FIFA World Cup 2026 Betting Odds

🤑 FIFA World Cup Free Bet	Bet €15 and Win a €10 Free Bet
☘️ Best Nations	Argentina, France, England, Portugal, Spain, Germany
🖋️ FIFA Betting Markets	Outright Winner, Match Betting, BTTS, Group Betting, To Reach the Final, Golden Boot Winner
💳 Deposit Methods	Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Instant Banking, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafecard, MuchBetter

Although the Irish national team will sit the summer out as Euro 2024 takes place, they’ll have high hopes of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup in 2026. This will be the 23rd iteration of the world’s most coveted international tournament, which will see a record 48 teams from six federations compete at the finals.

Here at Betiton Ireland, we consider ourselves to be the very best football betting site. We certainly offer an extensive range of FIFA World Cup 2026 betting markets and highly competitive odds, including early pricing on the outright winner. But what are the key considerations when engaging in FIFA World Cup betting?

2026 FIFA World Cup Hosts

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run between June 11th and July 19th, while it has the distinction of being hosted by three different nations (Mexico, Canada and the United States).

This is the first iteration of the competition to feature more than two co-hosts, although Morocco, Portugal and Spain have also been selected to share hosting duties during the 2030 World Cup.

There are 16 host cities and venues in total, including 11 in the US, three in Mexico and two in Canada. The MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey will host the showpiece final on July 19th, 2026, which will be the 104th match of the tournament.

Interestingly, this will also be the inaugural World Cup to feature 48 competing teams, which will be drawn from six confederations. The three host nations have qualified automatically, although 2022 winners and holders Argentina will have to compete in the CONMEBOL qualifying group. This means that 45 qualifying spots are available in total.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualification

Of the 45 remaining World Cup places available through qualifying, 16 will be filled by European nations from the UEFA Confederation. A further three Central American teams will emerge from CONCACAF qualifying in addition to the hosts, creating an opportunity for less fancied sides such as Panama, Jamaica and Costa Rica.

We’ll touch more on precisely how qualifying works later in this guide, but first here’s confirmation of each confederation’s representation.

⚽ Confederation	📌 Number of Qualifying Teams
✔️ AFC (Asia)	8
✔️ CAF (Africa)	9
✔️ CONCACAF (Central America)	3 (+3 Host Nations)
✔️ CONMEBOL (South America)	6
✔️ OFC (Oceania)	1
✔️ UEFA (Europe)	16
✔️ Play-Offs	2

Who Are the Favourites in FIFA World Cup 2026 Odds?

Despite having to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, UEFA nation France is the FIFA World Cup 2026 betting favourite here at Betiton Ireland. However, England and Argentina (who are the defending champions and defeated Les Bleus in a thrilling penalty shootout in 2022) are also among the front-runners, asare European giants Spain and Portugal.

Interestingly, Brazil are the second favourites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as they go in search of a record-extending sixth title. However, their FIFA World Cup betting odds have drifted during a torrid qualification campaign so far, with the Seleção currently occupying the sixth and final automatic qualification spot.

2026 FIFA World Cup Winner Odds

📌 Country	📊 Winner Odds*
👉🏼 France	6.40
👉🏼 Brazil	6.50
👉🏼 England	7.60
👉🏼 Argentina	9.20
👉🏼 Spain	9.95
👉🏼 Germany	10.90
👉🏼 Portugal	13.90
👉🏼 Netherlands	16.90
👉🏼 Italy	22.00
👉🏼 Uruguay	33.00

*Odds are accurate at the time of writing but subject to change

How to Bet on the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Betiton Ireland?

Now that you’ve analysed the latest FIFA World Cup betting odds, you may feel ready to place your first wager! You’ll first need to register for an account with Betiton Ireland, however, so here’s a step-by-step guide to kickstarting your online World Cup betting journey.

1. Start by visiting the Betiton Ireland sportsbook vertical. Then hit the Sign Up button in the top left-hand corner of the screen.
2. Then, confirm your chosen email, username and password. The username should be unique and the password secure.
3. At this stage, you’ll have to enter your legal name, date of birth, physical address and preferred currency through a second secure screen. This data will be used to verify your identity (and age) and set up your new account.
4. Once verified, you’ll notice the Deposit tab and your balance appear in the top left-hand corner. You can then confirm your preferred payment method and credit your account with €10 or more. Remember, you’ll need to deposit and wager €15 to qualify for the Betiton Ireland welcome offer.
5. Your deposited and bonus funds should land immediately. You’re then free to start wagering and building your first World Cup football betting slip, by browsing the relevant vertical menu on the left-hand side of the screen.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Betting Markets

Before you wager, it’s also important to consider the available range of football World Cup betting markets. Some of these are better known and more popular than others, including the following:

• Outright Winner: Our outright FIFA World Cup odds make France the pre-tournament favourites to prevail in 2026, but you can back any of the competing teams to lift the Jules Rimet trophy. Betting early on the favourites will unlock the most competitive World Cup 2026 odds, as teams like France have yet to even confirm their qualification so the risk is marginally higher.

• Match Result: The 2026 FIFA World Cup will see 104 matches contested in total, and you can wager on the outcome of each one. You can pick either a match winner or back the draw, even during the knockout stages as we base payouts on the result after 90 minutes. We’ll offer highly competitive odds for World Cup games throughout the entire tournament.

• Both Teams to Score (BTTS): Backing both teams to score (BTTS) is an even-money market and subset of match betting. This requires you to predict whether both competing sides will find the net during 90 minutes, while you can base your selections on the analysis for recent form and goalscoring exploits.

• Group Betting: The first phase of the World Cup will see teams compete in a round robin group format. The draw is seeded to favour the best sides, so there’s an opportunity to bet on the winner of each group or the two (or three) nations that will qualify for the knockout round of 32.

• Golden Boot Winner: In terms of individual player markets, the most popular requires you to bet on the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot winner. The Golden Boot is awarded to the tournament’s top scorer, while this market tends to be competitively priced due to the large number of potential winners.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Betting Odds

Here at Betiton Ireland, we use the decimal odds format to price betting markets. However, we also have an odds widget in the top right-hand corner of the sportsbook, which helps you to view prices in alternative formats. So, before you compare our World Cup 2026 betting odds, here’s a breakdown of each format.

• Decimal Odds: Decimal odds feature a single number to two decimal places. This number relays how much you can win for every €1 wagered successively (inclusive of your stake).

• Fractional Odds: Fractional odds comprise two numbers separated by a slash. The first tells you how you can win in relation to the latter (which represents your stake amount). The winnings here are calculated exclusive of your stake amount.

• American Odds: American odds are characterised by three-digit numbers accompanied by either a ‘+’ or a ‘-’ sign. The ‘+’ indicates a betting underdog, while the associated number relays how much you’ll win if you successfully stake €100. A ‘-’ sign reveals a betting favourite, with the accompanying number telling you how much you’ll have to stake to win €100.

Last 10 FIFA World Cup Winners

📅 FIFA Year	🏆 Winner	🥈 Runner-Up
1990	✔️ West Germany	Argentina
1994	✔️ Brazil	Italy
1998	✔️ France	Brazil
2002	✔️ Brazil	Germany
2006	✔️ Italy	France
2010	✔️ Spain	Netherlands
2014	✔️ Germany	Argentina
2018	✔️ France	Croatia
2022	✔️ Argentina	France

FIFA World Cup 2026 Betting Tips: How to Prepare?

Whether you want to bet on the World Cup winner or pick the team that will top a particular group, it’s important that you make informed selections and set optimal stake amounts. So, here are some World Cup online betting tips to consider ahead of 2026!

• Bet Early on Outright Favourites: When targeting the outright 2026 World Cup odds, it’s better to wager on short price favourites as soon as possible. This often enables you to realise optimal value, especially as the odds on teams like France and England winning could well shorten further as the tournament draws closer.

• Leverage Even Money Markets When Match Betting: BTTS and the over/under on how many goals will be scored during the 90 minutes are even money markets that can be accessed when wagering on matches. These markets enables you to create value through informed selections and build successful combination bets.

• Use Spread Betting During the Group Stages: The group stage often throws up mismatches between top seeds and minnows, and this trend will be even more prevalent as the tournament is expanded to include 48 teams. So, spread betting and applying at least -1.25 goal handicaps to short price favourites may also create greater value in some instances.

• Pick Golden Boot Winners from the Best Teams: Interestingly, 12 of the previous 16 World Cup Golden Boot winners since 1962 played for nations that either reached the last four or represented the hosts (including Kylian Mbappe in 2022). So, favour Golden Boot picks that play for the best teams and are likely to play an optimal number of matches.

Top 5 Countries with the Most World Cup Wins

📌 Nation	🏆 Number of Wins	📅 Most Recent Win
Brazil	5	2002
Germany	4	2014
Italy	4	2006
Argentina	3	2022
France	2	2018

How Does the FIFA World Cup Work?

Ahead of the 2026 iteration of the tournament, you can also access extensive World Cup football odds on qualifying here at Betiton Ireland.

Qualification campaigns have already gotten underway in every single confederation other than UEFA and Oceania, while the playoffs (which will determine the final two nations to reach the 2026 finals) are scheduled to take place in March 2026.

Here’s a glimpse at how qualification works in each confederation and the number of teams competing.

World Cup Qualifiers Europe – UEFA

Exactly a third of all competing teams at the 2026 World Cup finals will qualify from the UEFA Confederation, with 16 nations set to represent Europe on football’s biggest stage. UEFA qualifying will get underway on March 21st, 2025, some eight months after the final of Euro 2024 is contested at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

A total of 55 nations will compete in UEFA qualifying, across 12 groups of four teams or more. The 12 group winners will automatically qualify for the finals, while each runner-up and the four best performing Nations League group winners who finish outside the top two in their section will enter playoffs to compete for the remaining places.

World Cup Qualifiers Africa – CAF

CAF qualifiers feature a total of 53 competing African nations, each of which still has the opportunity to reach the finals. Nine automatic qualification slots are available to CAF countries (up from five in 2022), while one more team can also qualify via a playoff match. Qualification began on November 15th, 2023, with two rounds of fixtures having taken place.

Qualification initially comprises a round-robin format and nine groups, with the winner of each one reaching the finals. The four best-performing group runners up will then compete in playoffs to secure the final place, and these are set to conclude in November 2025.

World Cup Qualifiers Asia – AFC

Qualification in the AFC Confederation began way back on October 12th, 2023, with the first of five rounds having already concluded. Because of this, 15 of the 46 competing Asian nations have already been eliminated from FIFA World Cup contention, with the second round set to be finished this summer.

At this stage, 18 teams will be left to contest the third round robin qualifying round. This will run from September 5th, 2024 to June 10th, 2025, after which there will be another round of group fixtures and subsequent playoff. AFC countries now have eight automatic qualification places and nine in total.

South America World Cup Qualifiers – CONMEBOL

When betting on World Cup qualification, the CONMEBOL Confederation featuring South American teams is the most straightforward. Qualification here began in earnest in September 2023, with 10 nations competing in a single round robin format.

These countries play each other home and away over the course of 18 matchdays, which conclude in September 2025. The top six nations will automatically qualify for the finals, with the seventh-placed team left to compete in the Inter-confederation play-offs. As we’ve touched on, five-time WC winners Brazil are struggling to qualify for the 2026 finals automatically.

World Cup Qualifiers CONCACAF – North, Central American & the Caribbean

The CONCACAF federation comprises Central and North American nations and has already provided three qualifiers in the form of co-hosts. Three additional countries will automatically qualify for the finals after three rounds of round robin fixtures, while two will also compete in the aforementioned Inter-confederation play-offs.

Qualification matches began recently on March 22nd, 2024, with Turks and Caicos Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands having already been eliminated. This means that 30 CONCACAF nations can still qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals, with the confederation’s campaign set to conclude in November 2025.

Oceania World Cup Qualifiers – OFC

Oceania is perhaps the least interesting confederation when considering the best World Cup bets, as it features some of the lowest-ranked nations in the world. In total, 11 countries will compete for just a single automatic qualification spot, across three rounds of fixtures. The first round will take place in September 2024.

However, the country that finishes as runner-up during the third and final qualifying round will also compete in the Inter-confederation play-offs. The identity of both nations will be determined in March 2025.

World Cup 2026 Qualification Play-Offs

Our odds on the World Cup also include the Inter-confederation play-offs, which will be played in March 2026 and determine the final two qualifiers. This mini-playoff tournament will feature six competing teams from every confederation (apart from UEFA), with CONCACAF the only one to contribute two nations.

Two of the countries will also qualify based on their world rankings, while this four-match competition will take place in different nations. Australia and Costa Rica qualified through the Inter-confederation play-offs in 2022, with the CONCACAF member defeating New Zealand in their final game.

Responsible Gambling

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Bankroll management is key to responsible gambling, as it ensures you only ever lose an amount that you can afford to lose. Here at Betiton IE, we also offer a range of responsible gambling tools to our customers, including personalised deposit limits (which can be set each day, week or month), time outs and self-exclusion for up to five years.

Frequently Asked Questions about FIFA World Cup 2026