The expanded FIFA World Cup has delivered a major boost to the betting industry, with wagering activity rising by 80 per cent compared to the 2022 tournament, despite the increase in the number of matches, according to a betting industry expert.
While many football fans initially questioned FIFA’s decision to expand the tournament from 32 to 48 teams, bettors appear to have embraced the new format.
“We’ve seen an 80 per cent increase in ticket volume,” Darren Small, Senior Vice President of Managed Trading Services at Sportradar, told AFP.
“So we’re seeing more bets and more active customers.
“We’ve recorded unprecedented numbers and exceeded our expectations compared to 2022, although that comparison is slightly complicated because the last tournament was played during the northern hemisphere winter.”
For Sunday’s final between Spain and defending champions Argentina, Small said Sportradar expected to process about 8.5 million betting tickets for its 250 bookmaker clients worldwide.
Sportradar, a global sports technology company, provides data and services designed to enhance the experience of sports fans and bettors.
Small said the company anticipated growth due to the tournament’s expansion to 104 matches but admitted the scale of the increase had exceeded forecasts.
“We expected growth because of the additional matches, but also because of the continued expansion of the betting industry,” he added.
England generated the highest betting interest despite falling short of ending their long wait for a second World Cup title since 1966.
The four semi-finalists—all of whom were also the top four-ranked FIFA teams—attracted the highest betting volumes, with England leading on approximately 16.3 million betting tickets, followed by France (15.5 million), Argentina (15 million) and Spain (14.5 million).
The most heavily wagered matches were England’s 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina, which attracted about 5.8 million betting tickets, England’s 2-1 quarter-final victory over Norway (5.7 million) and Spain’s 2-0 semi-final win against 2018 champions France (5.3 million).
David Stevens, Head of Public Relations at leading British bookmaker Coral, said concerns that the expanded tournament would produce too many one-sided matches proved unfounded.
“Our concern was that there would be too many predictable results, with the smaller nations unable to compete with the traditional football powers,” he told AFP.
“But that simply wasn’t the case.
“Throughout the group stage, there were numerous games where the outcome defied betting expectations.”
He singled out Cape Verde for exceeding expectations after the African side pushed Argentina to extra time in a thrilling 3-2 defeat in the Round of 32.
“Special mention must go to Cape Verde,” Stevens said.
“The Islanders have become bookmakers’ favourites after earning draws against both Argentina and Spain. In many ways, the fears we had before the tournament never materialised.”
Industry experts also attributed the surge in betting activity to the growing popularity of highly customised wagers beyond simply predicting the tournament winner.
“You can now bet on Messi scoring with his left foot in the opening 25 minutes, Spain winning 3-1, the match producing 15 corners or even two assists,” Small explained.
Encouraged by the success of the 48-team tournament, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has floated the possibility of expanding future editions to 64 teams.
Stevens, however, believes there should be a limit.
“Would we welcome a 64-team World Cup in four years? The simple answer is no,” he said.
“There comes a point where fans and bettors alike risk switching off because there are simply too many matches, and 64 teams feels like that point.
“However, if Mr Infantino wants it, it’s probably a safe bet that it will happen, given the influence he currently wields within FIFA.”
