior ready to wreak havoc in Qatar, Brazil may well be poised to bag their sixth world title.

England

England have had a rollercoaster lead up to the World Cup. Just last year, they enjoyed one of the greatest moments in their history by getting to the final of the Euros, on home turf no less. In classic England fashion, they were ultimately thwarted by a penalty shootout, but it was still a major milestone that suggested football might, at long last, have a serious possibility of coming home. However, Gareth Southgate’s side has failed to deliver on that promise since then, with a notably poor performance in the UEFA Nations League. Losing 0-4 to Hungary was their worst home defeat since 1928, so they clearly have their work cut out to regain confidence ahead of the World Cup.

France

If you’re looking to make an outright bet, it’s only natural to consider the reigning world champions. Winning the 2018 World Cup provided France with a second world title, following their famous victory in the 1998 tournament, and Les Bleus will be hungry to repeat the achievement this year. However, they’ve had a rocky time of it lately. While France won the 2021 UEFA Nations League, their showing in the tournament this year has been poor, and they’re no longer in contention to win the title. Punters backing France will, of course, be cheered by the reliably brilliant presence of Kylian Mbappe, arguably the world’s best player right now, who’ll be hoping to get his hands on that trophy again.

Spain

Like England, Spain has won the World Cup once. That was back in 2010, and a lot of tipsters feel this may be the year they reassert their authority on the world stage. Spain looked good last year, making it to the Nations League final (where they were beaten by fellow World Cup favourites France). They’ve also made a strong showing in this year’s Nations League matches, beating the Czech Republic and Switzerland in their last two games. However, they do have a mountain to climb in the World Cup group stage, having been drawn in what’s described as the ‘Group of Death’ alongside Germany, Japan and Costa Rica.

World Cup 2022 Betting Markets

Outright Markets

While the most obvious outright betting market for the World Cup is the overall winner, there are quite a few of these markets available. Odds for outright markets change as the tournament rumbles on and countries show what they’re made of. This means that if you have a hunch a particular team or player will deliver the goods on the pitch, heading to the bookies to place your bets early could potentially land you a bigger win. It’s never too late to grab a bargain though. Below, we’ve listed the odds currently available on popular World Cup outright bets. We’ve turned to top bookie 888sport for our example odds (available 5 December) but remember that it always pays to compare sites to find the best odds available at the time of placing your bets.

World Cup Winner 

Fancy picking the winner? Here are the odds on five of the most popular teams to take it home:

• Brazil – 23/10 
• France – 4/1
• Argentina – 9/2
• England – 6/1
• Spain – 13/2

Group Winners 

While we obviously know the results now, punters were able to bet on which teams would top their groups. Here are some example odds that were given on this market before the round of 16 began:

• Argentina to win Group C – 1/2 
• Belgium to win Group F – 5/2 
• Ghana to win Group H – 66/1 
• Japan to win Group E – 8/1 
• Brazil to win Group G – 1/750 

To Reach Semi Finals

Now the eliminations are underway, it’s tantalising to look at the brackets and work out your favourite team’s possible route to the final. And even if you don’t think a given team will go the distance, you can still bet on whether they’ll reach the quarters, semis, or final itself. Here are some odds for teams to reach the semi finals.

• Portugal – 17/10
• Croatia – 7/2
• Switzerland – 6/1
• Morocco – 17/2
• Japan – 9/1

Golden Boot Winner 

Which player will bang in the most goals? Here are the odds on some of the top scorers, courtesy of Paddy Power:

• Kylian Mbappe – 4/7 
• Harry Kane – 40/1
• Lionel Messi – 9/1
• Cristiano Ronaldo – 50/1 
• Neymar – 80/1

Match Markets

Each match at the World Cup will provide a huge number of betting opportunities. The very best World Cup bookies will offer over 100 markets for most games, from traditional options such as match result and over/under 2.5 goals, to newer options such as both teams to score and result. You’ll even have the chance to create your own bets thanks to bookies such as Paddy Power, Coral and Ladbrokes – all you’ll need to do is get in touch using Twitter and request prices for your own custom bets.

If you’re new to football betting, here’s a quick explainer of some of the most popular markets you can expect to find on World Cup betting sites.

Corners

If you’ve got a good grip on corners, markets like total corners (under/over), team total corners, and exact total corners can return some excellent value. Betting in-play? You can bag a quick win by successfully predicting things like whether there will be a corner in the next five minutes of the match. 

Cards

Like corners betting, cards betting throws up some interesting betting opportunities: first player booked, first team booked, exact total cards and so on. For live bettors, some bookies may offer unique betting markets, such as whether Ronaldo will get booked in the next five minutes or before the first half is out.

Match Result

Always popular with punters, this market is as straightforward as it sounds. You simply back a team to win, or bet on a draw.

Over/Under Goals

Reckon the match will be a goal-packed extravaganza, or a low-scoring snoozefest? You can have your say with this market, which will let you predict whether the total tally will exceed a certain threshold.

Both Teams to Score

Will one team utterly trounce the other, or will both sides plant the ball in the back of the net? It’s your call with the Both Teams to Score market, where you simply tick the box for ‘yes’ or the box for ‘no’.

Both Teams to Score and Result

If you’re feeling confident or bold, you can opt for this market which combines two selections in one. You’ll be predicting the match outcome (win or draw) and guessing whether both teams will bag at least one goal.

First Goalscorer

Another simple market, where you predict which player will bask in the glory of scoring the first goal of the game.

Correct Score

It’s a tough one to get right, but if you manage to guess the precise final scoreline, this market can bring great value.

Request a Bet

The top World Cup betting sites offer numerous markets for each match. But what if you want to create your own bespoke wager that isn’t currently covered? For example, Harry Kane to score from a free kick in the second half. Many bookies will allow you to request your bet, either through their site or on social media using a hashtag.

Bet Builder

A bet builder allows you to easily piece together your own combination bet for a match. Say you’re betting on the Brazil/Serbia game. You might use a bet builder to create one wager, combining the odds for Brazil to win, Neymar to score first in the second half, and over 2.5 goals to be scored by the end.

In-Play Markets

The betting opportunities don’t stop once the match kicks off. There are plenty of chances to win big when betting live! You’ll be able to bet on the majority of the markets that were available pre-match, with odds updating based on how the game unfolds. You’ll also be able to wager on next goalscorer markets and will likely have the chance to take advantage of some great in-play price boosts. Place your bets with Karamba and you’ll be able to win in every minute of the game thanks to their unique ‘Fast Markets’!

Compare and bet!

Now you’re all clued up, finding the perfect online bookie for your World Cup bets should be a breeze. Plus, armed with our top tips for betting on the World Cup, you should be able to find some great value for your betslip. All that’s left for you to do now is check out our carefully curated list of World Cup bookies. It’s simple – compare, sign up and place your bets!

World Cup Groups and World Rankings