How to Bet on the FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup now only happens every four years, meaning when it does occur, FIFA World Cup betting gets extremely popular. If you’re much like other soccer fans and want to learn how to bet on the FIFA World Cup without much hassle, review our article on where to bet on the FIFA World Cup! Here, you can find info on what sportsbooks to use, what states you can bet on the FIFA World Cup, and what the best bets for the FIFA World Cup are!

🔎 Where is FIFA World Cup Betting Legal?

If you’re wondering where to bet on the FIFA World Cup, know that the legality of sports bets is based on the sportsbook of choice. You can find the list of states where betting on the FIFA World Cup is legal below:

• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Tennessee
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• Washington D.C.
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

⚽ How to bet on the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Curious as to how to bet on the FIFA World Cup with any sportsbook of your choice? Follow the steps listed below to find out how to make it happen:

1. Sign up with one or more desired sportsbooks of your choice using a link in this article.
2. Finish creating your account and log in to your favored sportsbook.
3. Select the “Soccer” or “FIFA World Cup” sports tag on the side menu to browse all FIFA World Cup betting markets.
4. Select any betting line(s) of your choice to open a bet slip, but make sure you understand how to bet on the FIFA World Cup first!
5. Fill out the total amount you want to wager on the slip and hit enter!

🔓 Where to bet on the FIFA World Cup Online 

If you’re wondering where to bet on the FIFA World Cup online, check out a number of the most popular sportsbooks of choice laid out below!

FIFA World Cup at DraftKings Sportsbook

DraftKings Sportsbook offers a wide array of major sports league markets and has a variety of FIFA World Cup betting markets. Earn an exclusive DraftKings promotional deal today and make your FIFA World Cup bets after signing up for a new account with DraftKings Sportsbook without needing any promo codes!

FIFA World Cup at FanDuel Sportsbook

FanDuel Sportsbook included nearly every major sports league you can think of, including FIFA World Cup betting! Join FanDuel as soon as you can to make your FIFA World Cup experience even better with a juicy FanDuel bonus code deal!

FIFA World Cup at Caesars Sportsbook

Caesars Sportsbook will certainly have the sports bets you’re looking for, along with plenty of soccer and FIFA World Cup betting options! Get access to a mouthwatering Caesars Sportsbook promo code EVGSBK250BM deal once you join Caesars Sportsbook!

FIFA World Cup at bet365 Sportsbook

Of course, bet365 Sportsbook offers a large list of soccer and FIFA World Cup betting lines unlike any other! Unlock your one-of-a-kind bet365 bonus code PWEVG365 rewards by creating a new account with bet365 Sportsbook!

FIFA World Cup at Fanatics Sportsbook

Fanatics Sportsbook introduces a wide selection of FIFA World Cup bets, along with many other sports event options! Discover a limited-time welcome deal with Fanatics Sportsbook as soon as you know how to bet on the FIFA World Cup!

⚽️ 2026 FIFA World Cup Group Draw Results

The 2026 FIFA World Cup official draw took place in Washington D.C. on December 5, 2025, and here is how each group shook out:

Group A:

• Mexico
• South Africa
• Korea Republic
• UEFA Playoff D (Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic or Republic of Ireland)

Group B:

• Canada
• UEFA Playoff A (Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Qatar
• Switzerland

Group C:

• Brazil
• Morocco
• Haiti
• Scotland

Group D:

• United States
• Paraguay
• Australia
• UEFA Playoff C (Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo)

Group E:

• Germany
• Curaçao
• Côte d’Ivoire
• Ecuador

Group F:

• Netherlands
• Japan
• UEFA Playoff B (Ukraine, Sweden, Poland or Albania)
• Tunisia

Group G:

• Belgium
• Egypt
• IR Iran
• New Zealand

Group H:

• Spain
• Cabo Verde
• Saudi Arabia
• Uruguay

Group I:

• France
• Senegal
• FIFA Playoff Tournament 2 (Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname)
• Norway

Group J:

• Argentina
• Algeria
• Austria
• Jordan

Group K:

• Portugal
• FIFA Playoff Tournament 1 (DR Congo, Jamaica or New Caledonia)
• Uzbekistan
• Colombia

Group L:

• England
• Croatia
• Ghana
• Panama

For an early preview of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, check out our experts’ FIFA World Cup best bets.

💸 How FIFA World Cup Betting Works

While the FIFA World Cup only comes around once every four years, betting on the big event is fairly simple. All you need to do is sign up with one or more highlighted sportsbooks of your choice, and when the time comes around, select the “Soccer” or “FIFA World Cup” betting tag to view all available tournament bets.

Select a game, open a bet slip, and fill out the amount you want to wager on options like the money line, goal spread, or game total (over/under). If your bet hits, then when the game ends, you’ll receive the payout shown on the bet slip with funds added to your account balance!

🎯 Popular FIFA World Cup Betting Types

There are different types of soccer bets for the FIFA World Cup. If you’re wondering what the best bets for the FIFA World Cup are, don’t hesitate to view a short list of simple selections you can make below:

Money Line (Regulation vs To Advance Markets)

This is a very popular choice when it comes to flat-out picking which team will either win an individual match (draws included) or which team will make it to the next round in the knockout round (draws not included).

Game Total (Over/Under)

This choice is popular as goals are rare to come by in soccer, so making a calculated guess on whether more or fewer goals will be scored throughout the game keeps things interesting.

First to Score

This is a popular betting choice for users who think a team will score first, especially if they think the country can score first but not necessarily win the game.

Yellow Cards

Many users enjoy making a bet on whether a specific player will receive a yellow card or the total number of yellow cards given throughout the game.

🔮 FIFA World Cup Odds & Betting Lines Explained

FIFA World Cup betting lines can get pretty comprehensive, but if you’re still wondering how to bet on the FIFA World Cup online, we’ll explain the main betting lines below:

Money Line (Regulation | To Advance | PK Markets)

This is your most typical bet type in almost all sports betting categories. The difference in the FIFA World Cup, however, is that money line regulation picks mean you pick between either Team 1, Team 2 or a draw after 90 minutes.

“To Advance” means in the knockout stages of the tournament, you can pick which team will advance to the next round (no tie included) after either 90”, 120+”, or penalty kicks, typically carried out in a playoff format only. If you want to pick a market in the group stage that doesn’t involve the draw, look for the PK market. In this case, your bet will push if there is a draw.

Game Total (Over/Under)

The game total choice is simply a decision of whether the total number of goals scored by both sides combined is over or under a certain number, giving you a payout of a certain amount if you choose correctly. You choose either more than or less than x number of goals to be scored (typically denominations of 0.5, 1.5, 2.5 and more) by the end of the match.

Goal Spread

The spread is essentially a number given to either side (depending on what you pick, it will be +x or -x), where the team receives an adjusted goal handicap. For example, a team with a spread of -0.5 needs to win the game by at least 1 goal to cover the spread, whereas a team with a spread of +0.5 must not get scored on or else they will need to score 1+ goals to cover the spread.

Both Teams to Score

The odds for this betting line are determined by a simple “Yes” or “No” choice. If you select yes, you want both teams to score at least once (the result does not matter), and if no, you want neither team to score, but if at least one team does, you still can win the bet if the other doesn’t. You’ll win your bet as long as both sides do not score.

🧐 How to Read FIFA World Cup Odds & Betting Lines

Reading FIFA World Cup betting lines may seem confusing or intimidating at first, but essentially, all you need to do is understand the “+” or “-” in front of the listed number. A “+” on odds such as +200 means that the line is less likely to happen than at -200 odds. If you win a $10 wager on a line with +200 odds, you’d profit $20, whereas if you win a $10 wager on a line with -200 odds, you’d profit $5.

👌 Why bet on the FIFA World Cup?

The FIFA World Cup is not only an exclusive event reserved for qualifying teams once every four years, but it’s got some of the most comprehensive betting lines from the round robin to the playoff stages of the tournament. A single goal can change the entire outcome of a large bet, making for some thrilling, nail-biting action when betting on soccer tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup.

📈 FIFA World Cup Betting Trends

Oftentimes, betting trends in the FIFA World Cup align with the best bets for the FIFA World Cup. If a team is popular on money line bets, then we assume it’s a good team with a winning record, so placing these teams in parlays may be more desirable. In terms of specific trends, here are some things to watch out for:

• Only South American and European countries have won the FIFA World Cup
• The last time the host nation won the World Cup was in 1998 (France)
• The host nation has only won the World Cup 6 out of 22 total tournaments (27.3%)
• The last time a country won back-to-back World Cups was when Brazil won in 1958 and 1962
• A European country has won 4 of the last 5 World Cups

Based on these trends, we’d recommend betting on a European or South American country (other than Argentina, since they won in 2022) to win the next World Cup.

🤔 FIFA World Cup Betting Strategies

If you’re still looking at the best bets for the FIFA World Cup, you can follow some of the advice listed below.

Basic

One of the simplest strategies to make safe bets is to find the dominant team (generally with short odds to win) and take the money line bet. It’s usually no surprise when these teams win, which is why the payout will be small, but it’s a huge upset when they lose, which is why betting against them offers large payouts.

Intermediate

Start paying attention to which players are the ones to watch on different teams. Pick players that are in form and predict whether they’ll score or assist throughout the game. If you look at options like “Lionel Messi to Score 1+ Goals”, they generally have solid +odds payouts. Although a top player like Messi doesn’t score every game, you can expect him to be the most likely to score out of other players on the field. Utilize these player prop lines and place bets accordingly to receive a good chunk payout in the case your bet hits.

Advanced

The most unique bets with the hardest payouts come down to parlays. If you know how to bet on the FIFA World Cup and feel comfortable with team odds and player props, the most advanced strategy to earning large payouts is hitting a proper parlay. 

This could mean any combination of predicting multiple teams to advance in the knockout stage, a different combination of players to score or a mix of markets such as yellow cards, shots on target, corner kicks and goals before half time. This method is only really recommended if you’re willing to play at high risk with a potentially even higher payout, as multiple conditions of your bet will need to hit for the entire wager to payout.

❌ Things to Avoid When Betting on the FIFA World Cup

There are good and bad options for FIFA World Cup bets, although you’re not limited to any. Typically, you’d want to avoid betting a flat moneyline on underdogs against giant clubs that appear to have no chance of winning (take the spread instead). Betting on draws is risky, and although these happen all the time in the round robin stages, you could simply wait for the playoffs and bet on a team to advance without worrying about ties.

Try to avoid betting on red cards because there’s generally no formula for whether a player will receive a red card more often than not, although some players are more aggressive than others and receive more yellow cards on average than others.

📱 Betting on FIFA World Cup Games With Mobile Apps

There are plenty of options to bet on FIFA World Cup games using mobile apps. Out of the main sportsbooks we’ve already mentioned, including DraftKings, FanDuel, bet365, Caesars and Fanatics, you can sign up with any of your choice before heading to the Google Play, Apple, or Samsung app store to download the apps of your choice.