Spain's 1-0 win over Argentina in extra time on Sunday put a bow not just on the 2026 FIFA World Cup but also sent sports betting operators out with a bang.
The last game of the tournament was the most-bet soccer match for multiple major U.S. sportsbooks.
Key Takeaways
- Caesars said the World Cup Final set numerous betting records, including a handle that was 65% higher than the previous mark.
- BetMGM said Spain-Argentina passed USA-Belgium for the most-bet soccer event.
- Sportsbooks mostly came out of Sunday’s match in good shape.
“The World Cup Final delivered the biggest soccer betting event in Caesars Sportsbook history,” the operator’s trading team said in a statement. “Interest was off the charts before kickoff, with pre-match wagering already surpassing our previous tournament record.”
Caesars said it set records for total wagering handle, total number of bets, and unique bettors. The amount wagered was nearly 65% higher than the previous record, “underscoring the extraordinary interest in soccer’s biggest match and the incredible momentum we saw throughout the tournament.”
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Bigger than USA-Belgium
BetMGM said the final match also set a new single-match betting mark, surpassing numerous soccer records from the summer. The USA-Belgium round of 32 match was the previous high, followed by England-Norway (quarterfinals), England-Mexico (round of 16), and England-Argentina (semifinal).
“The 2026 World Cup was record-breaking at BetMGM on many fronts, including the Spain-Argentina Final being the most-bet (tickets and handle) soccer match ever in company history,” BetMGM senior trading manager Christian Cipollini said.
The World Cup outshone nearly everything in the U.S. sports scene outside of the NFL.
BetMGM said more wagers were placed on Spain-Argentina than the NBA Finals games, Stanley Cup Final games, March Madness games, the 2025 World Series games, and College Football Playoff games (except the title game between Indiana and Miami).
Good outcome for the books
Spain’s thrilling win, which came on Ferran Torres’ goal in the 106th minute on Sunday, was a major win for the house.
BetMGM said it was the operator’s best single-match outcome of the event, but futures bettors came out on top in the World Cup winner market.
Mark Bickerdike, the head of soccer at Caesars, said the 0-0 draw in regulation was a good outcome for the sportsbook, as bettors went hard on underdog Argentina on the 3-way moneyline and To Lift the Trophy both before and during the match. The operator reported that 61% of the tickets backed Argentina, while Spain drew 52% of the handle to win in regulation. The draw only commanded 6% of the money.
“There were also plenty of tickets written on Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal to score, resulting in positive outcomes across both our straight markets and Same Game Parlay product,” Bickerdike said.
Spain claiming its second World Cup trophy was a “favorable result” in the futures market for Caesars overall, but there were still “plenty of happy bettors who backed them before the tournament, as they were our second most-wagered team heading into the competition,” Bickerdike said.
Massive event
When the 2022 World Cup was held in Qatar, there were fewer than 30 sports betting jurisdictions and a U.S. market that was just four years old. Evolution of offerings, strong marketing and promotions, and a home-soil tournament turned the World Cup into a massive summer betting event.
“This record-breaking final capped off a fantastic tournament. A home-nation World Cup brought high expectations for engagement and interest,” Bickerdike said. “Thankfully, the tournament exceeded even our most optimistic projections and we saw strong participation across Futures, event markets, and our Same Game Parlay product.
“There was some uncertainty around the impact of an extended tournament format, but World Cup fever took hold following the USMNT's promising start, and that enthusiasm continued throughout the knockout stages and into the final.”
Building toward football
DraftKings Sportsbook director Johnny Avello told Covers last week that the World Cup had met his expectations and left the rest of the company “pleasantly surprised” by the betting interest, which was likely to pass March Madness after the final.
“We've had some monster handle games,” Avello said. “We've had some really great days. We've had some days where we got totally destroyed.
Win or lose, this summer’s World Cup has helped sportsbooks build their customer base just in time for the heavily bet football season.
“They're going to have a bigger and wider population to cast a net over from a marketing strategy to get them involved in the NFL,” Matt Bakowicz, the Director of Sports Management Program at American University’s Kogod School of Business, recently told Covers.
