Betting On Top FIFA World Cup Markets: Tips and Insights

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is just about to be kicked off in Qatar, so it’s prime time to take a better look at the World Cup football betting options. We can assure you there will be no trouble finding World Cup Betting markets, but finding the best value bets can be a bit trickier. 

World Cup outright betting is probably the most popular market, but betting on the underdogs, match goals, team performance, and individual players’ performance, like World Cup 2022 top scorer betting, might bring in the big bucks.

Let’s dive into the biggest World Cup betting markets!   

World Cup 2022 Winner Betting

While there are plenty of World Cup betting markets available, betting on the winner of the World Cup is arguably the most popular one. The first World Cup was played between 13 teams in 1930 when Uruguay hosted the tournament. The hosts also won the competition, but only seven more teams have conquered the tournament since then. 

Brazil holds the record with five titles from seven finals, followed by Germany and Italy with four titles each. Argentina, Uruguay, and France have won the title twice, while England and Spain have each lifted the trophy once. 

This time around, the tournament is played in unique conditions, as it’s the first time the World Cup is played in the middle of a desert. The conditions will not favor any team in particular, except maybe Saudi Arabia and the host Qatar. Still, with the material difference compared with the best teams, they are unlikely to put up much of a fight in terms of winning the title. 

The favorites are the defending champions France, the always-dangerous Brazil, Spain, and potentially Argentina. England, Germany, Netherlands, and Belgium might not be favorites, but if everything goes well, all of these teams could have a chance to make it to the final. 

Betting On The Dark Horses

Regardless of the market you are betting on, whether it is an individual player bet, team performance in the group stage, or the winner of the World Cup, you might want to consider betting on the underdogs. 

Betting on the so-called dark horses can often mean massive odds, though the risks are higher as well. It is highly unlikely that the tournament’s winner would be a total surprise, but in some markets, there might be some surprises ahead. 

You might find a lot of value when betting on individual matches during the group stage when betting against the favorites. For example, Iceland shocked the crowds in 2018 with a 1-1 tie against Argentina. Meanwhile, Mexico won Germany 0-1, only to have South Korea hand Germany another defeat with a 2-0 win over the clear favorites. 

One of the top World Cup betting tips we can give is this: when you have an idea about a potential upset, you might also want to check out the Asian handicap odds of World Cup 2022. Not only do you get a potentially better chance of winning with World Cup FIFA handicap betting, but you could also be looking at much higher odds. 

Match Goals

If you want to make things a bit more interesting than simply making the 1X2 bets, you should consider betting on match goals. There are often a few match goal markets available, like how many goals a specific team will score, but the most interesting market could well be the total match goals. 

You can bet on the exact number of goals or make an over/under bet, and if you want to take a bigger risk for a potentially bigger reward, you can combine the outcomes of several matches. 

In 2018, there were, on average, 2.64 goals scored per match. The goal line we’ll be looking at in most matches is likely over/under 2.5, and the later stage in the tournament, the more likely it is that fewer goals will be scored. 

If you are looking for betting advice with the World Cup in mind, you should also consider betting on both teams to score. In Russia 2018, the percentage of World Cup games where both teams scored was 50 %, meaning both teams scored in 32 of the 64 matches played. Betting statistics World Cup of last time offers is no indicator of the next tournament, but you might want to consider these stats when drawing up your World Cup football betting strategy. 

Team Bets

Betting on a team’s performance can bring excitement for the whole tournament or the group stage, depending on the bet. There are plenty of team performance markets available, and the odds can be very lucrative if you predict the overperformers correctly. 

One of the most common team bets is the stage of elimination. Pick a team and predict whether they will be kicked out of the tournament in the group stage, in the round of 16, or potentially later. Predicting an underdog to make it past the group stage can mean huge odds. 

In the group stage, you can also bet on a team’s point total. If a favorite has an easy group, such as Argentina, it might be tempting to bet on the teams getting the full nine points. Therefore, World Cup 2022 group C betting will probably be very popular, as it is Argentina’s group. 

As we are talking about sports, there are bound to be some surprises. In 2018, only Uruguay, Belgium, and Croatia won all three of their group-stage matches. One hot World Cup 2022 betting tip is trying to find the teams to surprise us all in the preliminary stages, or perhaps even later! 

Player Bets

You can make plenty of different player bets before the tournament starts. Many betting sites will keep these markets open during the tournament as well, but you should note that the odds can change dramatically during the tournament. Therefore, making the players as early as possible is highly recommended. 

With several individual awards to be handed to the best players, you can bet on the best goal scorer or best player of the tournament, the best goaltender, and the best young player. In addition to the official awards, some betting sites also offer odds for a few other player bets. 

Golden Boot – World Cup Top Scorer Betting

The Golden Boot is awarded to the player who scores the most goals in the tournament, and World Cup 2022 top scorer betting will likely be one of the hottest markets. In the last World Cup, the winner was England’s Harry Kane with six goals. Kane is again one of the favorites, but he will face tough competition. 

When making your bet for the Golden Boot, one key thing to remember is that the further the team goes, the more likely the star players are to score goals. For example, the Bayern Munich star Sadio Mane would probably be a decent bet, but Senegal is not likely to go too far into the playoffs. 

There are plenty of winner candidates this time around, with 2018 winner France’s Kylian Mbappe and the recent Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema looking strong. Argentina has played well leading into the tournament and has a fairly easy group, so you should not count out Leo Messi either. 

Golden Ball 

Golden Ball is given to the best player of the tournament. The winner of the 2018 World Cup in Russia was Luka Modric, who led Croatia to the final against France. The Real Madrid midfielder surprised many by taking the trophy, so could we be in for a surprise again? 

Last time the winner could have just as well been France’s Antoine Griezmann, for example, and again it looks likely that the Golden Ball will be awarded to one of the players in the teams making it to the final. 

When making your predictions, you should pay attention to the teams that could make their way to the tournament’s last match. It is unlikely that the Golden Ball will be awarded to the same player as the Golden Boot, so look out for game-making midfielders like Belgium’s Kevin de Bruyne, Brazil’s Casemiro, and France’s Kanté. 

Golden Glove 

Golden Glove is the award for the best goaltender of the tournament. The last prize was handed to Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois, who made enough saves to give Belgium the bronze medal, leaving England in fourth place. 

Courtois will have the chance to repeat the feat in Qatar, but many others are just as likely to lift the trophy. If Brazil makes it to the last matches, the Golden Glove could be given to Manchester City’s Ederson or Liverpool’s Alisson, depending on who gets the most minutes. 

France’s Hugo Lloris should not be dismissed, but as the Tottenham goalie has had a so-and-so start in the Premier League this year, it could be that his countryman Mike Maignan takes his place as the number one goaltender. 

There Will Be Plenty Of World Cup Betting Options

The 2022 World Cup has had its fair share of controversies, but despite all the commotion, some things remain unchanged: the world will see the best nations go head-to-head in the biggest sporting event of the year. You can be assured that there will also be no shortage of Qatar World Cup betting tips once the tournament is on its way. 

In addition to the betting markets we’ve discussed here, many other betting chances will be available throughout the tournament – and even after the whistle has blown on the last match and the champions are crowned. The award for the tournament’s goal is given once we’ve seen all the goals, and the most entertaining teams are also selected once the tournament is finished. The betting action doesn’t stop even after all the matches have been played! 

As we are indeed talking about the biggest event in sports, we are also talking about the most popular event among punters. You are likely to find hundreds of markets for each match, both pre-match and live bets, once the action kicks off, so the question is: will the Qatar World Cup 2022 be the biggest event of the year in terms of your betting profits, too?