The expansion of the FIFA World Cup to 48 teams has significantly boosted betting activity, with an 80% rise in betting volume compared to the 2022 tournament, according to industry experts. This surge comes despite initial skepticism among fans about increasing the number of participating teams from 32 to 48.
Darren Small, senior vice president of Managed Trading Services at Sportradar, a global sports technology company, said the company has witnessed a substantial increase in both the number of bets and active customers. “We’ve seen record numbers and surpassed our expectations when compared to 2022,” Small said, noting the difficulty of a direct comparison since the previous tournament was held in winter. Sportradar projects that for Sunday’s final between Spain and defending champions Argentina, its 250 bookmaker clients worldwide will process approximately 8.5 million betting tickets.
Small attributed the growth not only to the tournament’s expansion to 104 matches but also to overall industry growth. England, which advanced to the semifinals but ultimately fell to Argentina, drew the most betting interest, with roughly 16.3 million tickets placed on their games. Following England were France with 15.5 million, Argentina with 15 million, and Spain with 14.5 million betting tickets. Matches with the highest betting volume included England’s 2-1 semifinal loss to Argentina (5.8 million tickets), England’s 2-1 quarterfinal win over Norway (5.7 million), and Spain’s 2-0 semifinal victory against France (5.3 million).
David Stevens, head of public relations at Coral, a longstanding English bookmaker, acknowledged initial concerns that a larger group stage might lead to predictable results favoring established teams over smaller nations. However, he said the group phase delivered unexpected outcomes, highlighting the performances of underdogs like Cape Verde. The team drew against Spain and Argentina before narrowly losing 3-2 in extra time to Argentina in the round of 32, earning widespread recognition among bookmakers and bettors alike.
The increase in betting activity has been fueled not only by wagers on overall match outcomes but also by a growing variety of betting options. Small detailed that bets covered a wide range of specific events, such as individual player achievements, exact scorelines, and other in-match occurrences. Examples included bets on Lionel Messi scoring with his left foot within the first 25 minutes, Spain winning by a 3-1 margin, and the number of corners or assists during a match.
The expanded tournament format and diversified betting markets appear to have combined to create a record-breaking level of engagement among football bettors worldwide.