World Cup 2026 Could Push Global Sports Betting Past $50 Billion

The numbers surrounding 2026 World Cup sports betting are almost hard to take in. With the tournament expanding to 48 teams and hosting over 100 matches across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, analysts have projected that total global wagers could exceed $50 billion. That would comfortably eclipse the $35 billion in bets the 2022 edition generated and position this summer as a turning point for the global sportsbook industry.

The scale of the opportunity comes down to simple math. More teams mean more games. The 2026 field runs roughly 60% more matches than the 2022 tournament did, which translates directly into more markets, more bets, and more handle for operators. Add in the continued rise of same-game parlays and player proposition wagers, both of which have seen sharp adoption in recent years, and the per-match betting average has room to climb well above the $500 million baseline set four years ago.

A Much Larger US Market This Time Around

The US market alone looks meaningfully different compared to 2022. At the time of the Qatar tournament, around 40% of Americans had access to legal sports wagering. That figure now sits closer to 65%, reflecting four years of aggressive state-by-state legalization. More Americans can bet legally this summer than at any previous World Cup, and the tournament is taking place on home soil.

Macquarie describes the US market impact as a “high-variance outcome.” The bank sees real upside but notes that the ultimate financial result will depend on how well operators retain the new customers the tournament brings in, and whether those bettors convert to broader iGaming products. Retention is the variable. Acquisition during a World Cup is the easy part.

Which Operators Stand to Gain

Not every sportsbook benefits equally from a tournament of this scale. Operators with established international footprints and integrated online platforms are best positioned to capture the bulk of World Cup-driven revenue.

Flutter Entertainment sits at the top of that list. The parent company behind FanDuel, Betfair, and PokerStars derives roughly 35% of its business from European markets, giving it direct exposure to the continent where football betting runs deepest. Rush Street Interactive is also flagged as a beneficiary, with around 20% of its operations concentrated in Latin America, a region where World Cup interest tends to be exceptionally high. SG&H Capital presents the most concentrated bet of all: 88% of its 2025 revenue came from countries with teams in the tournament.

Data and media companies round out the beneficiary list. Sportradar and Genius Sports, both of which provide betting infrastructure and media rights to operators globally, stand to see volumes spike as match counts climb and broadcasters expand their partnerships.

Macquarie projects that the leading operators could see a 2% to 5% boost to EBITDA in 2027, as elevated wagering activity from the tournament flows through into measurable earnings growth.

Beyond the Tournament

The bigger story here is not just the revenue generated during eight weeks of football. Large-scale tournaments have historically driven a sustained increase in account registrations and wagering activity long after the final whistle. Operators that acquire customers during the World Cup and cross-sell them into casino, poker, or other betting products stand to benefit well into 2027 and beyond.

That dynamic gives operators with broad, diversified platforms a structural edge. A sportsbook that can convert a casual World Cup bettor into a regular casino player extracts far more value from the tournament than one relying purely on match-by-match handle. For Flutter in particular, with the depth of product across FanDuel and its international brands, the 2026 World Cup sports betting window is less a one-time event and more an acquisition cycle with a very loud opening.

The tournament kicks off this month. The financial scoreboard will take considerably longer to settle.

Check out CasinoDaddy’s dedicated World Cup 2026 page to find the best bonuses and top football slots this year!