2026 World Cup Odds and Betting Lines

After the 2022 World Cup took place between November and December, the 2026 World Cup, which will be the 23rd edition, will once again take place on the customary dates. That’s between June and July. The start date is yet to be determined, but the Grand Finale is scheduled for July 19.

Expanded Format and Host Advantage in the 2026 World Cup

For the first time, the tournament will be jointly hosted by three countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States. A total of 16 cities will be involved, with USA covering most of the games, including the final.

The 2026 World Cup will also be the first with 48 teams. That’s an expansion by 16 compared to the previous seven editions. The teams will be split in 12 groups of four teams each, with the top two of each group and the eight best third-placed advancing to the knockout rounds.

Knockout Stages and Increased Number of Games

Now, the knockout stages include: Round of 32, Round of 16, Round of 8, the semifinals and final. The total of games played will increase from 64 to 104. That means that the tournament will last more than a month.

Each team will play at least three games. A victory means three points, while a draw means one point for each team. A defeat means zero points.

Canada, Mexico and USA are already qualified for being the hosts. Precisely, being the hosts will increase their chances in the 2026 World Cup Outrights lines. Since 1998, the host team made it all the way into the semifinals four times. However, France was the last host team to win the title in 1998.

Qualification Process and Confederations’ Representation

CONCACAF, which includes North and Central America, plus the Caribbean, will have six teams in total at the 2026 World Cup. CONMEBOL (South America) will also have six teams, while the AFC (Asia) will have nine and the AFC (Africa) will have eight. The OFC (Oceania) remains with one, while UEFA (Europe) remains with 16. Two more teams will qualify through the playoffs, which include all confederations except UEFA.

The qualifying process is different in each confederation, from a round-robin tournament in which the top four qualify to dividing all teams into groups in which the winner of each group secures a spot at soccer’s grandest stage.

Favorites and Title Defense in the 2026 World Cup Outrights Lines

Argentina is set to defend the title, which is why you’ll find La Albiceleste among the favorites in the 2026 World Cup Outrights lines. However, the reigning champions aren’t atop the odds board since at the time of writing they’re offering a +900 price, while France is +450 and England is +800. No team has won back-to-back World Cup titles since Brazil did it in 1958-1962.

The 2026 World Cup Outrights betting action begins now. That’s right, you don’t have to wait until the tournament starts to place some bets. Right now, you can choose between 77 teams to win the title.

As mentioned before, France leads the way thanks to a +450 price, followed by England at +800 and three teams at +900: Argentina, Brazil and Spain. Let’s say you bet on France at +450, that gives you the chance of winning $450 per every $100 wagered. Keep in mind that the price each team offers can change, before and during the tournament.

That’s why it’s important for you to keep track of how each team is doing in the qualifiers, how each team ended up qualifying, which players won’t be able to play due to injury, and the latest soccer news. For example, France’s chances wouldn’t be the same with Kylian Mbappe out due to injury.

Diverse Betting Options for 2026 World Cup Outrights

The 2026 World Cup Outrights will also give you the chance of betting on which team will win each group, which teams will advance to the Round of 32, which player will end up winning the Golden Boot and more.

Exploring Prop Bets and Match Betting

You can also take advantage of the prop bets, which give you even more chances to win. Prop bets usually don’t have much to do with the result. You can bet on which team will score first, total corners, total yellow cards, which player will score at any time, and if both teams will score, to name a few.

Finally, once the tournament starts, you’ll be able to bet on each match. You can pick a straight-up winner (moneyline). Let’s say France is facing England and you select Les Bleus to win. If they do, regardless of the score, you win the bet. You can also bet on the total, which refers to the total goals scored between both sides. If the total is set at 2½ goals and you bet on the over, you would need the game to have at least three goals, if not, you lose the bet. Finally, the handicap. If France is -1 against England, that means Les Bleus must win by at least two goals. Why? Because let’s say that they win 2-1, that -1 would make it 1-1.