Beginners Guide to World Cup Betting
The FIFA World Cup is an opportunity for one international team to make history by winning soccer’s most illustrious prize. The tournament comes around just once every four years and sees the very best players pitted against one another on world soccer’s greatest stage. Russia 2018 saw the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Lionel Messi go toe-to-toe as they attempted to steer their respective countries to the promised land. Not only does this make for a great spectacle, but also presents thousands of betting opportunities for newcomers and experienced bettors alike.
So whether you’re a die-hard soccer fan or simply backing your office sweepstake team, our beginners guide to World Cup betting is an excellent way to get in the know before wagering on the biggest sporting event in the world.
What makes a good World Cup betting site?
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 betting sites. If a sportsbook doesn’t hold a valid licence to operate, it isn’t worth a bet. Having a licence means that a gambling operator is required to adhere to the rules of a governing body. This simply means you can expect to be treated fairly, including industry-standard encryption technology to ensure secure transactions and receiving fast payouts following withdrawals. Fortunately, you won’t come across any unlicensed betting sites here at Compare.bet – all online sportsbooks on our site are licensed.
Odds
Of course, we all want to 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. The odds on matchday usually don’t vary largely as sportsbooks 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 Bonus
Each time the World Cup comes around, it brings a huge influx of new bettors to the bookmakers. Thousands of first-time bettors will flock to the web to find the best destination for World Cup betting, which presents an excellent opportunity for bookmakers to land some new customers.
To sweeten the deal, sportsbooks offer enticing welcome bonuses for new bettors, 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 bettors seeking a new home for their bets – they can get you off to a flying start when betting on World Cup soccer.
Promotions
The World Cup will run for just over a month, so if you pick out a new sportsbook for the start of the tournament, it’s highly unlikely that your bonus offer will be valid by the World Cup final. To keep bettors coming back for more, betting sites 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 sportsbooks to reward loyalty and bettors to get some great value on their bet slips.
Banking Options
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. Bettors want payments that are fast, simple and secure. The best World Cup betting sites offer a range of payment options that tick all three boxes.
The biggest names in the industry offer e-wallet options such as PayPal, Interac and iDebit, but options vary between sports betting sites.
Mobile Betting Apps
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 sportsbooks 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 the World Cup, 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!
Who to Back?
Once you’ve figured out where to place your bets, the next task on your hitlist is figuring out who to back. While sportsbooks 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 soccer history, such as five-time winners, Brazil, defending champions Germany and France. Between them, these three countries have won the World Cup a huge 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 bookmakers, 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 soccer and the FIFA World rankings gives you a complete breakdown of how well each team in world soccer 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 in the World Cup.
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.
World Cup 2022 Betting Markets
- Outright markets – Heading to the sportsbook before the tournament kicks off could land you some big wins. Outright markets include group winner, top scorer, best team from each continent and of course, World Cup winner.
- Match markets – Each match at the World Cup will provide a huge number of betting opportunities. The very best World Cup betting sites 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.
- 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.
Compare and bet!
Now you’re all clued up, finding the perfect online betting site 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 sportsbooks. It’s simple – compare, sign up and place your bets!
