How to Bet on the 2026 FIFA World Cup - Common Markets and Mistakes Explained

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup is looming on the horizon, it is time to have a quick breakdown of what the most popular markets for the event are and what mistakes novice and experienced sports bettors would do well to avoid.

The contest introduces plenty of room for betting action, offering a wide-ranging variety of markets. Soccer is a unique game that introduces a slightly different type of wager - the three-way moneyline, which offers a third option: draw.

Here is how you can bet on soccer and the World Cup.

FIFA World Cup soccer betting - What markets are there?

In this section, you will learn all about the main types of markets available for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, including how the three-way moneyline works, what totals refer to, and how props work.

Three-way moneyline and two-way moneylines

As noted, the World Cup betting is a slightly different affair than traditional American sports such as the NFL and NBA, for example.

A unique type of wager exists here, the three-way moneyline, which essentially introduces a third possible variable to the equation - the draw.

Other than picking whether Team A or Team B would win a certain game, sports fans now have the option to bet that the game will end in a draw. Let’s apply a practical example to understand how these markets work a little better.

Let’s say the United States ends up playing Australia. You have three options:

• Back USMNT
• Back Australia
• Choose a Draw

This is how the three-moneyline works. If, at the end of the 90 minutes regular time (plus stoppage & injury time), the game has ended with an equal score, then the market is settled, and the bet is settled as a win.

Sports fans would similarly collect winnings if they bet on the USMNT to win, and the team actually wins its game against Australia, and vice versa. The only part that may be a little confusing to new soccer bettors is the draw, but there is a way to exclude this for the purposes of settling your bets.

So, how does the two-way moneyline work?

While you may not eliminate the possibility of a draw in a real-world game of soccer, betting works slightly differently, and this is where the two-way moneyline comes in.

This market is also commonly referred to as Draw, No Bet, and it usually carries less risk. First off, the moneylines are adjusted, and they are slightly different - a +300 underdog on a three-way moneyline would become a +200 underdog on a two-way moneyline.

An important caveat here is that the reduction in odds depends on each bookmaker individually and is not a fixed rule.

In the event of an actual draw, sports fans do not lose their wagers either. The outcome is considered a "push,"which in betting terminology means that the stakes are returned to the bettors.

Once again, the two-way moneyline is settled during the regular time, and extra time and penalties are not factored in. This is an important detail for soccerheads to consider.

Next popular market, totals (over/under)

Soccer also features another popular betting market: totals, commonly known as over/under betting among American bettors. This market asks players to wager on whether the total number of goals scored in a match will be over or under a set line.

The value is usually set at 2.5 points, and sports fans can bet on either over or under this number. So, if a game ends with 3 goals scored, this is over the 2.5 points, and anyone who has bet on this outcome will have their bets settled as a win.

The opposite is also true. If you bet that the game will be under 2.5 points and only two goals are scored, then you will have your bet settled as a win. It doesn’t matter who scores the points, as long as the total adds up.

By now, you will have noticed that this is exactly how totals work in most American sports, including the NFL and NBA, among others. The odds of a specific outcome will vary depending on who is playing and how likely a bookmaker thinks a certain outcome is.

Future bets on the FIFA 2026 World Cup

Another popular type of bet available for the World Cup is futures bets. These are placed early on, and they usually allow sports fans to place a bet on the outright winner of the event.

Let’s say the USMNT has +6000 odds of winning a World Cup title at the onset of the event. These odds are pretty long, but if the USMNT, say, progresses past its group without a single defeat, the odds will shorten for future bets placed at that time, only not in your case, because you locked in the selection on the futures bet.

What this means is that when you bet later on a team to win the World Cup, the potential payout will also be slightly worse. Accurately betting on a future soccer market can bring you a better payout.

In the above example, a $100 bet will lead to a $6,000 return in profit, but if the USMNT makes it to the playoffs, which are based on the knockout format through single elimination, the odds will change (new bettors would not have the opportunity to bet at such lucrative odds as the original +6000 bets), and the potential payout would be smaller.

Underdogs priced at +6000 are rarely likely to win an event outright, and there is a trade-off that soccer fans do here - they bet on a seemingly unlikely team to win by wagering a very small amount, for the potential of a much better payout.

As the odds improve throughout a competition for a team, however, the bet is settled at the original odds. If the USMNT makes the final of the World Cup, they will still probably be the underdogs, but if they win, they will be paying out based on the +6000 line.

Proposition bets on soccer games

Proposition bets are frankly some of the best you will come across. They are fun, out-of-the-box, and could potentially lead to more payouts, based on your inherent knowledge of the game, certain team and player trends.

However, they are also heavily influenced by trends, with bookmakers often homing in on player expectations. We have broken down some of the most common prop bets markets for the FIFA World Cup.

• First Team to Score: A pretty common market, bettors try to guess which team will score first in a game. Get it right, and you will secure the wager. An added twist here is that you may also choose a No Goal.
• Half With Most Goals: Once again, this is a popular prop bet where players simply have to choose which half will have the most goals scored during it. The second half is usually expected to see more goals, as teams strive to either catch up and are no longer conserving their energy as the 90-minute mark draws nearer.
• Both Teams to Score: This is a fairly self-explanatory market. Here, you are betting that each team in the game is going to score at least one goal. If this condition is fulfilled, you get to secure your wager and winnings thereof, regardless of the outcome.
• Half-Time, Full-Time: This market can be pretty exciting, as soccer games tend to be quite dynamic, especially at the world stage, where the very best players of the age converge. In this type of market, you try to correctly guess the result at the half-time, and then correctly guess the full-time result for your bet to be considered a winner.

Spread bets - how do these work?

Spread bets are another popular form of wager that you can pick for your World Cup betting. The spreads are essentially the same across all sports. You will be asked to bet on a team, factoring in the spread, which is a goal margin that is added or subtracted from the official score to settle the market. Here is a quick example.

USMNT and Australia are listed on the spread as -1 and +1, respectively. This means the USMNT must win by more than one goal for a winning bet, while Australia starts with a one-goal advantage for betting purposes.

For example, if the final score is USMNT (1) and Australia (1), then after applying the spread, it would be treated as USMNT (0) and Australia (2), meaning Australia would cover the +1 spread.

Based on this knowledge, you need to be careful about how you bet the spread, as each team’s final result is adjusted by the handicap before the market is settled.

Common mistakes to avoid in FIFA World Cup betting in 2026

Naturally, the World Cup will see extensive action going down, and this means that, caught up in the excitement of the tournament, some players, of varying skill levels, are prone to making mistakes. Here are some of the most common things to avoid.

Do not chase your losses

The World Cup is an emotional moment, and you may end up spending more than you intended to, especially if you are looking to make up for a loss. This is a common mistake that many sports bettors, even those who know better, engage in, leading to poor decision-making throughout the tournament.

Avoid betting on a team only because you root for it

A very common mistake you may make is to end up betting on a team only because you are rooting for that team. If your goal is to get the most out of your experience, you will need to focus on where the real money is.

Yes, England winning a second World Cup title and Argentina adding its name to the list of countries to have won back-to-back titles definitely sounds tempting. But ask yourself: do they have a chance, and when should you back them, and, conversely, move on?

Make sure you understand the markets you are betting on

Far more important than anything else mentioned so far here is understanding the core market you are betting on. You may be keen to bet on a specific prop bet, but ask yourself: do you truly understand the market or proposition you are wagering on?

Don’t be tempted by long odds because of their payout potential

Long odds are there for a reason; they reflect the probability of an event, and this is an important thing to keep in mind. That being said, it never hurts to have a bit of action on a handful of long shots, especially if you have spotted a trend that may have escaped linemakers.

Make sure you understand settlement rules

A fairly popular mistake is misunderstanding how the settlement of certain bet types works. The main rule is that only points scored in the regular 90 minutes, plus stoppage and injury time, will apply.

Image credit: Unsplash.com