World Cup Betting
World Cup betting is arguably the pinnacle of betting on football – and this year you can bet on every single World Cup match right here with BetUK. We’re offering extensive World Cup odds on every kick of the tournament, from the first whistle to the last.
Access the best FIFA World Cup odds, trigger great offers, cash in during in-play betting and follow your favourite teams and players all the way through the 2026 tournament and qualifying right here.
Our sportsbook is packed with FIFA World Cup 2026 betting odds that span the entire tournament. Wager on individual matches, the golden boot winner, which nations will top each group and, of course, the World Cup winner odds!
FIFA World Cup Betting 2026
All the FIFA World Cup 2026 betting odds at BetUK can be found right here. Our markets span every match of the tournament from qualifying to the final and focus on impressive outright odds such as top goalscorer and top assist maker.
Be sure to check back to the sportsbook throughout the year for the best FIFA World Cup odds and updated prices. After all, these markets are always in flux. There will be times when poor performances or stellar results from nations across the world trigger changes to the World Cup 2026 odds – and particularly the winner market. Brazil, France, England and Spain are the big favourites right now but the likes of Italy, Netherlands, Germany and current champions Argentina will all fancy their chances too!
FIFA World Cup outright odds
The World Cup outright odds focus primarily on tournament bets, rather than individual matches. This means betting on a team to progress a certain distance, or a player to record the most goals, assists or perhaps even cards. Outright football betting is ideal for punters who want to wager on long-term markets, and keep track of them throughout the tournament.
For example, betting on England to win the World Cup before the tournament has even started is a tactic many punters deploy. They then wait until England’s price has shortened, before betting against the Three Lions. There’s no more satisfying feeling than winning a bet at mega odds because you took the step to plan in advance and follow your instinct – and plenty of punters will be doing that before we head into the USA/Mexico hosted 2026 World Cup.
How to bet on the World Cup
The World Cup is a 32-nation tournament being held in USA/Mexico and features eight groups of four. Every team plays three group games and the top two in each group progress to the last-16. From here it’s a straight knockout system to the final, which will be held on 18 December 2022.
When it comes to World Cup betting, you have a huge array of choices. You can bet on any of the 64 games taking place in November and December, with more than 100 live football odds for every fixture. This includes all of qualifying so if you're looking to place bets on games such as Brazil Vs Venezuela, you can do exactly that at BetUK.
Whichever bet option you choose, how to bet on the World Cup is exactly the same. First, be sure to log into your BetUK profile or sign up for an account today. Make sure you trigger any bonuses or special promotions, and then head back to here and find the game or market you want to bet on, select your desired outcome and click on the respective odds. A pop-up bet slip will appear, where you can enter your stake to check your risk and potential payout, before clicking ‘Place Bet’ to complete the process. After that, it’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy the football!
What are the best World Cup betting markets?
When looking at the World Cup betting odds it’s worth splitting the markets into two bet types: in-play match betting and outrights. When it comes to in-play match betting, you’re able to bet ahead of kick off and live during games on these popular markets:
Match result – A bet on which team will win the match, or on a draw.
Correct score – Correctly predicting the score after 90 minutes.
Next goalscorer – A great live bet on which player will score next.
Half-time score – Like a correct score bet, but focused on HT.
Player specials – Individual wagers on players, such as total goals, cards and head-to-heads.
The outrights markets, meanwhile, let you bet on tournament-long odds such as:
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World Cup winners – A simple bet on who will win the World Cup.
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Group winners – You can bet on every group during the tournament.
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Team progress – How far will England go at the World Cup? You can bet on that and all other teams.
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Golden boot – Wager on the top goalscorer at the World Cup this year.
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Top assists – Like the golden boot market, but focused on the player with the most assists.
More special bets and pre-packs will be available in the days leading up to the tournament, as well as throughout the World Cup month.
Latest World Cup winner odds
World Cup betting hots up the closer to the final we get – yet it’s fair to say the World Cup winner odds are popular months before the tournament even starts. Brazil, France, England and Spain as the favourites to lift the World Cup trophy come 2026. However, there are plenty of other top sides tipped for success, including Spain, Germany, Italy and Netherlands.
The World Cup usually has at least one surprise semi-finalist, whose odds come in as the tournament progresses. In the 2022 World Cup, the surprise package was Morocco who became the first African side to make it beyond the Quarter-Finals in the history of the World Cup, unfortunately, they were beaten at the Semi-final stage by France, who are one of the top performing countries in international competitions.
Be sure to check back to this World Cup odds page throughout the year for the latest prices.
World Cup Qualifying Betting
Whether or not a country plays at the World Cup depends on their performances in qualifying, if a top country performs poorly, they are at risk of failing to qualify for the main tournament. However, this isn't a new thing, as a number of countries expected to win the whole tournament have failed to qualify, the 3 biggest examples are:
Italy 2022 - Italy had won the European Championships just a few months before losing their World Cup qualifying play-off to North Macedonia.
France 1994 - Despite needing just 1 point to qualify from their final two games, France lost to both Israel and Bulgaria with both side scoring 90th minute winners to knock out one of the greatest sides in history.
Netherlands 2002 - The Netherlands made 3 Semi-Finals in 4 tournaments between 1998 and 2004, their one failure came in 2002 where a defeat to the Republic of Ireland would condemn them to failure in 2002.
So, qualifcation is by no means guaranteed for the World Cup, these are just three of the most recent shock failures, the likes of Italy 1958, England 1974 and Czechoslovakia in 1978 spring to mind as older upsets that you can read up about.
So, betting on qualification isn't always guaranteed, we can see some solid performances but also some wild upsets. Anything can happen and every bet should be up for review as nothing is ever guaranteed. UEFA are set to change their process for qualification in 2023, which could see more upsets on the cards. However, other confederations seem to be keeping their current structures, making the outcome, a little more predictable.
World Cup Golden Boot betting
Harry Kane won the World Cup golden boot at Russia 2018. Meanwhile, France’s Kylian Mbappe won the 2022 Golden Boot. Yet the golden boot betting list is extensive and down the years many surprise names have emerged with the top prize after the tournament. This is a bet that you'll often find becomes popular in the months leading up the competition, as matches are announced and we know what to expect from teams such as Switzerland and Mexico who are often referred to as dark horses in the lead up to tournaments, while Argentina, Germany and Brazil all commonly sit as favourites. You'll sometimes find a rogue player from a host nation as well, particularly after the performances of Denis Cheryshev who would have won the top goalscorer award for Russia in 2018 if it wasn't for the performances of Harry Kane from England.
World Cup FAQs
When does the World Cup start?
The 2026 World Cup starts on Monday 8th June 2026. One of the three host nations will take place in the opening game, meaning we will either see USA, Canada or Mexico in the opening fixture. It is likely that the opening game will be at the Metlife Stadium, meaning that there will be a five-hour time difference between the UK and USA in that period, so if the opening fixture kicks off at 8pm in New Jersey, it will be 1AM for UK viewers.
When is the World Cup final?
The World Cup final takes place on July 3rd 2026. Kick off time in the World Cup final is expected to be 3pm (8pm UK time) and the match will likely be held at the 82,500-capacity Metlife Stadium.
Can I bet on the World Cup final?
Yes. You can bet on every second of the World Cup final live with Bet UK. Our sportsbook features extensive World Cup final odds, bet boosts and more, which means there’s something for every punter. Bet on the World Cup winners, the final score, the first goalscorer and more with Bet UK!
Which nations have qualified for the 2026 World Cup?
The only nations that have qualified for the 2026 World Cup are the three host nations, Canada, Mexico and United States, due to this confederation containing three host nations, the number of representatives from this confederation is increased by 3 to 6.
Where Can I find World Cup tips on Bet UK?
You can find betting tips for every single match of the 2026 World Cup on the Bet UK. In this series of blogs, we delve deeper into each team, their key players and we analyse each teams potential performances throughout the tournament alongside tips for each game.
Bet on International Football
Looking to place a bet on football matches during the international break? Check out some of the options below and see what bets you can place during the break.