A Complete FIFA World Cup Betting Strategy - Tips & Tricks

World Cup Overview

The FIFA World Cup is one of, if not THE, biggest international tournaments in the world despite it happening only once every four years. Considering how large the scale of it is, it makes perfect sense for the entire process to take all this time; the elimination process is no easy feat and spans six confederations, after all.

Before we get into what the best World Cup betting strategy is, it’s important to at least have a brief idea of how the World Cup unfolds. You certainly don’t want to begin your sports betting journey blind, with no idea of even how World Cup fixtures are determined, or why the World Cup qualifiers take at least two years!

Just to give a brief overview before talking about a World Cup betting strategy, the FIFA World Cup is held between all participating countries across six confederations: Africa (Confederation of African Football, or CAF); Asia (Asian Football Confederation, or AFC); Oceania (Oceania Football Confederation, or OFC); Europe (Union of European Football Associations, or UEFA); South America (South American Football Confederation, or CONMEBOL); and North and Central America and Caribbean (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, or CONCACAF). 

Each confederation has its own rules for eliminating the competing teams within their regions. From there, the qualifiers move forward into the Group Phase, Knockout Stage, and then the final tournament of quarter-, semi-, and third place-finals and then of course, the championship match that we always wait for.

There are many ins and outs to the qualifying process, but what’s the latest on the upcoming World Cup in 2022? Let’s take a look so we can set up a solid World Cup betting strategy!

What’s The Latest With The World Cup?

As of writing, the world is gearing up for the 22nd FIFA World Cup that’s set to begin its Group Phase in November 2022 across various stadiums in Qatar. Despite some complications during respective qualifying rounds due to the pandemic (and its subsequent limitations on traveling and close contact), the tournament can proceed as planned! Of course, one of the major changes in this year’s tournament is that it’s set much later in the year than the usual June/July schedule. It’s not pandemic-related, however; the move to the cooler months of the year was to avoid having to play and watch in the intense Qatari summer heat!

There are now 32 teams who have qualified for the Group Phase and the group draws are final; there are 8 groups with 4 teams each, and they’ll play in a round robin format where the top 2 teams from each group will then advance to the Knockout Phase. 2022 is the last year where in only 32 teams will advance, as the World Cup in 2026 will increase to 48! 

Now that we’re up to speed, how about getting on with that World Cup betting strategy?

World Cup Betting Strategy

It’s true, there’s no one foolproof way to bet on anything, whether you’re playing at a live casino or getting into sports betting and esports betting. However, there are several things that any player can do or keep in mind when trying to build an ideal World Cup betting strategy. As such, Oppa888 has put together a list of tips for players who are interested in dipping their toes into the proverbial sports betting ocean. 

Remember, while this World Cup betting strategy will guide you in the right direction, only you can really determine what method is best for you! This will, however, give you a good place to start.

1. Understand the basics of the World Cup.

This article may have talked about the overview of the World Cup, but you can never go wrong with doing a little research to better understand the nooks and crannies of the tournament. You may be familiar with football in general already but the World Cup is a whole different beast altogether! You’ll at least want to be familiar with World Cup terms so that you’re not completely confused when forming a World Cup betting strategy.

2. Learn about handicaps, odds, parlays/accumulators, and other football betting terms.

On top of what was mentioned above about familiarizing yourself with the terms and processes of the World Cup, you definitely can’t even begin to form a World Cup betting strategy without first understanding the relevant sports and football betting terms. After all, how can you make an informed decision about what bets to place if you don’t even know what that betting market covers?

As such, it’s absolutely essential for a responsible gambler to understand basic betting terms such as a parlay or accumulator (when one makes multiple wagers under one bet), handicaps (an advantage given to one team to even out the betting field), odds (how much you win versus how much you bet). 

3. Take advantage of odds.

Betting based on odds in the World Cup can be a little tricky, because there are many things at play here. When considering a World Cup betting strategy, ask yourself these: Do you want to bet on your own country for patriotism? Will you bet on who you WANT to win, or who you THINK will win? 

These are all factors to consider when looking at match odds, because many casual bettors will indeed bet on their own countries or team they want to win (regardless of their likelihood to win) and this will drive the odds in one direction. For example, if a weaker country is going up against a historically stronger country, but the bettors are driven by patriotism for the weaker country, the odds will drive down and betting on the strong country will be an even more lucrative choice. 

4. Explore the different betting markets.

Top online sportsbooks like Oppa888 will give differing betting options over the course of the tournament. Oftentimes during qualifying rounds, you’ll have broader options such as betting on which countries from a confederation will qualify, or which countries within a group during the Group Phase. As the teams begin to narrow down, however, the betting markets will become more specific as well - this is when your knowledge of odds and handicaps will come in handy. There are many other types of betting markets like top scorer, correct score, over-under, and corners, and it’s imperative that you perform due diligence on these before placing bets on them.

You don’t have to bet on everything! Take time to explore what you think you know best and what has worked for you in the past; if this is your first time, start with the easy bets and work your way up! With time you’ll discover what is fun and lucrative for you for a solid World Cup betting strategy.

5. Research the teams’ histories and world rankings.

Like we said earlier, there’s really no way to make a 100% perfect World Cup betting strategy. That’s because the nature of sports in general is just too unpredictable and you can never say for sure who will win.

That’s why it’s so important to look into both teams before a match! Do the research on how often they’ve won, their performance during international friendlies or other regional and national tournaments, and even their performance history during previous World Cups! You should also research the team players for their strengths and weaknesses. Doing so will give you a better idea on who may come out on top.

6. Don't limit yourself to the expected teams.

This is in connection to the previous tip! Of course, there will always be favorites and standouts to win; most will rely on previous World Cup winners and place bets based on that. It’s tempting and easy to do that, but not recommended if you want a well-rounded World Cup betting strategy! 

Many teams have fallen off the pedestal after having won or progressed very far in the previous tournament. Just because a team has won 3, 4, or 5 times, literally anything can happen - maybe their roster this year is full of rookies, or their current star player is injured. So, do the research and consider options outside of the status quo.

7. Always take weather conditions into account for your World Cup betting strategy.

This may seem arbitrary and unimportant but believe us, it’s quite the opposite. There’s two parts to this: the weather on the day of the match, and the general climate of the host country. With the latter, if the host country has generally hot and humid weather, teams that are more used to cooler weather may be at a disadvantage (and vice versa if the host country has a cooler climate). With the former, on the other hand, a sudden rainstorm on the day of the match may affect both teams ability to score because of the field conditions, which will affect bettors on the goal-based betting markets.

8. Don’t ignore live, in-game bets!

As you may know, placing bets may occur either before or during a scheduled match. Most bettors will place their bets before the kick off, but many will also swear by the advantage you gain when betting DURING the match as you’d already have a vague idea of gameplay and strength. This may be something to consider for your World Cup betting strategy. The best online casinos, like Oppa888, will offer the same markets as what is available pre-match, albeit at slightly different odds, and additional markets like next team to score, next goalscorer, next player to receive a card, and more fun options!

9. Lastly, don't go all-in too early in the tournament.

You might be tempted to, at first, because certain countries are almost always guaranteed to make it from qualifying rounds to at least the Group Phase. However, a general rule of thumb in all types of betting, especially with a World Cup betting strategy, is to manage your bankroll wisely. As the tournament progresses, it becomes much clearer which teams are likely to advance to the next rounds and you will have had ample time to observe both teams and players, allowing you to make a more informed decision on betting.

Final Reminders

Sports betting may be intimidating at first because there are always so many options, but it can also be worlds of fun once you’ve got the hang of it! Hopefully the tips and tricks that are provided here will help you to build your own World Cup betting strategy that is most comfortable for you. Just remember to always bet moderately! When you’re ready to get started with betting on the World Cup, head on over to Oppa888 and sign up right away!