An Ultimate Guide to Soccer World Cup Betting in Qatar

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is expected to be the most-watched in the tournament’s history with a projection of five billion viewers tuning in.

If true, this will be a major upgrade from the 3.57 billion viewers that watched the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Soccer, better known as football in parts of the world, is a sport beloved by people across oceans. The World Cup is a tournament that people from all walks of life enjoy.

What’s better than watching the 2022 World Cup and cheering on your favorite teams? World Cup betting!

Making money on sports betting doesn’t have to be complicated. Keep reading for a complete breakdown of the World Cup groups, betting odds, betting options, and more.

How Does the FIFA World Cup Work?

Before you can start betting, it’s important to know how the FIFA World Cup works.

FIFA’s six continental confederations organize qualifying competitions for their member associations eligible to enter the competition.

The reigning World Cup champions must go through the qualifying stages, but the host is given an automatic berth in the Group Stage. This year, Qatar is hosting.

Eight teams are seeded and drawn into separate groups while the remaining 24 are assigned to different “pots” based on geographical criteria in most cases. Teams in each pot are randomly drawn into eight groups.

The 32 teams who qualify and are placed will play each other in a round-robin format. This is where each team is scheduled to play three matches against other teams in the same group.

The top two teams in each group advance to the final 16, also known as the knockout stage. The rest of the tournament is single elimination where teams compete in one-off matches.

If needed, the games will have extra time or penalties to decide the winners if the match is a draw after 90 minutes.

When Is the Draw for World Cup 2022?

The 2022 World Cup group stages draw took place on the first of April in Doha, Qatar. Understanding the groups for this year’s World Cup is important if you plan on betting.

This year’s World Cup groups are as follows:

• Group A: Qatar (hosts), Senegal, Netherlands, Ecuador
• Group B: United States, Wales, Iran, England
• Group C: Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Poland
• Group D: Denmark, Australia, France, Tunisia
• Group E: Germany, Costa Rica, Japan, Spain
• Group F: Morocco, Croatia, Belgium, Canada
• Group G: Switzerland, Brazil, Cameroon, Serbia
• Group H: Uruguay, South Korea, Portugal, Ghana

32 teams are available to bet on in this year’s World Cup for the last time. After this year, the number of teams will increase to 48 to allow the inclusion of smaller Asian and African associations.

Qatar was seeded in Group A because they are hosts and will play Ecuador in their first tournament game for the 2022 World Cup. Group A also includes tough opponents for Qatar, the Netherlands and Senegal.

France received the seeded spot in Group D while consensus favorite Brazil drew into Group G.

Despite winning the final CONCACAF qualifying stage, Canada ends up in a tough draw for their first World Cup appearance since 1986.

Some are calling this group, which includes last World Cup’s runner-up Croatia and Morocco, the “Group of Death.”

Mexico will also face some tough names in Group C, competing against Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Argentina. Argentina was the 2021 Copa America champions and Poland employs electric scorer Robert Lewandowski.

The World Cup will begin in November this year with the final being played on December 18, 2022. Although still months away, you can start placing bets on your favorite teams right now.

2022 World Cup Betting Odds

Bookmakers are offering the opportunity for bettors to bet on the World Cup in advance. For the World Cup tournament, it’s important to understand how these markets are calculated.

Major countries are the most popular options that bettors choose to put their money on. Brazil and France are always at the top of the list because they are known as strong football nations.

Most people expect these teams to at least reach the quarter-finals. Brazil is the current favorite for the trophy, backed by star player Neymar, and has commonly been at the top for most of the 2000s and 2010s.

However, Brazil hasn’t won the tournament since 2002 but desperately wants to break that losing streak in 2022.

The odds for every game depend on many factors, such as:

• Form
• Head to head
• Injuries
• Weather
• Travel

Most bookmakers are similar in what they offer for major World Cup countries like Brazil, France, Spain, Germany, and England.

You can use a World Cup odds calculator to learn about implied probability, profit, and total payout. You’ll enter a number, betting stake, and choose one of the three odds.

The three main types of odds a calculator may offer are fractional odds, decimal odds, and Moneyline odds.

Popular World Cup Betting Options

There are different World Cup betting options that some bettors prefer over others. Because the tournament is so prestigious and prominent, you might decide to place various bet methods to maximize your winnings.

Here are some of the most popular FIFA World Cup betting options:

World Cup Moneyline

In general soccer betting, the three-way Moneyline is a popular betting option. However, since the stakes are higher in the World Cup, the regular Moneyline betting type comes with less risk.

Most sportsbooks won’t offer the three-way Moneyline as there needs to be a winner of each game. If there is a tie at the end of 90 minutes in the World Cup, teams will get an additional 30 minutes of play.

Some sportsbooks allow you to choose the tie option depending on their rules. If there is a tie at the end of the 90 regulation minutes played, you’d win the bet.

In the World Cup, we suggest choosing the Moneyline of the team you expect to win to avoid any confusion.

When making a Moneyline bet, you’ll see the favored team and the underdog team. Your job is to decide which team will win the game straight up.

For example, Group A teams, Senegal and Netherlands, face off in the first game of the tournament on November 21, 2022. The odds right now stand at:

• Senegal + 390
• Netherlands -145

These odds indicate that the Netherlands is favored and Senegal is the underdog team. If you believe the Netherlands will win, you can place a bet on their -145 Moneyline.

World Cup Spread Betting

Spreads are popular for football betting or any type of professional sports betting. In soccer, spread betting goes by a different name, goal line bets, since soccer tracks goals, not points.

Soccer games are relatively low-scoring so spreads aren’t that high.

Most commonly, you’ll see a World Cup spread bet of -1.5/+1.5 which means the oddsmakers are giving the underdog a headstart before the game begins.

The underdog has to win the game or lose by one goal or less. The favored team needs to win by one or more goals.

Using the same teams above, an example of a World Cup spread would look like this:

• Senegal +1.5
• Netherlands -1.5

If you bet on the Netherlands, they would need to win by two goals for your bet to be a win. If you bet on Senegal, they need to lose by one goal or win the game for your bet to cash.

Over/Under or Totals Betting

Over/under betting refers to the total combined score for both teams. You will bet on whether you think the total score will be higher or lower than the oddsmaker’s set line.

Typically, these bets are shown in multiples of .5 but might be in whole numbers.

If the first game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup total was set at 4.5, both teams would have to score a combined five goals or more for the over to cash.

If you bet the under, the teams would need to score four or fewer total goals for the bet to win.

FIFA World Cup Futures

Before the tournament begins, FIFA World Cup futures are released on various sportsbooks. Futures are betting options with all teams named and their odds to win the tournament.

You can place your wagers in advance before the tournament begins. You can also bet as the tournament progresses and the odds change.

The previous winner usually sits on top of the odds board until the qualification round is over.

The France National Football team won the 2018 FIFA World Cup but since the qualification round is complete, someone else has taken over the top spot in terms of odds.

If you want to bet on futures right now, these are what the top five team odds are looking like:

• Brazil +500
• France +550
• England +700
• Spain +750
• Argentina +850

Keep in mind that the odds might differ by sportsbook and can change over time. Even though this is the case, odds won’t vary drastically by the sportsbook.

Because betting on an outright winner so far in advance is risky, the odds are higher.

If you bet $10 on Brazil winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup, you would win $50. In total, because you get back the money you bet when you win, you would receive $60.

Golden Boot Award Winner

The futures market will also include a bet on which player scores the most goals in the World Cup. This bet is also known as the “golden boot”. Some of the past Golden Boot Award winners are:

• 2018 – Harry Kane
• 2014 – James Rodríguez
• 2010- Thomas Müller
• 2006 – Miroslav Klose

This is a tougher market to win before the tournament begins but comes with a huge payout if you end up lucking out.

The top strikers are those who consistently score goals. Some of the players making waves in the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot odds for 2022 are:

• Kylian Mbappe
• Harry Kane
• Karim Benzema
• Christiano Ronaldo

Kylian Mbappe is an early frontrunner followed by the last World Cup Golden Boot Award winner, Harry Kane.

Mbappe is a good bet as France’s poster boy and his team look to win back-to-back World Cups, joining Italy and Brazil as the only countries to do so.

All top strikers should be considered if you want to play this type of futures bet because you never know what will happen.

FIFA World Cup Prop Bets

Different sportsbooks will offer World Cup prop bets as extra betting opportunities during a high-profile event. Prop bets are unique wagers that don’t have to do with the final outcome or score of a game.

Let’s say a prop bet asks: Will Team USA be eliminated at the 2022 World Cup? Then they might offer betting options that look like this:

• Eliminated Group Stage +100
• Eliminated Round of 16 +250
• Eliminated Quarterfinals +500
• Eliminated Semi-Finals +1000
• Eliminated in Finals +2400
• Winner of World Cup +5000

You might also see yes or no questions like: Will the 2022 World Cup be a rematch of the 2018 Final? You would then have the choice of two odds that could look like this:

• Yes +2500
• No -5000

Some sportsbooks will even offer prop bets that involve the temperature at the kickoff of certain games or the World Cup Final. It all depends on the sportsbook you choose.

Live Bets

When betting on soccer, a lot of people find that waiting for the match to start helps them up their winnings. 

Bettors can gauge the competition and might catch better odds to win a higher amount than they would have when placing a bet before the game started.

Bookmakers offer in-game betting, or live betting, on the World Cup and a lot of other markets.

World Cup Betting Tips and Strategies

The best way to bet on the World Cup is to learn about the teams you want to bet on and consider how the odds are calculated.

Find a country that finds form during the group stage and back them into the next stages if you feel like they can continue their winning streak. You might want to wait to place a bet to learn about injuries and weather.

Travel is also a consideration but it shouldn’t have much of an impact on this year’s World Cup compared to others. The unique thing about Qatar as a host country is that each stadium is located an hour from the capital.

Unlike Russia’s World Cup in 2018, teams won’t have to fly across the country to play games. Qatar offers better access to its eight stadiums.

When considering injuries, note if a team is missing important players. If they are, they’ll have to select more inexperienced players which could cause an upset in the tournament.

This is the first World Cup played in summer conditions so betting on teams that are used to playing in colder environments might not be ideal.

Countries more comfortable with the warmer conditions might have the advantage in Qatar.

Another important tip to follow is to check the important statistics for World Cup betting, such as:

• Team’s history in the World Cup
• Leading goalscorers
• 2022 World Cup Qualifying results
• Most successful countries

Using the above statistics will help you get an idea of the trends that have occurred in the past. Although teams grow a lot within the four-year period, some trends are common in each World Cup.

Along with these elements, you can take this free sports betting course to be better prepared for World Cup betting this year.

World Cup Soccer Betting System

Let’s be honest, betting on the World Cup and other sports is only fun when you are winning a good portion of your bets. With this World Cup Soccer Betting System, you’ll learn the right hacks to increase your winnings.

This system focuses on numbers. It uses data from international games to predict which teams have a better chance of moving forward.

Don’t try to predict the winner instead of the value and don’t choose with just a gut feeling. Get your bets backed by statistics to better your chances of winning.

Download the spreadsheet with formulas and earn more when you bet on the World Cup in 2022.

Where Can You Bet on the World Cup?

Betting online is easier than ever these days in places where sports betting is legal. You can find World Cup soccer bets on a variety of sportsbooks.

Click here to see a list of the best sportsbooks for the World cup and now let’s go over some of the top options:

Bovada

Bovada Sportsbook offers betting methods for every popular sports league on the North American continent. They also offer soccer championship betting from various corners of the world. This includes bets on the World Cup.

You can place standard Moneyline bets, point spreads, over/unders, and prop bets. Live bets are also a commonly used feature for Bovada users that permits them to place wagers while a game is active.

Bovada offers a 50% Welcome Bonus on sports bets for new users. You can receive your bonus now by making an early bet on the 2022 World Cup.

BetUS

BetUS also allows users to bet on the World Cup among other popular sports. Plus, they offer a Welcome Bonus of 125% up to $2,500.

One of the main benefits of BetUS is that it offers 24/7 customer service to its users. If you win bets, you can benefit from fast payouts within 24 hours.

If you don’t get your World Cup bet payout in a timely manner, you’ll have someone ready to help you with your problem at any time of the day or night.

Cloudbet

If you have a lot of Bitcoin stacked up, you can use your coins to bet on the World Cup with Cloudbet.

Cloudbet was among the first to offer Bitcoin betting support and has since then allowed for betting with other major cryptocurrencies.

Want to get started with Cloudbet right now? The registration process is simple and it only takes a minute to register an account on the site.

Once you fill out the form and verify your email, you can add funds from your currency choice and start betting right away. Along with soccer betting, they offer a wide range of sports for bettors.

NitroBetting

NitroBetting is newer in the sportsbook community, but it is still a viable option for those looking to bet on the World Cup.

This Bitcoin-exclusive sportsbook does more than allow you to make bets with crypto. They harnessed the power of blockchain technology to create a 100% anonymous sports betting system.

Compared to traditional online sportsbooks, the guarantee of security and lighting quick transactions is unmatched.

How to Place a Bet on the World Cup

Once you choose a sports betting site or platform that offers World Cup betting, you can create an account. You’ll need to enter certain details to be approved for sports betting and be in a state or country where it’s legal.

Once your account gets verified, choose a payment method to put funds into your account.

Go to the sports section and look for Soccer or Football markets relating to the World Cup. If you are using a platform that offers sports betting only and not casino games, the section will be easier to find.

Select your market and click on the World Cup betting odds of your choice to place a bet. The bet will be added to a betslip where you can choose how much money you want to wager.

Confirm your bet and find the placed bet in your account section. Some sportsbooks allow you to cash out your bets before a game starts or during a game.

You can take advantage of the cashout option if you mistakenly made a bet or want to lessen your risk. For example, if you bet on a game and your team was scored on, you can cash out to minimize the amount you lose.

World Cup Betting: Get Started Now

The 2022 World Cup in November is a ways away, but you can start World Cup betting by placing your early wagers now.

Understanding how the World Cup works and the different teams competing will help you place smart and profitable bets throughout the tournament.

Use the advice in this guide and our sports betting masterclass to learn how to build your own sports betting model for the World Cup. Or, use this tried and true Football Hack Soccer Betting System to place winning wagers.