World Cup
Bumper World Cup tipped to smash betting records
The 2026 World Cup is already setting sports gambling records before the knockout stage has even begun, with an increased number of teams and market-favourable kickoff times raising industry expectations that it could become the all-time biggest betting event.
The expanded 48-nation, 104-match World Cup is set to far surpass betting volumes of the 2022 tournament in Qatar, according to some industry leaders and experts, helped by more regulated gambling, deeper product offerings and the scale of the business in co-hosting the United States.
Flutter Entertainment (FLTRF.L), opens new tab, whose brands include FanDuel, Paddy Power, Betfair, Sisal, Sportsbet and Sky Bet, said that, beyond the U.S., the larger tournament meant greater engagement in markets where it has a strong presence, including Britain, Spain, Brazil, Australia and Canada.
“We’re expecting the World Cup to be the biggest betting event of all time, given the extended format as well as the benefit of it being partly hosted in our key market, the U.S.,” a Flutter spokesperson said.
The world’s largest online betting company expects to have around 10 million customers across its different platforms and to manage 100,000 bets per minute globally at peak World Cup moments.
“Overall, we expect staking to be at least double what we experienced in Qatar.”
BRAZIL, US OPENERS SET RECORDS
Macquarie forecasts total World Cup wagers above $50 billion globally, beating the $35 billion for the 2022 edition. A key driver of the increase is the changing regulatory landscape in the U.S., where access to legal betting has risen to 65% of the population from around 40% in 2022.
Reuters contacted some of the world’s biggest sports betting firms, collectively representing dozens of platforms, for their insights on trends during the first week of the World Cup.
The opening matches for the United States and Brazil were FanDuel’s top two soccer matches ever in terms of active customers, while the same two matches were the biggest events in its Sportsbook history for U.S. giant DraftKings (DKNG.O), opens new tab, for both handle and active customers.
Handle is the total amount wagered by bettors, while active customers are those with registered accounts.
Greg Karamitis, executive vice president and general manager for sports at DraftKings, said it had already seen “tremendous engagement” and a huge volume jump compared to the early stages of the Qatar World Cup.
“We’ve seen a 3x increase in first-time predictions customers and an increase of 87% in predictions trading volume since the start of the tournament,” Karamitis said.
“On the Sportsbook side, we’ve seen a 5x increase in handle compared to the 2022 World Cup.”
Deutsche Bank has a base projection of $3.3 billion for the World Cup handle in the U.S., led by FanDuel and DraftKings, nearly double projected figures for this year’s Super Bowl.
ENGAGEMENT SOARS, BUT FINANCIAL IMPACT UNCERTAIN
Entain Group, which counts Ladbrokes, Coral, BetMGM, Sportingbet, bwin and Sports Interaction among its brands, said match times and location were crucial factors for betting firms and it was benefiting from its U.S. and Brazil presence, though its CEO Stella David earlier this year anticipated a “rollercoaster ride” early on from increased teams and high-scoring, lopsided games.
Entain said it was too early to gauge performance, with a few surprising outcomes such as Spain’s goalless draw with Cape Verde offset by comprehensive wins for big teams and goals for Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.
But a challenge for betting firms will be turning the World Cup excitement into longer-term engagement.
Some firms have made wider and more favourable offers to entice punters, including big boosts on odds and allowing bets placed on certain players to transfer to their replacement if they are substituted.
Britain’s bet365 said it had paid out £30 million ($39.5 million) in the first 11 days of the World Cup from substitutions that included Crysencio Summerville scoring and assisting for the Netherlands against Sweden and Marcus Rashford coming on to score for England against Croatia.
William Hill, also UK-based, said it had made a six-figure payout from Messi’s first goal and a seven-figure payout in an eight-minute period to customers who backed co-hosts Mexico to score first in the fiery World Cup opener against South Africa.
Its in-play, player cards proved popular in that game, when three reds were given.
England‘s 4-2 win over Croatia was William Hill’s largest betting event to date, with the opening games for Mexico, Brazil and France the other most popular betting matches.
“We’ve been encouraged by the level of engagement. We are over 20% ahead of where we predicted to be after the first round of fixtures,” its spokesperson Lee Phelps said, adding that not all kickoff times were favourable for bettors in the UK.
The 39-day World Cup is primarily an opportunity for companies to bring in new customers rather than a near-term revenue driver, said Macquarie.
“The ultimate financial impact will depend on converting these players into repeat, multi-sport bettors,” it said.
-Reuters
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BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Paraguay will aim to preserve their unbeaten FIFA World Cup record against Asian opposition when they face Australia in their concluding Group D fixture.
The South Americans have never lost to an AFC representative at the World Cup, recording one victory and one draw from their previous two encounters.
Australia, meanwhile, are seeking to end another unwanted record. The Socceroos have failed to defeat South American opposition in five previous World Cup attempts, drawing one and losing four.
With qualification implications still hanging over the contest, both teams have plenty at stake as Paraguay seek to maintain their impressive record while Australia look to finally overcome their South American hurdle.
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World Cup
Jubilation as South Africa beat South Korea to reach World Cup knockout stage for first time
South Africa celebrated a first World Cup knockout berth with jubilant scenes on Wednesday after Thapelo Maseko’s second-half strike secured a 1-0 victory over South Korea, who still have a chance of advancing as one of the best third-placed teams.
Maseko fired into the bottom corner in the 63rd minute to put South Africa, who will face co-hosts Canada in Los Angeles on June 28, on four points behind Group A winners Mexico, who beat the Czech Republic 3-0.
South Korea, who started with talisman Son Heung-min on the bench, have three points.
South Africa had failed to advance from the group stage in their first three World Cup appearances in 1998, 2002 and 2010.
“It was a fantastic experience. It was so tough today, but it was a good game. I think tactically we were very good and it was difficult for South Korea to find space,” South Africa coach Hugo Broos said.
“We scored, then there were 20 minutes of heart-stopping moments. It’s historical, and I’m very happy for the guys. I’ve been working with them for five years.”
South Korea, who enjoyed most of the possession but lacked a cutting edge and inspiration, made the brighter start when Kim Min-jae’s header was cleared off the line by Aubrey Modiba after two minutes, before Lee Kang-in fired over from inside the penalty area shortly afterwards.
South Africa gradually grew into the contest and nearly struck in the 19th minute when Maseko raced onto a through ball, only for Lee Gi-hyuk to produce a superb last-ditch tackle.
Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu then made an excellent double save, first denying Thalente Mbatha before smothering Evidence Makgopa’s follow-up effort.
After soaking up the early pressure against a South Korea side that struggled to create clear openings, even with captain Son coming on at halftime, South Africa deservedly found the breakthrough.
Moremi slipped a precise pass into Maseko, who shifted the ball onto his left foot before drilling a low finish into the bottom right-hand corner to send his side into the last 32.
-Reuters
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BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Morocco have become the first African nation to book a place in the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 after securing qualification from Group C with a match to spare.
The Atlas Lions sealed their passage to the Round of 32 following a 4-2 victory over Haiti in Atlanta, capping an impressive group-stage campaign that also included a goalless draw against Brazil and a 1-0 victory over Scotland.
The result ensured Morocco accumulated seven points from their three group matches, guaranteeing progression and making them the first of Africa’s representatives to reach the tournament’s knockout phase.
Morocco’s qualification continues the country’s impressive World Cup pedigree after becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-finals at the 2022 tournament in Qatar. The North Africans have once again demonstrated their consistency on football’s biggest stage, finishing the group phase unbeaten.
While Morocco can now prepare for the Round of 32, the race continues for Africa’s other representatives. South Africa, Algeria, Egypt and DR Congo all remain in contention for qualification, while Tunisia have already been eliminated.
The Atlas Lions will now await their Round of 32 opponents as they bid to extend another memorable World Cup campaign and continue flying the African flag in the knockout rounds.
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