World Cup Betting Could Surpass Super Bowl and March Madness Wagers

Betting on the FIFA World Cup could reach unprecedented levels in the United States this summer. Analysts say wagering on soccer’s biggest tournament could even eclipse both the Super Bowl and March Madness.

Industry estimates suggest $2.9 billion will be bet on the World Cup at U.S. sportsbooks. That figure would more than double the amount wagered on the 2022 tournament, and experts say it could climb further if Team USA makes a deep run.

Betting on the NCAA basketball tournaments in the U.S. was expected to top $3 billion, while approximately $1.7 billion was wagered on Super Bowl LX between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. Those estimates come from gambling industry reporter Chris Altruda, who used state revenue reports to calculate the figures.

SportRadar vice president of Americas Brian Josephs compared the World Cup’s betting potential to a run of multiple Super Bowls. “The Super Bowl is the pinnacle, but the World Cup is going to be a couple dozen Super Bowls back-to-back-to-back-to-back over the span of six weeks,” Josephs said.

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Research firm Eilers and Krejcik Gaming projected that if Team USA exceeds expectations, wagers on the World Cup could climb as high as $4.4 billion at American sportsbooks. That number would outpace the handle for the 2026 NCAA basketball tournament.

Even if the U.S. team makes an early exit, sportsbooks expect a strong summer showing from bettors. Industry experts say favorable time zones and the excitement of hosting games in North America could draw both casual and dedicated gamblers.

Greg Karamitis, EVP and GM of sports for DraftKings, told ESPN that the addition of the World Cup will have an immediate business impact. “In general, the summer tends to be quieter. Injecting the World Cup into it totally reshapes the field of sports for the summer,” Karamitis said.

According to London-based consultancy H2 Gambling Capital, $1.7 billion was bet on all soccer last June and July with U.S. sportsbooks. The company expects much bigger numbers worldwide this year.

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H2 Gambling Capital estimates that $60 billion will be bet on the World Cup at regulated sportsbooks globally. That amount represents a 71% increase compared with the company’s estimate for the 2022 tournament. The higher total reflects the tournament’s expansion from 32 to 48 teams, adding 40 more matches and incorporating new legal betting markets, including Brazil.

In addition to traditional sportsbooks, bettors are turning to prediction markets — online exchanges that function like stock trades for sports outcomes. DeFi Rate, a media outlet that monitors those markets, projects that over $2.5 billion could be traded on the World Cup through U.S. prediction exchanges.

DeFi Rate analyst Cheryle Shepstone said the trading volume on the World Cup winner was expected to more than double what was traded on the NCAA basketball tournament winner.

The combination of expanded global betting, a larger tournament field, and growing U.S. gambling participation positions the 2026 World Cup as one of the most heavily wagered sporting events on record.

As sportsbooks prepare for the six-week event, analysts and gambling firms continue to track forecasts that suggest the World Cup could redefine the American summer betting calendar.

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