Globally, no sport is more popular than soccer, and betting on soccer (or football as it is called everywhere in the world besides North America) is the largest betting market in the world. If you’re a soccer fan, and new to betting, then this article is for you. We’ll explain the basics of wagering on soccer, and you’ll come away fully equipped to make your first soccer bet.
Soccer Betting Options
Let’s start with the most basic of bets.
3-Way Moneyline
The moneyline bet is found in most sports and you’re simply required to pick a winner, and then bet on the set of odds set for that game, which are chosen by the sportsbook. Unlike other sports, in soccer you can have a final score that’s a tie, also called a draw, which means there are three different final outcomes you can wager on. The three-way moneyline bet gives you three options to wager on:
1. Team A wins the game. 2. Team B wins wins the game. 3. Team A and Team B draw.
In the example below, you can see the 3-way moneyline in the first column. Italy is priced at +163, England is priced at +142 to win, and a draw at the end of regulation is priced at +221.
These wagers are based on the score after 90 minutes of play, and that includes the time added for stoppages. If the game requires overtime or penalty shoot-outs, those won’t count towards the bet as they aren’t a part of regulation time.
Draw No Bet or 2-Way Moneyline
The Draw No Bet in soccer betting simply presents adjusted odds with no Draw option.
Also called the two-way moneyline, this bet will be “pushed”, or canceled, by the sportsbook if the match ends in a draw.
Double Chance Betting
With a double chance wager, you’re betting on two of three possible outcomes. You can combine the win/draw for both team or lose the option for the draw altogether.
Team A to win or draw
Team B to win or draw
Either Team A or Team B to win
Because this bet involves choosing two of the three possible outcomes, your chances of winning are higher, however, the odds will be shorter.
Over/Under Total Goals
A popular type of bet for most sports, Over/Under betting on the Total is a great wager for soccer bettors. Sportsbooks will set the odds for a total number of goals they think both teams will score, and you decide on whether that total number of goals will be over or under the number given.
Generally, soccer games aren’t high-scoring affairs, so you’ll usually see the number set around 2.5, like in our example below. the usual over/under number is either 2.5 or 3.5. It’s a great idea to take a look at the team line-ups, as well as team stats that tell you how well a team is performing defensively, before placing your bet.
Asian Handicap Betting
The Asian handicap is a more in-depth way to bet on the spread. Developed to make betting on usually low-scoring games more interesting, an Asian handicap lets you spread out your bet across different potential results called goal handicaps, and introduces fractions of goals like .25 and .75 to the spread.
Let’s use this CONCACAF match between Guadeloupe and Jamaica as our example. If you bet on Guadeloupe at +1.25, you’re splitting your bet between two spreads — +1 and +1.5 in our example. If they lose 1-0, you’ll push on the +1 and win the +1.5. If they draws 0-0, you win both bets.
If you bet on Jamaica at -1.75 and they win 2-0, you win the -1.5 portion of the bet and push the -2. If Jamaica wins 3-0, you win both bets.
Soccer Futures Betting
Think you know which country will win the next Euro or World Cup? Then why not try your hand at making a futures bet! A futures bet is exactly what it sounds like, a bet on what you think might happen in the future. In our example below, you can see that the lines makers have priced Brazil as the favourite to win the next World Cup. As the list of contenders goes on, you’ll see the odds get longer for teams less likely to win.
Croatia is priced at +5490, which makes them a long shot to win, but if you put a conservative $10 bet on that outcome, and Croatia pulled it off, that $10 wager would result in a $550 win for you, including your original wager amount.
Live Soccer Betting
Live betting is an exciting option offered by some sportsbooks. The book will set new lines in real time, making wagering on these games much more immersive and thrilling. For our example below, you can see that you can wager on the next goal scored, and the odds set for that bet are determined by how the game has been playing out. Brondby FC is the bigger favourite to score next, which likely means that they’ve been having a much better game than Sonderjyske.
Throughout the game, you may see Live betting options like these, as well as the options such as a bet on which player you think will score the next goal.
