World Cup 2026 Betting Guide

World Cup betting is underway ahead of the tournament in America, Canada and Mexico – and BetMGM UK is here to get you up to speed.

Our World Cup betting guide has everything you need to know about the 2026 edition of football’s biggest tournament.

From outright World Cup bets to live football odds on individual matches, we’ve got you covered.

This guide to World Cup betting is designed to prepare punters for a huge summer of football in 2026. We’ll explain how the World Cup works, reveal the favourites to lift the trophy, and offer some 2026 World Cup betting tips.

Let’s dive in!

>> Join BetMGM today and trigger a sports welcome bonus to use on the World Cup

When and where is the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

The 2026 World Cup takes place between 11 June and 19 July 2026. It’s longer than the traditional one-month timeframe because the World Cup has expanded from 32 to 48 teams.

There are now 12 groups, with the top two teams in each group progressing to the last-32 (not the last-16, as in previous editions). Eight of the 12 third-placed teams will also advance to the knockouts.

It means a team reaching the final will have played eight games over the course of the tournament.

The 2026 World Cup takes place in 16 venues across in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

The World Cup host stadiums are:

USA

• Dallas Stadium - Arlington, Texas (capacity 94,000)
• New York New Jersey Stadium - East Rutherford, New Jersey (capacity 82,500)
• Atlanta Stadium - Atlanta, Georgia (capacity 75,000)
• Kansas City Stadium - Kansas City, Missouri (capacity 73,000)
• Houston Stadium - Houston, Texas (capacity 72,000)
• San Francisco Bay Area Stadium - Santa Clara, California (capacity 71,000)
• Los Angeles Stadium - Inglewood, California (capacity 70,000)
• Philadelphia Stadium - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (capacity 69,000)
• Seattle Stadium - Seattle, Washington (capacity 69,000)
• Boston Stadium - Foxborough, Massachusetts (capacity 65,000)
• Miami Stadium - Miami Gardens, Florida (capacity 65,000)

Canada

• Toronto Stadium - Toronto (capacity 45,000)
• BC Place Vancouver - Vancouver (capacity 54,000)

Mexico

• Estadio Azteca Mexico City - Mexico City (capacity 83,000)
• Estadio Monterrey - Guadalupe (capacity 53,500)
• Estadio Guadalajara - Zapopan (capacity 48,000)

Who are the favourites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

Outright betting odds on the World Cup are already live at BetMGM UK, so you can bet on who will win the World Cup before teams have even qualified.

The current World Cup odds* suggest Spain are narrow favourites ahead of Brazil, France and England to lift the trophy.

• Spain – 4/1
• England – 13/2
• France – 13/2
• Brazil – 7/1
• Argentina – 9/1
• Portugal – 11/1
• Germany – 12/1
• Netherlands – 18/1

*Odds correct as of October 2025 and are subject to change

The World Cup odds will change as we get closer to the tournament and will be in constant flux once the games get underway. However, it’s likely these teams – from Spain to Netherlands – will remain favourites even during the group stages.

>> You can bet on the World Cup winner odds at BetMGM UK today!

World Cup 2026 Betting Markets Explained

While the World Cup winner odds get plenty of attention before the tournament starts, there are many more football odds to bet on between now and the last whistle in the final on 19 July 2026. Below are the most popular World Cup markets at BetMGM UK:

• Outright Winner – A bet on which team you think will win the World Cup. You can also bet each way on this market and earn a return if your chosen team reaches the final but loses.
• Group Stage Betting – Bet on teams to exit the group stage, or where they’ll finish in their group. This is an outright bet that will still be active during the tournament.
• How Far England Will Go In The Tournament – The question all of us are asking. Will England lift the World Cup? You can bet on the round England will exit the competition (or go all the way!).
• Player of the Tournament – Also known as the Golden Ball, bet on who will be named Player of the Tournament. The Golden Ball is not always given to someone on the winning team in the final.
• Golden Boot Winner – Bet on who will score the most goals at the World Cup. You may need to strike a balance between a player guaranteed to start for their team but also likely to progress deep in the tournament.
• Golden Glove Winner – This award is given to the best goalkeeper in the tournament, and is usually awarded to someone who saves their team a couple of times in the knockouts.
• Accumulators – BetMGM UK offers extensive football accumulators on the World Cup. Bring multiple bets into one big wager and maximise your odds. You need to win all individual bets in your acca in order to win, but the payoff is the higher odds. Learn more about accumulator bets here.
• Match Result (Home/Draw/Away) – The most popular football bet out there is the match result. You can bet on a Home Win, Draw or Away Win. There aren’t “home” teams at the World Cup, so for this tournament the first team on the odds list is allocated the “home” slot.
• Both Teams to Score – A simple side bet to the main event, BTTS means you’re backing both teams to find the net at some point in the game. It’s an ideal bet when you’re not supporting either side but want to enjoy the action.
• Over/Under Goals – Bet on whether a team or the overall match features more or fewer than a set number of goals. For example, you could bet on England vs Germany to feature +2.5 goals. If three are scored, you win your bet.
• Correct Score – Bet on the final score, rather than the result. This is a trickier bet to get right but the payout potential is much higher.
• First Goalscorer / Anytime Scorer – Bet on a player to score first or at any time in a match.

How to Bet on the FIFA World Cup 2026

If you’re asking ‘how can I bet on the World Cup?’ then step this way. It’s never been easier to place a football bet at BetMGM UK – and you can get going in just a few minutes.

Start by joining BetMGM UK. Enter your details when signing up and be sure to trigger a welcome bonus when making your deposit. Once you’ve signed up, head to our World Cup betting hub or use the search bar to find the World Cup market.

You’ll see all the latest outright and live bets available on the World Cup. Click a market or game you like the look of, and then check out the odds. Click your chosen bet type and the odds you want to back, and this will open the bet slip.

From here, enter your stake in the bet slip to see your potential winnings alongside your risk. Once you’re happy with the bet, click to confirm it!

You can also download the BetMGM UK app and sign up on your Apple or Android phone/tablet. Set notifications to get updates on your World Cup bets and follow all the action live!

Previous Winners of the FIFA World Cup

Only eight countries have ever won the World Cup from 22 previous editions. The 2026 World Cup could produce a new winner, with Portugal and Netherlands leading the BetMGM UK odds for possible first-time champions.

Here’s a list of World Cup winners, from Uruguay’s inaugural success in 1930 through to Argentina’s remarkable triumph in 2022:

Betting Tips for FIFA World Cup 2026

No guide to World Cup betting is complete without some tips, right? Below are some core World Cup tips that focus on overall strategy before the tournament begins.

BetMGM UK’s team of experts will be presenting more detailed World Cup tips in the weeks leading up to the tournament, when we know the groups and squads.

For now, here are some core tips on how to bet on the World Cup.

• Do Your Research – This is the biggest tip anyone will give you. Research is king in football betting – and it’s even more important at the World Cup. Why? Because you might be betting on teams you’ve never followed before. It’s important to look at recent results, especially in pre-tournament friendlies, and track the form of each team’s top players.
• Don’t Bet Blind – If you’ve not done your research and have never bet on a certain team before, don’t bother at the World Cup. You’re better off focusing on teams you know about and players you're familiar with. Betting blind invariably leads to losses.
• Bet With Your Head – We all want to bet on our favourite teams to win the World Cup but is it actually realistic to do so? Successful World Cup betting is about pulling the emotion away from the game and better with cold, hard clarity. It would be amazing for Canada to beat Germany but would that actually happen? Probably not.
• Use Odds As A Guide – The football odds reflect probability, so if a team is 10.00 (9/1) to win a match then they have a 10% chance. That’s not great, is it? When betting on the World Cup, consider the likelihood of bets winning, rather than just focusing on the potential profit. A low-profit winning bet is better than all losing bets.
• Check Injury News And Lineups – This is a 48-team World Cup with games coming thick and fast. Players are going to get injured; teams will be disrupted. Check injury and team news before betting to ensure you haven’t missed something big.

Dos and Don’ts of Betting on the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Before we wrap up this betting guide for World Cup fans, let’s take a look at the smart and not-so-smart things associated with considering a bet.

Dos:

• Bet with your head, not your heart
• Look for odds that you believe offer significant value
• Look for in-play betting opportunities at BetMGM UK if watching live
• Use betting promotions to maximise your value potential
• Set a betting budget and stick to it

Don’ts:

• Don’t bet blindly on teams you don’t know
• Don’t chase losses with high-stake bets
• Don’t place multiple bets on the same game that may cancel each other out
• Don’t place bets while tired, especially on games played during the night in the UK

Bet on the 2026 World Cup Here