DATA.BET, a prominent sportsbook provider, has released an analysis detailing the betting activity surrounding the FIFA World Cup 2026. This tournament marked a significant moment in football history, achieving a remarkable combined attendance of 6.8 million across 104 matches hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Pre-match betting made up 63% of the total turnover, whereas live betting retained a steady 37% share. This distribution held steady throughout the six-week duration of the tournament, unaffected by the varying stages or competing teams.
Betting on statistical markets also played a crucial role, accounting for over 11% of total turnover. The Corners Total market stood out as the most favored statistical option, ranking 10th overall in terms of stake, despite the stronger presence of traditional markets such as 1×2 and Totals.
Bettors increasingly utilized the Bet Builder feature, often combining bets on Corners, Yellow Cards, Team Totals, and Anytime Goalscorer — a market buoyed by the exceptional performances of players like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, and Harry Kane.
At the team level, France attracted the highest betting stakes, with Spain, Argentina, England, and Belgium following closely behind. Combined, these top five teams represented 36.5% of the overall stake, reflecting their widespread appeal among bettors.
Notably, surprising shifts in betting interest emerged from outside the usual favorites. Cape Verde created significant buzz by delivering the largest surprises in the group stage, while Egypt, spearheaded by Mohamed Salah, pushed Argentina to the brink in the Round of 16, igniting global interest and an uptick in betting activity as their journey continued.
Yevhenii Ilchenko, Head of Sports at DATA.BET, commented on the tournament’s impact, saying, "The scale wasn’t just visible on the pitch — it showed in our numbers too. The combined betting turnover of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the Intel Extreme Masters Cologne Major 2026 was split 58.5% to 41.5% in favor of the World Cup."
As the tournament unfolded, betting activity increased, with the group stage generating more than 33% more bets than the playoff stage, even though both phases yielded nearly the same turnover and attracted comparable numbers of unique bettors. This indicated that the fewer matches of the knockout stage held significant weight, as evidenced by the higher average stake during playoffs, which was 28% greater than during group matches. This upward momentum continued, with the Semi-finals and Final raking in the highest turnover of any tournament phase.
Ilchenko remarked, "What made this World Cup stand out wasn’t one number — it was how consistently engaged bettors stayed for six straight weeks, till the final.", highlighting the ongoing engagement throughout the tournament's duration.
