2026 World Cup Betting Guide: The Best Markets for First-Time Bettors
There’s plenty of excitement surrounding the imminent start of the 2026 World Cup, and while much of the attention will be on the matches, a substantial amount of focus will also be devoted to the betting industry throughout the tournament.
Bettors from around the world are already placing wagers on the competition, and many fans who do not typically bet will also be getting involved this summer.
However, figuring out where to start can be overwhelming for complete beginners.
While tools such as the AceOdds betting calculator will help you figure out potential winnings, knowing the different types of wagers available will help to maximise your experience.
These three markets are among the most popular for first-time bettors and could be the perfect entry point for many during the World Cup.
Draw no bet
For new bettors who want to minimise the chances of an unsuccessful bet, draw no bet wagers are one of the best ways to do so.
Instead of being confronted with three options – home team to win, draw, or away team to win – a draw no bet wager will only let you back either team to win.
Of course, if the team you back loses, then you lose your bet, while a win results in a payout. However, if the teams draw, your stake is refunded.
For group stage games at the World Cup, where stalemates are commonplace as no team wants to suffer a hammer blow early on, draw no bet wagers offer a valuable safety net if you back an underdog and they come up just short.
In the knockout stages, though, matters become more complicated due to extra time. These bets only count for regular time (90 minutes plus injury time).
If the match is level at the final whistle, your bet is simply voided and your stake is refunded, regardless of who goes on to win in extra time or penalties.
Over/Under goal betting
For over/under betting, bookmakers will set a line as a half-measure and will ask bettors to predict whether there will be more or fewer goals than that figure.
For example, in the opening game of the World Cup between Mexico and South Africa, the line might be set at 2.5.
If the final score is 2-1 and your wager was ‘over 2.5 goals’, you would win the bet as there were a total of three goals in the game.
These markets are incredibly popular for first-time bettors due to their simplicity, but working out where potential value might lie does require researching how clinical a team is in front of goal or how leaky their defence might be.
That being said, if you have reason to believe that a particular fixture might be high or low-scoring, these bets can offer more value than just predicting a winner.
Bets with a higher line such as ‘over 4.5 goals’ will have longer odds and therefore potentially a larger payout.
Winner double chance
Double chance betting for World Cup matches provides a similar safety net to draw no bet wagers. Instead of predicting a single result, you cover two of three possible outcomes with a single bet, thereby reducing your risk.
Interestingly, many sportsbooks also apply this same process to predicting the overall winner of the competition.
For these outright bets, punters will pick two countries to win the World Cup instead of placing all their hopes on a single team.
For example, you might predict Spain or France to win the tournament, meaning that your bet would pay out if either team lifts the trophy.
Of course, betting on two teams instead of one shortens your odds. However, ‘winner double chance’ betting helps to spread the risk in the event that one of the teams you back is eliminated early on.
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