Soccer World Cup Betting Guide

We've broken down some of the key soccer betting terms as we look ahead to the 2022 Soccer World Cup.

Match Result Betting

You have three outcomes to bet on when wagering in the Match Result markets. You can either go for the home team to win, a draw, or you can back the away team to get the victory. It is worth keeping in mind that If the score is level after 90 minutes the bet is settled as a draw, regardless of what happens in extra time or penalties.

BTTS (Both Teams To Score)

The BTTS market has seen a big rise in popularity with the expansion of betting in the States. The name of this market is pretty self-explanatory, when you wager on “Both Teams to Score – Yes”, both teams must score a goal in order for the bet land. If you back “Both Teams to Score – No” then at least one of the teams must keep a clean sheet during the match. Unless specified differently on their website, most bookmakers will settle this market within 90 minutes plus stoppage time.

Stoppage time meaning: stoppage time is time added on at the end of the 90 minutes to account for any stoppages in play, such as injuries, goals scored or substitutions.

Over 2.5 Goals

If you love goals then this is the market for you. Essentially you are betting on a match to have at least 3 goals scored within the 90 minutes plus stoppage time. If the match finishes with 1 or 2 goals scored your bet has lost, if the match sees 3 or more goals scored you have a winner.

Goalscorer Markets

As the name implies, you are betting on a particular player to score a goal in the match you are betting on. There are a couple of variations to this bet: you can bet on your guy to find the net first, last or at any time during the match. Obviously if you back him to score at any time, the odds will be the shortest on that bet since there’s a higher chance of that happening. Sportsbooks often like to give out boosted odds in this market, depending on player form, or his stats from previous matches against the same opponent. On Twitter you may see these markets abbreviated to AGS (anytime goalscorer) or FGS (first goalscorer).

Player Carded

This market offers you the chance to bet on a specific player to be shown a card by the referee during a match. Similarly to the goalscorer market, there are also different card markets to choose from – you can bet on a player to ‘be carded’ which means either a yellow or a red card or you can bet on them specifically to be shown a red card. You can also bet on over/under how many cards (be it yellow or red) a referee will show during a match, how many cards will be shown in a half, which team will have the most players carded etc.

This market is popular with bettors who enjoy a live bet during a match. For example if you notice an attacking player having his way with a certain defender and getting under his skin during the match, then it might be a good idea to consider betting on that defender to get booked, as he may have to use force to stop the attacker from scoring.

Double Chance

If you fancy increasing your chances of landing a bet, then you might consider the Double Chance market. Obviously, the odds will take a bit of a hit here because you are backing two markets at the same time which increases the likelihood of the bet to land. Here are the possible combinations you can back:

• Home team or draw
• Away team or draw
• Home team or away team to Win

This market is also settled within the 90 minutes of play plus stoppage time, so whatever happens in Extra Time or Penalties will not have an effect on your bet.

Draw No Bet

The DNB market is similar to “double chance” in the sense of limiting your risk as much as possible when betting. To simplify things you are betting on a particular outcome, but if the match ends as a draw your stake is returned and the bet is void by the sportsbook. Keep in mind that the odds will likely be lower compared to betting on either team to win on the normal market.

Half Time Full Time

This market is a bit more complicated than the standard ones most bettors wager on. But, if you are a true soccer fan that goes deep into the statistical analysis and follows a specific team on a regular basis, then you can use that to your advantage here.

There are 9 different possible outcomes to this bet, but don’t let that confuse you. You are betting on the outcome at the end of the first half and at the end of the match.

For example: the United States are playing Wales in their World Cup opener. You can wager on the first half to end as a draw and then the United States to be the winner of the match at full time. Or you can bet on Wales to lead at half time and then the match to end as a draw. Depending on which combination you back, you can get really solid odds on these type of bets.

Shots On Target

As the name implies you are trying to correctly predict how many shots on goal a particular player will have during a match. The key to this market is the fact that only shots on target count here.

For example: if the ball is saved by the goalkeeper or is blocked on the line by a defender then it counts as a shot on target. If the ball goes wide of the goal or even hits the woodwork that shot does not count towards the bet. We strongly advise you to check your sportsbooks’ rules for settling this market as there are differences between them.

Wincast

The Wincast market can be categorized as a “long shot” market because you are essentially wagering on two markets at the same time. In order for the bet to land you will have to correctly predict the outcome of a match (be it a home win, draw or away win), plus you will have to combine that bet by predicting the player who you think will score a goal. The goalscorer can play for either team, not just the winning one.

For example: England takes on USA at the World Cup. You back England to Win + Raheem Sterling to score a goal. Your bet wins only if England win and Sterling scores a goal (first, last or anytime during the match, depending on your selection).

If England win and Sterling doesn’t score, then your bet loses. Obviously, if Sterling scores and England do not win, the bet is also a loss. If the player you have backed does not play in the match for whatever reason, then the selection is void and your stake is returned to you by the sportsbook.

Scorecast

In a nutshell, the Scorecast market is very similar to the Wincast market, with the only difference being that you are predicting the correct score of the match + the potential goalscorer (be it first, last or anytime).

Example: you back the United State to win 3:0 against Wales and Christian Pulisic as the first goalscorer. The odds for this type of bet would be massive, however with so many variables involved the chances of landing one of these isn’t all that high. It does make following the game a bit more interesting if nothing!

Asian Handicap

Don’t let the name confuse you – the Asian Handicap market is the soccer version of baseball’s run line or hockey’s puck line market. You have a couple of options when betting on this market: whole goal handicap or half-goal handicap. Let me explain how it all works.

England -1, United States +2

If you wager on England here, they have to win by at least a 2 goal margin in order for your bet to land. Obviously, if the match ends in a draw or England lose, your bet counts as a loss. If England wins by just one goal, then your bet is void as it’s canceled out by the -1 Asian Handicap, which essentially makes the result a draw.

If you bet on the United States, then you win if they win by whatever margin, if the match ends in a draw or if USA loses by 1 goal. If they lose by a 2 goal margin then your bet is a push as the +2 Asian Handicap makes the result a draw. If the US loses by 3 goals then your bet has lost.

The half-goal handicap simplifies things a little bit as it eliminates the possibility of a draw.

England -1.5, United States +1.5

If you back England, you need them to win by 2 or more goals for the bet to land. Winning by one goal, a draw or an England loss means that your bet has lost.

Backing the United States would mean that if they lose by 1 goal, draw or win the match lands your bet. If they lose by 2 or more goals, then your bet is settled as a loss.

It sounds a bit complicated at first, but after a few bets most bettors get accustomed to this market.

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