World Cup Betting

A different type of sport comes to mind for most Americans when thinking about football. Especially now, with the NFL season in full swing. But billions of sports fans around the world are excited these days about another kind of “football.” With sports betting now legal in most US states, Millions of American sports fans are betting on the 2022 Soccer World Cup, joining the rest of the world in celebration of the Beautiful Game.  

The Qatar 2022 Soccer World Cup is finally here. With 3.57 billion people tuning into the 2018 World Cup Final, the soccer competition is the biggest on the planet. This will be the first World Cup where Americans can place wagers on games and teams to win the tournament. There are hundreds of ways to get involved in soccer betting, each adding a new dimension of excitement to the game. 

You don’t have to be a soccer expert to proudly back the US National Team or any other country you think has a chance of scoring. If you want to start betting on the World Cup, follow our guide below. Our team of betting experts at BettingAmerica explains where you can legally bet on soccer games and what types of wagers you can place. To get you started, we’ve also recommended some of the top US sportsbooks, offering generous welcome bonuses to boost your bankroll. 

World Cup Overview

More than 900,000 soccer fans are heading to Qatar to watch the games live. They will see 832 of the world’s best players from 32 nations fight for the biggest title of them all: the FIFA World Cup. The tournament kicks off on November 20 and begins with a group stage, where eight groups of four teams play each other once. The two teams with the most points in each group progress to the knockout stage.

The 2022 World Cup is being played in Qatar, with games taking place in eight stadiums across five cities. In the knockout stages, any team that loses will be eliminated from the competition until the top two remain. These two nations will play in the World Cup Final on December 18 at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.

There are many exciting ways to bet on the World Cup, including backing the famous US Men’s National Team (USMNT). As experts view the 2022 squad as the “Golden Generation” of US soccer, fans and bettors will be eager to see how the young squad performs. 

There are plenty of exciting players to wager on in other teams across the tournament. To progress in the tournament, the USMNT will have to face Wales in Group B, led by Welsh soccer legend and LAFC’s MLS Cup Final hero Gareth Bale. There are also many Premier League stars like Belgium’s Kevin de Bruyne and the Netherlands’ Virgil van Djik to consider in your betting. Not to mention, two of the greatest soccer players ever will take the World Cup for the last time. At 37 and 35, will Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo or Argentina’s Lionel Messi be able to claim the trophy? 

Where can I Bet on the World Cup?

Since the US Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) in 2018, each US state has been able to legalize sports betting. There are dozens of states where you can sign up with an online sportsbook and wager anywhere in the state. 

Every state has different regulations for sports betting you must follow. For example, some states have different rules for the legal gambling age. Make sure to check your state’s law on sports betting before signing up. You don’t have to be a resident of a state with legal sports betting, but you must be within its borders to place bets.

Using a legal US sportsbook is the safest and easiest way to bet on the World Cup. Many of these sportsbooks offer a welcome bonus and other promotions throughout the competition to boost your bankroll, so it is well worth getting involved. 

Every state with legal sports betting will have a local regulator that oversees what sportsbooks are available and ensures those sites are safe and compliant. For example, you can use BetMGM in New York, New Jersey, West Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Colorado, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia, Wyoming, Arizona, and Louisiana. Note that you can only make bets if you are physically located in the state.  

Soccer Bet Types

You can place dozens of exciting bets on World Cup games, where you can profit if your predictions are correct. Check out some of the most popular soccer World Cup bets below.

Moneylines

A moneyline is the most straightforward type of bet, making it one of the most popular wagers among Americans. Simply pick the team you think will win a game. You can also wager on the teams to draw. The sportsbook will offer odds for each option which will tell you how much you can win depending on your stake. If your prediction is correct, you get the money you get back, plus a profit. 

Totals

You’ll also see totals bets called over/under wagers, as a betting site will set a total, and you have to predict whether there will be over or under that amount. What you are predicting depends on the total bet. The most common is goals, where you predict the number of goals scored by both teams combined. 

Player Props

A player prop is a wager on the statistics of a single player where the final result doesn’t matter. For example, you can bet on a player to score a goal, and as long as that player hits the net, you’ll win your bet. You’ll also find player prop wagers for players to get a yellow card, a red card, or have shots on target. 

Overview

There are many exciting ways to get involved with World Cup betting wherever you are in the US. You can check out our US state guides to see the betting regulations near you. You can also look at our recommended sportsbooks and choose one for your soccer betting. When you sign up, claim a welcome bonus for the 2022 soccer World Cup.