Betting on the FIFA World Cup Online

The FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle of international football, held every four years and organized by FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). It brings together the world’s top national teams to compete for the most prestigious trophy in football. With billions of fans tuning in globally, it is not just a sporting event but a cultural phenomenon, offering unparalleled excitement and opportunities for sports betting. The tournament spans over a month, featuring group-stage matches and knockout rounds, culminating in a dramatic final that crowns the world champion. Given its global popularity, the FIFA World Cup is a hotspot for betting enthusiasts, offering diverse markets and competitive odds for bettors worldwide.

The FIFA World Cup is undoubtedly one of the biggest sports events attracting huge attendances and viewership. For example, the 2018 World Cup finals between France and Croatia had an average live audience of 517 million viewers, with peaks of up to 1.1 billion viewers during the match. The tournament also dominates online sport betting sites. So, why is the FIFA World Cup popular among punters?

Bettors like betting on sport tournaments, especially the most prestigious competitions, such as the World Cup. As soccer is the most famous sport worldwide, it's common knowledge that bettors will be busy betting on the World Cup now that when the tournament is on, the focus of the entire sports betting world is on this competition.

The World Cup is held at a time when the top-flight soccer and sport leagues, for example, the Barclays Premier League, are not running, so bettors only have the World Cup as the main competitive soccer competition to bet on. The competitiveness of the event, the talent, and of course, the passion that punters have for their favorite teams is the biggest reason the FIFA World Cup is among the most popular sports for betting enthusiasts.

Betting on the FIFA World Cup is an exciting way to engage with the tournament while having the chance to win big. With numerous betting markets available, understanding the basics can improve your odds and overall experience. At BettingRanker we make sure to review top safe betting sites to ensure a smooth experience for bettors. Here’s how to bet effectively on the FIFA World Cup:

• Find a Reliable Bookmaker: Choose a licensed sports betting site with extensive World Cup markets, competitive odds, and attractive soccer betting bonuses. Ensure the platform offers convenient deposit and withdrawal methods.
• Analyze the Teams: Understand the teams participating in the tournament. Assess their strengths, current form, key players, and relevant head-to-head statistics.
• Research Expert Predictions: For those less familiar with soccer, consulting predictions and tips from experienced punters can provide valuable insights.
• Avoid Betting Blindly: Make well-researched decisions instead of relying purely on chance. Analyzing data increases your chances of winning.
• Stay Updated: Keep track of World Cup fixtures, schedules, and major developments to spot opportunities for strategic betting.

The next FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026. This tournament will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, marking the first time the World Cup is held across three countries.

The road to the World Cup starts with qualifications held in the 6 FIFA confederations - Africa, North and Central America and Caribbean, Asia, South America, Oceania, and Europe. Each confederation oversees the qualifications, while FIFA decides the number of spots each confederation gets based on the strength of the teams in the confederations.

Qualifications start as early as 3 years before the event and spread over 2 years. Qualification formats vary depending on the confederation. As it stands, the host country gets automatic qualification.

The FIFA World Cup has traditionally featured 32 teams, a format in place from 1998 through 2022. However, starting with the 2026 tournament, the competition will expand to include 48 national teams. This expansion aims to provide greater representation across different regions and enhance the global reach of the tournament.

Group stages

In the group stages, there are 12 groups, each with 4 teams that battle it out in a round-robin championship where each team plays the other 3 teams in the group. A team gets 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a loss. After the 3 matches are played, the number 1 and 2 teams advance to the knockout stage, as well as the 8 best third-placed teams across all groups.

Knockout stages

The FIFA World Cup knockout stage is a single-elimination tournament where teams face off in one-off matches. The knockout stage starts with the round of 16 before advancing to the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finally culminating in the finals. For the record, teams that lost in the semi-finals battle it out for third place on the eve of the finals.

Even though there were international soccer tournaments before, it was not until 1930 that the inaugural FIFA World Cup tournament was played in Uruguay. It was contested by 13 teams from North America, Europe, and South America. The first two matches were played simultaneously on 13 July 1930.

One match that pitted France against Mexico ended 4-1 in favor of France, while the other match between the US and Belgium ended 3-0 in favor of the United States. In the finals, the host, Uruguay, carried the day, beating Argentina 4–2.

During the early years of the championship, war, and intercontinental travel greatly hindered the tournament's success. For example, few South American teams had the will to travel to Europe for the 1934 tournament, while some countries boycotted the 1938 World Cup. Then came the Second World War, which led to the cancellation of the 1942 and 1946 tournaments.

Luckily, after the end of the war, FIFA ironed out several issues, and the 1950 World Cup became a success. It was the first tournament to include British teams, which had withdrawn from FIFA in 1920.

Brazil remains the most successful team in this tournament, having won it a record 5 times, and is the only team that has participated in all the World Cup tournaments. Italy and Germany follow it with 4 titles apiece.

The current champion is France, who clinched their second title in the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament hosted in Russia. The team walked away with the coveted trophy, USD 35 million in prize money, and the right to brag with the FIFA Champions Badge until the next World Cup.