As it is the most watched sports tournament on the planet, it is no surprise that World Betting is so prevalent. Below, your friends at the Punters Page have compiled a one-stop guide to everything you need to know about World Cup betting.
Table of Contents
- Best Betting Sites for 2022 World Cup Betting
- Best World Cup Betting Sites – Ranked
- Latest World Cup 2022 Odds
- World Cup 2022 Betting Tips & Predictions
- When & Where is the 2022 World Cup taking place?
- World Cup Betting – Qualifying
- World Cup 2022 Tournament Structure
- World Cup 2022 Key Dates
- World Cup 2022 Betting Strategy
- Popular World Cup Betting Markets
- History of the World Cup
- World Cup 2022 Betting FAQs
- ThePuntersPage Final Say
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#1
 bet365
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
Up to £100 in Bet Credits for new customers at bet365. Min deposit £5. Bet Credits available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. #ad |
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#2
 Betfred
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
New UK & NI customers only. Promo code SPORTS60. Deposit and place first sports bet of £10+ in one transaction, at odds of Evens (2.0)+, settled within 7 days of registration. First bet must be on Sports. £30 in Free Bets credited within 48 hours of bet settlement. 7-day expiry. Payment restrictions apply. SMS validation may be required. Max 30 Free Spins on Blue Wizard at £0.10 per spin. 7-day expiry. Full T&Cs apply. |
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#3
10bet
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
New Customers only; Min. deposit £15; Bonus amount 50% of deposit up to £50; Wager deposit and bonus 8x within 60 days; 4/5 Min. single odds or 2/5 min. acca selection odds; Max. stake contribution equal to the initial bonus; Certain bet types and payment methods excluded; See full terms; Terms apply; 18+ #ad |
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#4
 bwin
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
18+ | New UK players only | Min deposit req. £10 | Certain deposit methods excluded | Place 1 sport bet (3+ selections) | Excl Horse Racing | Min stake £10 | Max stake £20 | Min Odds 1/5 (1.5) for each selection | Max FreeBet £20 for football only | FreeBet valid for 7 days| FreeBet stake not returned | T&Cs apply #ad |
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#5
MansionBet
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
• Stake £10+ on any of our wide range of sports • Get a £20 Free Bet bonus, made up of 2x £10 Free Bets • Get your first £10 Free Bet upon qualifying bet settlement • After your first £10 Free Bet has been settled, the remaining £10 Free Bet will then be credited to your account #ad |
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#6
 Ladbrokes
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first 10 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 3x 10 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cashout, restrictions + T&Cs apply. |
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#7
 Coral
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
18+. UK+IRE only. Paypal & some deposit & bet types excl. Min first bet £10 at odds 1/2 or more. Tote and Pool excluded. Must be placed within 14 days of account reg. £30 credited as 3 x £10 free bets. Not valid with CashOut. Free bet valid for 7 days. Free bet stake not returned. T&Cs Apply. |
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#8
Marathonbet
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
New Customer Offer - Open to new accounts only. Deposit £20 and turnover your deposit five (5) times on the Sportsbook - trebles and accumulators (with three or more selections only), minimum odds each selection 1/2 (1.50) - and you’ll receive a £20 Free Bet. Additional deposits may be required in order to fulfil the turnover conditions, which must be met within 90 days of depositing. Bets placed using Free Bets or Bonus funds, or bets that have been Cashed Out, do not count towards turnover requirements. The Free Bet will expire seven days after being credited and can only be placed as a win only single bet on the Sportsbook. Free Bet stake not included in returns. #ad |
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#9
 Unibet
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
18+ begambleaware.org. New customers only. Min deposit £10. Money back as bonus if first bet loses. Wagering requirements: sportsbook 3x at min. odds of 1.40 (2/5), casino 35x. Unless forfeited the sportsbook bonus must be wagered before using the casino bonus. Bonus expires 7 days after opt-in. No deposit required for NI customers. Call 08081699314 to claim. Full T&Cs apply. #ad |
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#10
 SportNation
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
Valid for new UK customers who have registered from 15/02/2021. Qualifying stake must be on Horse Racing, Premier League, Championship or Champions League home or away selections. Free Bets have minimum odds of 1.2. Minimum odds of 1.8 on qualifying bet. Bets on the draw will not qualify for a free bet. Valid once per customer. Free Bet valid for 7 days. Free Bet max winnings is 20x Free Bet stake |
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Best World Cup Betting Sites – Ranked
Latest World Cup 2022 Odds
World Cup 2022 – Winner
| Team | Best Odds | Provider |
|---|---|---|
| France | 7/1 | bet365 |
| Brazil | 7/1 | Unibet |
| Germany | 9/1 | bet365 |
| Spain | 9/1 | bet365 |
| England | 10/1 | Betfred |
| Belgium | 11/1 | Betfred |
| Argentina | 12/1 | bet365 |
| Italy | 16/1 | bet365 |
| Netherlands | 20/1 | BetVictor |
| Portugal | 25/1 | Unibet |
| Colombia | 66/1 | bet365 |
| Croatia | 66/1 | bet365 |
| Uruguay | 66/1 | bet365 |
| USA | 100/1 | BoyleSports |
| Mexico | 100/1 | bet365 |
| Chile | 100/1 | Betfair |
World Cup Top Scorer Odds
The Punters Page will update the World Cup top scorer odds as soon as they are available.
World Cup 2022 Betting Tips & Predictions
With 32 teams set to battle it out for the trophy you may be struggling to pick your favourite. In addition, the knockout nature of the competition makes it even more unpredictable.
You should keep your eyes peeled to the Punters Page for updated tips as we get closer to the 2022 World Cup kicking off. In the meantime, find the favourites to win the world cup below.
France
France are the current holders of the World Cup, defeating Croatia in the 2018 final. That is not the only reason they have emerged as early tournament favourites this time around though.
Les Bleus possess the strongest squad on paper by some distance. Headlined by one of best players in the world, Kylian Mbappe, they have incredible depth in nearly every position. You could probably make a potentially World Cup winning XI just from the players France will be forced to omit from their 23-man squad!
Brazil
Brazil are always dangerous at a World Cup and during this qualification cycle they look especially menacing.
Few players at the tournament can change a game in the blink of an eye like Neymar can and they also have younger stars coming through. What’s more, their 2019 Copa America win proved they have the right mentality for a tournament victory.
England
After reaching the semi-finals in 2018 can England go one step further this time around?
The current crop of players is being cautiously christened as a ‘Golden Generation’ and by the time 2022 comes around many of them will be entering their prime years. A few defensive question marks remain but the Three Lions should still be considered contenders.
Portugal
Portugal are another team worth keeping an eye on. Although their price remains attractive, their chances are fairly strong.
Manchester United talisman Bruno Fernandes is as good as any midfielder at the competition and they have tournament pedigree, winning the Euros in 2016.
Germany
The 2022 World Cup will be Germany’s first tournament without Joachim Low at the helm since Euro 2008. Whether that will help or hinder them remains to be seen.
One thing is for sure, though, and that’s that Die Mannschaft have a very talented squad and will be high on the list of many world cup betting slips.
When & Where is the 2022 World Cup taking place?
The 2022 World Cup is being held in Qatar. This makes it the first tournament to be held in the Middle East and only the second to be held in Asia, after South Korea and Japan co-hosted back in 2002.
In another first, the 2022 World Cup will also be held in the winter as opposed to summer. The dates were switched after it became clear that players would struggle to cope with the sweltering Qatari heat in June and July.
The first game of the tournament will be played on 21 November and the curtain will come down with the final on 18 December.
World Cup Betting – Qualifying
The only team handed an automatic spot in the competition is hosts Qatar. Each of the remaining 31 sides are required to go through their confederation’s qualifying systems.
CAF
There are five spots allocated for African teams in the 2022 World Cup. Qualification kicks off in September 2021 and is split into three rounds.
- First round – The 28 teams ranked 27-54 in Africa play home and away over two legs with the winners progressing.
- Second round – First round winners and teams ranked 1-26 in Africa are split into 10 groups of four. Each team plays home and away with the ten group winners qualifying for the next round.
- Third round – The ten remaining teams play home and away with the winners qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.
UEFA
European teams have 13 spots allocated, the most of any continent. All 55 UEFA Nations enter qualification in March 2021 and are divided into 10 groups of five or six teams. The ten first placed finishers earn automatic qualification to the 2022 World Cup.
The 10 runners-up are afforded a second chance to qualify via the play-off stage. Here, they are joined by the best two UEFA Nations League group winners and split into three different paths of four teams each. These sides then face off in single-legged semi-finals and finals with the three pathway winners progressing to the World Cup proper.
AFC
There are four rounds to Asian World Cup qualifying with 4.5 teams allocated a place in the World Cup. After the first two stages, which began in June 2019, 46 teams are whittled down to just 12. These sides are then split into two groups of six with the top two from each earning qualification.
The two third place teams then progress to the inter-confederation play-offs where the best losers from across the world battle it out for the remaining places.
CONCACAF
North, Central American and Caribbean teams are afforded 3.5 spots in the competition with the three round qualification process beginning in March 2021.
In the first and second rounds CONCACAF teams ranked 6 to 35 are reduced down to three. These teams then join the top five sides in an eight-team group. Each team plays each other home and away with the top three progressing. The fourth place team goes into the inter-confederation play-offs.
OFC
Oceanic sides are only given 0.5 places in the 2022 World Cup. It has not yet been confirmed when qualification will get underway but when it does, the 11 OFC teams will be split into two groups.
Each side plays once in a neutral location, with the top two of each group progressing to the second round. Here there are two semi-finals and a final with the winner going into the inter-confederation play-offs.
CONMEBOL
South American qualification kicked off in October 2020 and it is the most straightforward process of any confederation.
The 10 CONMEBOL teams meet home and away with the top four teams progressing. The fifth placed side goes into the play-offs.
World Cup 2022 Tournament Structure
Once the 32 teams have qualified, they are drawn into eight groups of four. Each team then plays each other once with three points awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss.
Points are tallied in table and the top two teams from each group progress to the round of 16. In the event of two nations being level on points the following tie breaker criteria are used:
- Goal difference
- Goals scored
- Points from group stage matches involving the tied teams
- Goal differential in group stage matches involving the tied teams
- Goals scored in group stage matches involving the tied teams
The draw for the round of 16 is fixed and seeded. For instance, the winner of Group A plays the runner-up of Group B and the winner of Group H plays the runner-up of Group G. Starting at this stage all games are one-legged with extra time and penalties used if the scores are level after 90 minutes.
Eventually teams are eliminated until two remain for the final. There is also a third-placed game contested between the two losing semi-finalists. Naturally world cup bets can be place on any game throughout the tournament.
World Cup 2022 Key Dates
- World Cup 2022 draw – April 2022
- Inter-confederation play-offs – June 2022
- World Cup Opening Ceremony & first group game – 21 November 2022
- Round of 16 begins – 3 December 2022
- Quarter-finals begin – 9 December 2022
- Semi-finals begin – 13 December 2022
- Third place match – 17 December 2022
- Final – 18 December 2022
World Cup 2022 Betting Strategy
If you are planning to do some World Cup betting in 2022, you are going to need a plan. Make sure you follow TPP’s golden rules and you cannot go wrong.
World Cup Betting Promotions
As we get closer to the tournament more and more UK betting sites will attempt to entice you in with lucrative sign-up offers and special promotions.
These have great potential to improve your World Cup betting. For instance, taking advantage of any free bet offers could allow you to do some matched betting.
Use World Cup Statistics
Using statistics is always a vital ingredient in any sort of football betting. It is even more important when the World Cup rolls around.
Featuring players from across the world, looking at the relevant stats increases your knowledge without having to trawl through hours of gameplay footage. The Punters Page’s Kickform page will be helpful and when the tournament rolls around, there will be hundreds of other outlets offering in-depth statistical analysis or all the biggest World Cup games.
World Cup Accumulators
Accumulators can be a great way to make the most of your money when World Cup betting. They consist of many smaller bets which when combined can create some huge odds.
As there are multiple games on every day, the World Cup is the perfect tournament for accumulator betting. Make sure you check out the Punters Page’s accumulator betting guide before you get started.
Watch the Games
One thing we have discovered is that in-play betting is a lot easier if you are actually watching the match in question.
There is little excuse to not be watching every World Cup match as well. It is the highlight of the football calendar after all. Bet365, Ladbrokes and Unibet are great places to live stream all the action.
Be Realistic About Your Knowledge
As tempting as it may be to place a bet on Honduras vs Peru – or whatever other crazy ties the 2022 World Cup draw throws up – if you do not know much about either team you should steer clear.
Instead, place world cup bets that match up with your knowledge base. Do this and you will maximise your chances of securing a win.
Popular World Cup Betting Markets
Winner
This is one of the most exciting World Cup betting markets around. Here, you are trying to predict which team will win the entire tournament.
Backing a winner can add another reason to get behind your favoured team, or keep you engaged in the competition when your favourite side is knocked out. You need not place this world cup bet before the tournament starts either. If you like the look of a dark horse after a few games you may be able to get a good price on them winning the whole thing.
Group Winners
There are eight different groups to bet on at the World Cup, so this market offers you plenty of different opportunities. You could even place an eight-fold accumulator including all of the group winners.
Of course, some will be harder to predict than others. Be particularly careful when betting on any ‘Groups of Death’, as these are always fiendishly hard to anticipate.
Goals Over/Under
On every single World Cup game you will be able to place an over/under goals bets.
When making your selections for this market there are a few things to consider. First and foremost you need to research both teams. If they are both prone to low scoring games a bet of under 1.5 goals is smart. However, if there is a free-flowing attacking team involved, you are best to bet on the opposite.
Situational factors are also important. If you are betting on a group game in which a draw will send both teams through, it is likely to be a cagey affair. Meanwhile, a match involving two sides with nothing to lose will be more open.
Double Chance
World Cup betting is perfectly suited to Double Chance. This market allows you to bet on two outcomes of a match instead of one.
There are many underdogs at the World Cup each year and betting on them can often seem like a waste of time and money. Double Chance changes that, allowing you to bet on a less fancied side either getting a win or a draw.
Top Goalscorer
This is one of our personal favourite World Cup betting markets as there is often great value to be found in it. As the World Cup is played over such a short space of time, the best players do not always score the most goals.
If you manage to select a surprise contender before the tournament kicks off you could win big.
Special World Cup Betting Markets
Many betting apps will house special World Cup 2022 betting markets as the tournament edges closer.
These include markets on which players will be selected in each team’s squad, Player of the Tournament, most yellow cards and many more.
History of the World Cup
The World Cup was the brainchild of former FIFA President Jules Rimet, who the trophy is named after.
The very first tournament was held in 1930 with hosts Uruguay seeing off 12 other nations to win. Two further tournaments followed in 1934 and 1938 before the 1942 and 1946 competitions were cancelled due to the Second World War. Things got going again in 1950 and since then the competition has been held every four years.
Over time the competition underwent several format tweaks. In 1982 the number of teams was expanded to 24 with 32 being admitted from the 1998 tournament onwards. From 2026 48 teams will be admitted.
The World Cup is hosted somewhere different every year. The tournament has been held in five continents so far with Australia the only continent not to host so far.
Previous World Cup Winners
| Year | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | France | Croatia |
| 2014 | Germany | Argentina |
| 2010 | Spain | Netherlands |
| 2006 | Italy | France |
| 2002 | Brazil | Germany |
| 1998 | France | Brazil |
| 1994 | Brazil | Italy |
| 1990 | West Germany | Argentina |
| 1986 | Argentina | West Germany |
| 1982 | Italy | West Germany |
| 1978 | Argentina | Netherlands |
| 1974 | West Germany | Netherlands |
| 1970 | Brazil | Italy |
| 1966 | England | West Germany |
| 1962 | Brazil | Czechoslovakia |
| 1958 | Brazil | Sweden |
| 1954 | West Germany | Hungary |
| 1950 | Uruguay | Brazil |
| 1938 | Italy | Hungary |
| 1934 | Italy | Czechoslovakia |
| 1930 | Uruguay | Argentina |
Who has won the most World Cups?
| Team | Number of World Cup Wins |
|---|---|
| Brazil | 5 (1958, 1962,1970, 1994, 2002) |
| Germany | 4 (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014) |
| Italy | 4 (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006) |
| Argentina | 2 (1978, 1986) |
| France | 2 (1998, 2018) |
| Uruguay | 2 (1930, 1950) |
| England | 1 (1966) |
| Spain | 1 (2010) |
World Cup Key Stats
- Germany’s Miroslav Klose is the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer with 16 goals.
- Brazil is the only team to appear at every World Cup in history.
- Prior to the 2022 tournament beginning, only three players have played in five World Cups: Antonio Carbajal and Rafael Marquez (Mexico) and Lothar Matthaus (Germany).
- Pele is the only player to have won three World Cups
World Cup 2022 Betting FAQs
When will the 2022 World Cup take place?
The tournament will kick off on 21 November with the final taking place on 18 December.
Where can I watch the 2022 World Cup live?
In the UK, the BBC and ITV are sharing coverage of the tournament.
Who has won the most World Cups?
Brazil hold the record for the most World Cup wins with five
Why is the 2022 World Cup being played in the winter?
The 2022 World Cup was initially scheduled to be played in the summer as normal. However, it was switched to November and December to avoid the sweltering Qatar heat.
What is the best World Cup 2022 betting site?
Bet365, closely followed by Betfred and 10bet, is the best World Cup betting site we recommend.
Will the World Cup 2022 affect the Premier League and European competitions?
Yes, Qatar World Cup will take place in winter instead of summer which will impact the football competitions taking place during the winter months. The plans to accommodate for the World Cup have not been confirmed yet, but it has been suggested that the Premier League will start one week earlier and end one week later. That would mean that the Champions League and FA Cup finals would be pushed to June.
ThePuntersPage Final Say
The World Cup is always the highlight of the footballing calendar and although the 2022 tournament will be a bit different, we do not expect this to change.
The competition features the very best players on the planet, epic drama and uplifting underdogs stories. No wonder World Betting is so popular with punters all around the world.
Articles assigned to ThePuntersPage.com are created by our community of contributors to ensure the most up-to-date and best possible content.
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