DATA.BET, a provider of solutions for sports betting companies, has prepared an analysis of betting activity during the world’s biggest event, the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The tournament became one of the most watched in the history of football, attracting a total of 6.8 million viewers across 104 matches in the three host countries: United States, Canada and Mexico.
Pre-match betting accounted for 63% of the total betting volume. In comparison, live markets maintained a steady share of 37% throughout the entire period, a split that remained remarkably consistent over the six weeks, regardless of the stage or the opponent.
Statistics-based markets accounted for more than 11% of the total betting volume, highlighting their importance alongside traditional betting options.
Total Corners emerged as the event’s most popular statistical market, ranking 10th overall in terms of amount wagered, despite the dominance of core markets such as 1×2 and Totals.
Bettors also created increasingly detailed combinations through the Bet Builder, frequently combining Corners, Yellow Cards and Team Totals with Anytime Goalscorer, a market underpinned by the consistent finishing of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.
In terms of teams, France generated the highest betting volume, followed by Spain, Argentina, England and Belgium. Together, the top five national teams accounted for 36.5% of the total amount wagered, demonstrating their strong popularity and appeal for betting throughout the event.
Some of the sharpest shifts in betting activity during the tournament came from outside the traditional favorites.
Cape Verde produced the biggest surprise of the group stage, while Egypt, led by Mohamed Salah, pushed Argentina to the limit in the round of 16, a campaign that drew worldwide attention and drove a clear increase in betting interest as the competition progressed.
“The scale of the event wasn’t visible only on the pitch, it was also reflected in our numbers,” said Yevhenii Ilchenko, head of sports at DATA.BET.
“The total betting volume of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the Intel Extreme Masters Cologne Major 2026 was split 58.5% for the World Cup and 41.5% for the Intel Extreme Masters Cologne Major 2026.”
Betting activity intensified as the championship progressed. Although the group stage featured a significantly higher number of matches and generated more than 33% of bets compared to the knockout stage, the betting volume was nearly identical and attracted virtually the same number of unique bettors as the knockout stage.
This was a sign that a smaller number of matches, but with higher stakes, carried the same weight as a full round of group stage games.
This shift was also reflected at the individual bet level: the average amount wagered during the knockout stage was 28% higher than during the group stage.
This pace increased steadily toward the final rounds, with the semifinals and the final generating the highest betting volume of any stage in the competition.
“What made this World Cup stand out was not a specific number, but rather the consistency with which bettors remained engaged over six consecutive weeks, right up to the final,” said Ilchenko.