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How to bet on the World Cup 2026: the complete beginner's guide
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The 2026 FIFA World Cup is underway, and the biggest tournament in world football is also one of the world’s biggest betting events. Millions of people place bets on the tournament, with many casual fans taking the opportunity to have a wager on the event.
This will be a guide for beginners who are having bets on this year’s World Cup, taking in everything from odds to free bets. This guide will help bettors navigate what can be a confusing landscape at times and show that betting on football can be a simple exercise. New bettors can find the best odds, betting apps and free bets through this guide and can compare the best World Cup betting sites for beginners.
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Our betting experts analyse bookmaker offers every day across football, horse racing and major sporting events. We've reviewed the leading betting apps, compared promotions and tracked prices throughout qualification to help you find the best options ahead of the tournament.
How does World Cup betting work?
World Cup 2026 betting is the same as betting on any football match, with a range of markets for bettors to choose from. These range from a team to win to the number of goals in a game or both teams to score.
Here we will explain how football betting works, with an explicit focus on this summer’s World Cup. First of all, bettors should select a market that they wish to place a bet on, then they should select the odds which they would like to take within that market.
In match markets, there will be a favourite and an underdog, for example, when Spain play Cape Verde, they will be the favourites and Cape Verde will be the underdogs.
If Spain are 1-10 to win, then they have a 90.9% implied probability of winning, while Cape Verde’s 33-1 odds mean that they would have an implied probability of 2.94%. If the bettor thinks that either of those implied probabilities is too low, then they may choose to back that selection.
The shorter the price, the less money it returns. For example, a £10 bet on Spain to win at 1-10 would return £11.11 if they won. A £10 bet on Cape Verde to win would return £340 if they won.
Best World Cup 2026 betting sites
Bet365 are one of the most popular betting websites and will be for the World Cup this summer. Many bettors enjoy the simplistic user experience which the site offers and their prices are often the most competitive.
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets
- Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG)
William Hill have long been one of the biggest bookmakers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Their bet boosts and free bet offers make them one of the most popular betting websites for new customers.
Deposit And Bet £10 To Get £30 Free Bets
- Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG)
Paddy Power have become known for their marketing stunts, including early payouts in some markets, which have made them popular with bettors across the United Kingdom and Ireland. They also offer a wider range of markets than many of their competitors.
£40 in Free Bets When You Place a £5 Bet
- Request custom bets on Twitter with #WhatOddsPaddy
Coral offer competitive prices, especially on accumulators, which has made them one of the biggest betting companies in the country. Their user experience is simple but functional.
Get £50 In Free Bets When You Bet £10
- Generous odds on horse racing
Betfair’s sportsbook and exchange options give bettors different ways to play on the World Cup, making them one of the most commonly used betting sites in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Get £50 In Free Bet Builders When You Place £10
- Free Bets with Betfair's Rewards Club
Betfred is another popular betting site, particularly during the World Cup. They offer double delight and hat-trick heaven promotions that offer bigger payouts for goalscorers than some of their competitors.
£50 in Free Bets when you bet £10
- Huge variety of markets and promotions with the Betfred app
Ladbrokes is one of the most respected betting apps in the United Kingdom and offers a wide range of markets to entice customers.
£50 In Free Bets When You Bet £10
- Great acca features, including the ability to edit a live accumulator
Sky Bet are one of the biggest betting firms in the United Kingdom and Ireland and their lack of a physical shop presence means that they have prioritised an impressive betting app, they have a wider range of markets than many of their competitors and will certainly be a popular choice throughout this summer’s World Cup.
Get £50 in Free Bets When You Place A £10 Bet
- More extra place horse races than any other bookmaker
Unibet are another popular choice for bettors on this year’s World Cup, they often have competitive prices on card markets which could be well-suited to punters looking to have a wager on those.
Bet £20, Get £40 In Free Bets
- Promotions and offers for existing customers
BOYLE Sports are an Irish firm which over the years have become more established in the United Kingdom. Their clean user interface has made their betting app a popular one amongst bettors.
£40 in Free Bets + Money Back If 2nd To SP Fav
- Great in-play betting
Most popular World Cup betting markets
Match winner betting
Match winner betting offers the chance for bettors to select who they think is going to win the match, or if it will be a draw.
Betting websites often list the home team first, then the draw, then the away team. This will be the case even in the World Cup, whereby every game will have a nominated home and away team, despite the fact that the majority of teams will be playing on neutral territory.
One key thing to note in tournament match betting is that in the knockout stages, a bet on either team to win will not be a winner if the match goes to extra-time or penalties, and that team wins, in which case the 90-minute draw would be the winning selection.
Outright winner betting
One of the most popular bets at the World Cup will be for a team to win the tournament outright. This will be settled on the team that lifts the trophy. However, the outright betting does allow each-way betting, which means that half the stake is on the team to win and half the stake will be on them to reach the final, so a small return will be gained if the team reaches the final but does not win.
This market tends to be fairly stable, but there have been some teams whose odds have shortened, most notably a team like Japan, who were 100-1 earlier in the season but after some impressive performances in recent months have moved to become a general 50-1 shot.
Top goalscorer betting
Betting on the top goalscorer at the World Cup will also be a popular market for many placing their bets in the build-up to this summer’s tournament.
Bettors will have to be careful, because occasionally different bookmakers follow different rules when paying out on this market, as some betting websites will settle on who scores the most goals, and some will pay out on who wins the Golden Boot award.
In the Golden Boot, the player with more assists wins if two players are level. If they are still impossible to split after this time, it comes down to the player who has played the fewer minutes as they are deemed to have had a bigger impact in a shorter space of time.
Again, each-way betting is available so punters can split their stakes on a player to win the top goalscorer award or to finish in the top four, which would return the place part of the bet.
Unfortunately, the number of players likely to finish on the same number of goals means that some punters may fall foul of the dead-heat rules, which split the winnings across all players who finish on the same number of goals. For example, if two players who are both 10-1 win the top goalscorer market, the winner will be paid out at 5-1.
Bet builders
Bet builders have become increasingly popular with bettors who choose to combine multiple selections from the same game into one bet. That combination of selections does lead to bigger odds but comes with risks; the more selections the less likely it is to win.
Bookmakers often publicise or promote bet builders for this very reason, while they can provide big returns from small stakes, the more legs to a bet builder, the less likely it is to land.
Bet365’s bet builders are often very competitive on price and their intuitive user experience makes it easy to combine selections on the same game.
In-play betting
In-play betting is the act of betting while a game is in progress, something which will be very popular throughout the World Cup.
The odds are constantly changing as the game does and real-time betting offers the chance to bet on something that may not have been available at the start of the match, for example, backing a player to score who has recently come off the substitutes bench.
In-play betting has increased with the proliferation of betting apps and picking the right one with the best odds is crucial for success. William Hill and Paddy Power often price things up quickly in-play and offer competitive prices, so some consider them among the best bookmakers for in-play betting.
Many beginners prefer easy-to-use betting apps during live World Cup matches.
Understanding World Cup betting odds
Betting odds can be confusing for those who have not used them before and punters can choose between fractional odds, which are traditionally used in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and decimal odds, which are preferred in the United States and other countries.
Fractional odds allow you to calculate how much you will win on your bet in comparison to the stake. The first number is how much you will win, while the second is how much you will stake.
For example, with a 5-1 shot for every £1 you bet, you will win £5, this is without your £1 stake which is added back on for a total of £6.
By contrast decimal betting refers to how much money would be returned should your bet win, including your stake. For example a £10 bet placed at odds of 4.33 would return £43.33 if it wins.
We've put together the World Cup odds as well as the best betting offers.
How to place a World Cup bet online
Step-by-step guide:
- Choose a bookmaker
- Register an account
- Deposit funds
- Select a market
- Place your bet
- Track the result
The process of placing a bet on the World Cup has never been easier, with betting apps allowing customers to get started straight away.
Accounts must be verified before they are used, but from there, punters can deposit funds to use to place bets. They then can select markets and browse responsible gambling tools before placing a bet on what they desire.
All bookmakers will offer a way to track your bet in their mobile betting app to make things as easy as possible to see the results.
However with the range of prices available with different betting apps and websites, it pays to shop around and compare before signing up.
World Cup betting tips for beginners
There are many important tips for beginners getting into betting on the World Cup for the first time, the most important of which is to never chase losses. Doing so is a sign of dangerous gambling which is harmful in the long term.
Secondly, bettors should compare odds as much as possible to get the best possible price. Why take away your opportunity for more profit from a winning bet by not shopping around?
Next, start simply. Don’t overcomplicate things with convoluted bet builders or huge accumulators; keep things simple and better betting will follow.
Free bets should also be used carefully, and remember that free bet stakes are not returned, so use them wisely. At the World Cup, there are likely to be lots of free bet offers, but that does not mean that they should be used recklessly.
World Cup 2026 betting FAQs
What are the best World Cup betting sites for beginners?
Apps such as bet365, William Hill and Paddy Power are often easiest to navigate for beginners but customers should shop around.
Can you bet on the World Cup using apps?
Yes, all major betting brands will have apps now.
What is the easiest football bet for beginners?
The easiest football bet is often the 90-minute market, so betting on a team to win, lose or draw.
What do World Cup betting odds mean?
If a team is 2-1 to win, that means that for every £1 you put on, you get £2 back plus your original stake, taking the total amount to £3.
Are World Cup free bets worth using?
Free bets are often worth using on the World Cup as bookmakers tend to be more generous than at other times of the year.
Which bookmakers are best for live World Cup betting?
Bet365, Betfair, Sky Bet and others are good for live betting, with simple interfaces and quick odds changes.
Can you bet on individual players during the World Cup?
Yes, you can bet on individual players to score, be carded or take a shot during the World Cup.
Remember to gamble responsibly . . .
Gambling can be an enjoyable and exciting form of entertainment, but it can also be a serious risk if not done responsibly. It is important to understand the risks associated with gambling and to take steps to minimise them. You can always call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or visit www.gamstop.co.uk if you need extra help or advice.
Important information: This article may contain links to offers or promotions that were available at the time of publication. These offers may have since expired or changed.
Offers are handpicked and come from operators that our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing.
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