The stage is all set for the 2022 World Cup tournament slated to hold in Qatar on November 20, 2022. 32 teams would be competing for the championship title including the host country, Qatar who will be making their first appearance in a World cup tournament.
If you’d like to partake in all the buzz and excitement that comes with the tournament, there’s no better way to do so than betting on your favourite teams.
Right here on betpicks, we’ll cover all the right steps on how to bet on the World Cup and also highlight the best betting strategies to apply. To get started, check out our top free picks on World Cup matches.
Betting on the world cup is a very straightforward process that requires no previous experience. The only major hurdle is finding the right bookie to wager at. Once that’s sorted out, you’re all set to start betting. Listed below are three simple steps to follow:
Open a player account with a top-rated Canadian bookie. When making a choice, look out for bookies with an abundance of betting markets and competitive odds.
With your account set up, it is time to make a deposit. Canadian bettors will be able to make deposits using methods like Interac, debit/credit cards, and a host of e-wallet options. Keep in mind that your first deposit will trigger a welcome bonus so you should keep your deposit amount within the required limit.
With your account fully funded, it is time to place your wagers. Navigate to the “Sports” section and select “Soccer” > “World Cup”. From there, you can bet on pre-game world cup matches or opt-in for live matches.
With the 2022 World cup tournament just around the corner, sports bettors can expect a wide range of betting markets to choose from. From outright betting, moneyline, point spread, single bet, accumulator and parlay, there’s going to be a whole lot of action on the big stage.
Here are some of the most notable mentions:
The moneyline is the simplest and most common bet you will find on any bookie. This type of bet is also known as a three-way bet; Win, Draw, Lose. However, some bookies tend to skip on the draw section during some World Cup matches like Quarterfinals, Semi-finals, and the final game. Odds on moneyline teams are determined by team strength, with the favourites given a negative moneyline and the underdogs given a positive moneyline. For example, you might come across a game with the following moneyline odds:
If you’re a fan of soccer, you will know that France is one of the only 8 teams to lift the trophy and most likely to win this game.
Being the favourite of both teams, the odds on France are lower but your chances of getting a win are much higher if you bet on them.
Spreads are some of the most popular betting markets and could be a great way to win on your wager if you know the competing teams well enough. Spreads refer to the total number of points in the game, however, when it comes to soccer, spreads are based on goals rather than points. Soccer games don’t usually record many goals so the spreads aren’t high.
When betting on World Cup matches, you could come across spreads like -1.5/+1.5, which means the underdogs need to win the game or lose by less than one goal while the favourites need to win by 2 or more goals.
Spread bets do come in handy if a big name like Brazil, France or Argentina is facing a team with fewer feats like Ghana or Costa Rica.
Totals betting also known as over/under betting is a famed choice for Canadian soccer bettors. As the name implies, total bets involve predicting the total number of goals scored in the game. The actual numbers will be decided by the oddsmakers and you get to choose over or under based on your preferred number.
For example, a match against Spain and Iran could have a total of 2.5. You could choose to bet over, meaning that 3 or more goals will be scored in the match or under, meaning that 2 or fewer goals will be scored.
When compared with other betting markets, total bets are very flexible. You could be given the option to bet on the total number of goals scored in the entire game, in either half, in the first ten minutes, or more depending on the online bookie.
The correct score is one of the riskiest types of bets available on World Cup matches, however, it also has the highest potential. Just as the name implies, bettors will have to predict the exact score of a game to win.
In a game between England and Qatar, you can easily tell that England is going to make an easy win here considering their current form and players. A correct score could be 4-2, 3-1 or even 2-0.
The main goal here is to get the exact score right. This is very tricky and is entirely based on luck.
Keep in mind that choosing a score like 4-2 will provide a higher potential win than when you go for a 2-0 score. There is no margin for error, so you might want to consider choosing a score that reflects the potential of the team rather than focusing on the returns.
Prop bets are not very popular with World Cup games, but they could offer you a chance to get lucky. Typically, there are two kinds of prop bets – team props and player props. Team props are bets on a team’s performance while player props are all about the performance of individual players. Both betting types have nothing to do with the final outcome or score of the game.
Some team props examples include:
Players’ props could be as follows:
These props will be offered on specific games as determined by the sportsbook
Some bettors prefer to stick to individual games where luck is more likely to shine on them, while others appreciate the wait for a big slice of the winning pie. If you’re the latter, then outright bets on the World Cup is the right choice for you. Outright bets are wagers made on the result of an entire competition. For example, if you want to place an Outright Winner World Cup bet, you would predict which team or nation will take the trophy at the end of the competition.
There are different types of Outright bets but the Outright winner is the most popular. Depending on the bookie, you could bet which teams will come Second and Third, as well as which players that will take the Golden Boot, Golden Ball, and Golden Glove. Some bookies may get more creative, allowing you to make predictions on the top teams; whether or not they will reach the Quarterfinals, semifinals, or finals.
For most bettors, outright bets are some of the hardest markets to get right, but that’s not always so with World Cup games. While the World Cup has been played more than 20 times, only 8 countries have emerged victorious. These countries are Brazil, Germany, Spain, Uruguay, France, Italy, Argentina, and England. If you’re predicting an Outright Winner, that gives you only 8 choices to worry about.
France is the current world champion and possesses one of the strongest teams. However, they flopped at the Euro 2021, losing to Switzerland in the round of 16.
Spain suffered a defeat to Italy in the Semi-finals which saw the latter cleared for the final with England. Italy later emerged victorious becoming the European champions. The Euro 2020 gives some detail as to the form of the top teams from Europe. In my opinion, France, Italy, Spain, and England are the main contenders.
From the South American side, you have Brazil and Argentina. Both teams put on a stellar performance in the Copa America competition in 2021 with Argentina lifting the cup and Brazil taking the runners-up position.
However, Argentina is less likely to be a major contender this year, considering the woes of its top star Lionel Messi. Brazil, on the other hand, still has names like Neymar, Thiago Silva, and Philippe Coutinho on their side. However, their chances are slim considering they’ve never been in the championship, runner-up, or third place position in the last four World Cup competitions.
If the current form of the national team players is anything to go by, then the World Cup championship would be said to be between Spain, France, Italy, and England. My preferred pick would be France or Italy. These two teams have the right experience to claim another World Cup win.
Every once in a while, the underdogs tend to shock the crowd with a stunning performance. Portugal is one of such underdogs. While they won the Euro 2016, they’ve seen little luck in other international competitions and are yet to qualify for the World Cup (as at the time of writing this article). Other underdog teams like Switzerland, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands, and Denmark have shown they have what it takes to be contenders in the past and would likely put up a win.
However, betting on the underdog teams should be limited to the group stages and the round of 16. I would recommend going for straight wins on moneyline bets, but you should also watch out for draws as some group teams do up a fight.
Belgium and Switzerland are two of the well-known underdogs that push all the way to the quarter-finals. Belgium secured a third place win in the 2018 World Cup but only made it to the Quarter-finals in the Euro 2020. Switzerland also has a similar portfolio. These two teams could bring you some easy wins on moneyline and other betting markets.
Parlay and accumulators offer players the chance to win big money on a small bet. In the online betting world, Parlays and accumulators mean the exact same bet type and both terms can be used interchangeably.
Parlay bets allow you to win big on a smaller investment, but there is a catch; These bets are tougher to win and carry more risk than a regular sports bet. Parlay bets are simply an accumulation of multiple individual bets strung together to make one big bet. These individual bets could be moneylines, point spreads, or totals. To win the parlay, all individual bets must turn green. The best thing about parlays is that the potential returns are always greater than betting on the games individually.
For example, let’s say you want to bet on the following games.
As a bettor, you might be looking to place moneyline bets on Team A, C, and E, with the following odds
If you bet C$50 on each team individually, you will make a profit of C$45.45 if your prediction is correct. All three individual bets will give a total profit of C$136.35 when summed up.
However, going for a three-game parlay, a $150 bet will result in C$895.05
While this seems juicy, the catch remains that all three teams must win the game for you to profit from the bet. A loss from one of the three teams in a parlay, means you lose the entire bets. With individual bets, one team losing a bet doesn’t affect the other bets.
Combo bets are no different from parlay and accumulator bets. They allow you to wager on two selections or more which gives you a chance of high winnings with only a modest stake. With combo bets, you can place a double, treble, four-fold, and higher bets. The number of selections in a combo bet can be as high as the limit of the sportsbook.
A parlay calculator helps you to determine your potential winnings from bets on sports events. You will find tons of free parlay calculators online that allow you to enter different betting markets like moneyline, totals, and point spreads. These calculators will multiply the odds of each bet to give you your total odds on all your bets which is multiplied by your stake to determine your potential returns.
However, you don’t always need an online parlay calculator to determine your winnings.
Looking back at our parlay bet explanation and example, you will notice that the payout on the parlay bet is significantly higher than when you bet individually. However, the odds on the individual bet as well as parlay bet look exactly the same. Parlay winnings are calculated by multiplying the odds for all bets and then multiplying the total odds with the bets. For example,
Simply multiply the odds together, which is – 1.91 x 1.91 x 1.91 = 6.967
If you bet $150 at odds of 6.967, you will get a return of $1045.05 minus your original stake of $150, which gives us a profit of about $895.05, which is the same number as the example above.
Now that you know about markets and types of bets, you might want to jump right into placing your bet. However, there is more to placing a bet than knowing the right market and type of bet. You will have to research the teams you’re betting on, check the right stats, and follow the right betting trends. All these require a ton of effort and that’s where our free picks come in.
We are experts in the field of free picks when it comes to soccer games and the World Cup is no exception. Our experts will provide the best free picks for World Cup matches so you don’t have to do so yourself.
Free picks are free predictions on sports events providing you with the right betting markets to bet on. For example, we can provide a free pick on a France vs Hungary group stage match.
France has been a stunner the past few international competitions and would look to replicate such. The likes of Paul Pogba, Kylian Mpabbe, Karim Benzema, and Antonie Greizmann can be quite threatening to the Hungarians. A moneyline bet would not offer the most promising returns so you might have to look towards totals and point spread betting markets.
France is likely to end the game with over 1.5 goals total if the match is the first of their group games. Our picks will consider all the variables including the relevance of the game to both teams. If France already has a 6-point lead in the group stage, the last game won’t matter much, so you can expect the coach to rest their top players. The result could be a possible draw that won’t affect their chances of qualifying but result in a lost bet.
When we roll out our free pick from our expert handicappers, you will find predictions tailored to reflect the reality of each World Cup game.
With information on the betting markets, you have almost everything you need to place a bet. But before that, it is important to understand how odds work.
When you check out any sportsbook, you will find different odds. Here’s an example:
These odds are American odds, but you can choose decimal (1.20) or fractional (1/5) odds depending on your preference. To make a bet, simply choose France, Hungary, or a Draw.
The minus sign (-) on the odds tells you which team is likely to win while the plus sign (+) reflects the underdogs.
At -162 odds, France has a 61.83 percent chance of winning the match. Hungary has a 25 percent chance while the remaining 16.7 percent chance says that the game will end in a draw.
Though odds are a major indicator of which team is likely to win, they shouldn’t be the major determining factor for your bets. Current team form, match relevance, player injury, and several other factors determine if the game will end in a draw or Hungary would give a shocker.
An odds calculator is a tool that helps you calculate the potential winnings for all types of sports wagers based on the odds and the total wagered. They help calculate the exact amount you would win before placing your bets.
Odds calculators are not offered at sportsbooks because you don’t need them. You will know the exact amount you will win each time you select a game, betting market, and enter the amount you would like to wager. You can then decide to switch the games, add multiple bets, or rescind the bet.
Soccer is a game of numbers and when it comes to these numbers, there are always stats to look out for. Stats on soccer and World Cup matches tell about a team or player’s performance and give you an indication of which team is likely to succeed and how far the team would go. Statistical aspects of a soccer game include the number of passes completed, tackles, shots on target, distances covered by each player, and possession. Recent form and head-to-head comparisons of the teams are very important statistical elements that determine how a bet is likely to play out.
Stats are very important in determining the success of a bet. While numbers don’t lie, the game of soccer can be unpredictable. The stats, however, do help in many cases. For example, in a game between France and Iran, you can easily tell that the current World Cup champions will triumph.
Betting on the World Cup comes with a huge winning potential – but without the right strategy, you might see that potential turn into losses. Right here on betpicks, we are going to provide important tips on how to make the best of your World Cup bets. These tips and strategies will help you win regardless of your level of experience in soccer betting.
Free picks are predictions provided by experts who have mastered the game. While you might be skeptical about something that is free, you could use these free predictions as a guide on your bet. Our free picks are detailed to help you learn more about the stats of each team without having to spend hours on research.
Some bookies will offer bonuses and promos for the World Cup tournament and these special deals could help you risk less on your bets while earning more. You could find free bets, reload bonuses, cashbacks, and many more offers depending on the generosity of the bookie. Make sure you take advantage of the welcome package for new users when opening an account to boost your chances of getting lucky.
Following FIFA’s World Rankings might be the best way to fail at World Cup betting. While FIFA does take note of the stats of each team, the rankings are unbelievably flawed and are never an accurate representation of the overall talent of the team. In addition, the rankings do not take into account the relevance of a match.
The top 8 world cups teams always put on a stellar performance during the group stage games and this World Cup event won’t be different. Parlay bets on Germany, Spain, Brazil, France, Argentina, England, and Italy during the group stages will see you hit some nice returns especially if you go straight for moneyline bets on your parlays.
So far, 8 teams have a high prospect of winning the World cup competition, however, telling which teams will bring home the trophy at the beginning of the tournament can be tough. You might be sure about a certain team only to see them knocked out during the quarter-finals. Placing a bet so far ahead of time is very risky with World Cup bets.
Listed below are some of the top bookmakers recommended to bet on the World Cup.
| | | Team| | M | GD | P |
 | | Switzerland | 3 | 2 | 5 |
 | Norway | 3 | 5 | 4 |
 | | New Zealand | 3 | 0 | 4 |
 | | Philippines | 3 | -7 | 3 |
| | | Team| | M | GD | P |
 | | Australia | 3 | 4 | 6 |
 | Nigeria | 3 | 1 | 5 |
 | Canada | 3 | -3 | 4 |
 | Ireland | 3 | -2 | 1 |
| | | Team| | M | GD | P |
 | Japan | 3 | 11 | 9 |
 | Spain | 3 | 4 | 6 |
 | Zambia | 3 | -8 | 3 |
 | | Costa Rica | 3 | -7 | 0 |
| | | Team| | M | GD | P |
 | | England | 3 | 7 | 9 |
 | Denmark | 3 | 2 | 6 |
 | | China | 3 | -5 | 3 |
 | | Haiti | 3 | -4 | 0 |
| | | Team| | M | GD | P |
 | Netherlands | 3 | 8 | 7 |
 | | USA | 3 | 3 | 5 |
 | Portugal | 3 | 1 | 4 |
 | Vietnam | 3 | -12 | 0 |
| | | Team| | M | GD | P |
 | France | 3 | 0 | 7 |
 | Jamaica | 3 | 0 | 5 |
 | Brazil | 3 | 0 | 4 |
 | Panama | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| | | Team| | M | GD | P |
 | | Sweden | 3 | 8 | 9 |
 | | South Africa | 3 | 0 | 4 |
 | | Italy | 3 | -5 | 3 |
 | Argentina | 3 | -3 | 1 |
| | | Team| | M | GD | P |
 | | Colombia | 3 | 2 | 6 |
 | Morocco | 3 | -4 | 6 |
 | Germany | 3 | 5 | 4 |
 | South Korea | 3 | -3 | 1 |
