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The 2026 FIFA World Cup has seen an unprecedented 80% increase in betting volume, making it the most bet-on tournament in history. This surge in betting interest has left even the organizers stunned, with Sportradar, a global sports technology company, expecting to handle a record 8.5 million betting tickets for the final between Spain and Argentina.

Darren Small, senior vice president of Managed Trading Services at Sportradar, credits the expansion of the tournament to 48 teams for the increased betting interest. ‘We’ve seen an 80% increase in the ticket volume,” Small said. “So we’re seeing more bets and more active customers.

The World Cup has also seen a significant increase in individual players being bet on, with punters able to place bets on everything from Messi scoring with his left foot in the first 25 minutes to Spain winning 3-1 and there being 15 corners and 2 assists.

England may have to wait another four years to try to add a second star to their 1966 triumph but they have topped the betting table. Indeed the four semi-finalists — also the top four FIFA-ranked teams — drew the most interest. England attracted approximately 16.3 million betting tickets ahead of France (15.5m), Argentina (15m) and Spain (14.5m).

Historic English bookmaker Coral has also seen a significant increase in betting interest, with David Stevens, head of public relations, saying that their concerns over the expanded format had been put to rest by a group stage that threw up its fair share of surprises. ‘Our fear was there would be a large proportion of predictable results, with the so-called smaller nations offering little or no resistance to their established rivals,” Stevens told AFP.

‘But in the event, that was not the case at all. “Throughout the group stage there were plenty of matches where the result did not go according to the betting.” Stevens credits Cape Verde, who more than held their own against Argentina in the last 32, for being a major factor in the increased betting interest.

Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, has even hinted at the possibility of expanding the tournament further to 64 teams in the future. However, Stevens believes that there needs to be a point at which fans and punters alike switch off as a result of too many games.

Key Facts

• 80% increase in betting volume compared to the 2022 World Cup • 8.5 million betting tickets expected to be handled for the final • England topped the betting table with 16.3 million betting tickets • Cape Verde credited for being a major factor in the increased betting interest • FIFA president Gianni Infantino hints at expanding the tournament to 64 teams in the future