The U.S. men's national team's match against Belgium may have ended in defeat, but it was an overwhelming success for sportsbooks.
Key Takeaways
- Eighty-one percent of the money at Caesars was wagered on the U.S. to advance to the quarterfinals.
- BetMGM took more bets on USA-Belgium than it did any NBA, NHL, or March Madness game this year.
- The game drew 42 million viewers, more than any non-NFL sports event this century.
World Cup fever gripped Americans in a way it hadn’t previously. A dominant 4-1 win over Paraguay in the Red, White, and Blue’s first match of the competition helped draw the attention of fans and bettors who had previously ignored soccer.
Spurred on by a Round of 32 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Caesars Sportsbook received a record number of bets from unique accounts for any soccer match.
“USA vs. Belgium set a new Caesars Sportsbook record for unique customers wagering on a soccer event, surpassing the mark established just a day earlier during England vs. Mexico,” Caesars' soccer trading team wrote. “Despite Belgium controlling the match for long stretches, fans remained highly engaged and delivered one last record for Team USA before its tournament run came to an end.”
One Caesars North Carolina bettor won $105,000 from a $52,000 wager at +102 odds for Belgium to qualify. A William Hill Nevada user also won $20,200 for the same bet, but with a $10,000 stake.
Despite those standout wins, the majority of Caesars’ bettors wanted the USMNT to advance for more reasons than just patriotism.
“Our customers were keen to see the USA progress to the quarterfinals, with 81% of handle backing them in the 'To Qualify' market and 78% of handle on the 'Match Betting' market,” Caesars said. “Given the attention surrounding Folarin Balogun, he was an extremely popular selection in both straight wagers and Same Game Parlays.
“There were still some happy customers, however, as 97.6% of our 'Both Teams to Score' handle was on 'Yes', which landed after just 31 minutes.”
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World Cup popularity hits new heights
BetMGM joined Caesars in its period of record-setting. PR manager John Ewing said the match produced more tickets than any soccer event in BetMGM’s history.
There were also more bets placed on USA-Belgium than there were in any games this year in the NBA, NHL, or NCAA Tournament, or any 2025 MLB playoff contest. The only College Football Playoff game that generated more bets was the Indiana-Miami national championship game.
USA-Belgium was the most bet (tickets) soccer match in @BetMGM history
— John Ewing (@johnewing) July 8, 2026
There were more bets placed on USA-Belgium than:
▪️ Any 2026 NBA Playoff game
▪️ Any 2026 NHL Playoff game
▪️ Any 2026 NCAA Tournament game
▪️ All 2026 College Football Playoff games except Indiana-Miami… https://t.co/vabnwmCbVI
Television companies also reported eye-popping numbers. A total of 30 million viewers tuned into Fox’s broadcast, while another 12 million watched on Telemundo. The 42-million-viewer total was more than any college football, NBA, MLB, or NHL game in history. The NFL is the only sport to draw more viewers this century.
“This was always going to be the USA’s toughest test of the tournament, but the nature of the defeat will be the most disappointing aspect,” Caesars wrote. “The USMNT looked unsettled from the first whistle, and the creativity and high tempo we had seen earlier in the competition unfortunately never materialized.
“Following (Monday’s) results, our Tournament Winner book at Caesars Sportsbook is in a strong position. The USA was by far our biggest outright liability, while Portugal ranked second, so seeing both eliminated on the same day was significant. France has been a popular selection in recent weeks following a series of impressive performances and now represents our biggest remaining concern in the outright market.”
More records to come?
If sportsbooks are looking for more betting records in the quarterfinals, their best bet will likely come in Norway’s matchup with England.
Norwegian striker Erling Haaland - one of the top candidates in Golden Boot odds - has become a popular player among many American fans. The combination of his prolific goal-scoring and endearing humor make him easy for casual fans to root for.
DraftKings Sportsbook reported that Norway had received more than 80% of the pre-match moneyline handle, showing that Americans are supporting the Scandinavian team in the quarterfinals.
