How to Bet the 2022 World Cup

Here’s a breakdown of the several wagering options for betting soccer at SI Sportsbook.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup gets underway on Sunday, Nov. 20, offering sports bettors another thrilling option to invest in.

After qualifying for seven consecutive World Cups (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014), the U.S. national team saw that string snapped in 2018. However, Team USA is back in the tournament in 2022 and will play its first game on Monday, Nov. 21 against Wales. Christian Pulisic and company have high hopes for a deep run in Qatar.

This will be the first World Cup since betting has been legalized in much of the United States, so this likely will be the first time that many are wagering on the sport. SI Betting is here to offer some help on how to bet on soccer matches.

The Game of Soccer at a Glance

Teams consist of 11 starting players (10 positional players and one goalkeeper), taking part in matches that last 90 minutes, separated into two 45-minute halves.

Team USA’s Christian Pulisic :: Kyle Robertson/USA Today Sports

Unfortunately for viewers, soccer players often lay on the pitch for considerable amounts of time trying to draw penalty “cards” from referees. Those cards can be either “yellow” or “red.” In the case of a red card, reserved for more serious violations, a player will be disqualified from the game. A disqualification results in the team being forced to play the duration of the match down a man (11 vs 10).

Due to the quest to embellish penalties, referees will add additional minutes at the end of each half to account for lost playing time (commonly referred to as “stoppage time”).

In World Cup matches that are tied after 90 minutes plus stoppage time, there will be an overtime period. The overtime period consists of two 15-minute halves. Should the match still be tied following overtime, the outcome will be decided via penalty kicks.

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World Cup Betting Options at SI Sportsbook

Check the Latest Odds from SI Sportsbook

***For descriptive purposes, we will use Team USA’s upcoming match vs. Wales to illustrate the explanations***

THREE-WAY MONEYLINE (REGULAR TIME)
The first wagering option we’ll discuss is often referred to as “Full-Time Result.” This option can often be tricky for new soccer bettors. In this market, bettors find more attractive betting odds. However, due to the additional outcome of “tie” being added, bettors need to be careful.

FULL-TIME RESULT: USA vs. WALES
USA (+150)
Draw (+190)
Wales (+188)

If the game is tied after 90 minutes plus stoppage time, the winning result is “Draw” – regardless of the results of overtime and/or penalty kicks. If you bet team USA and they win in either overtime or via penalty kicks, you lose your bet. In order to win on Team USA, it needs to win the match in regular time.

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The world's youngest squad is ready for the world's biggest stage 🇺🇸

The @USMNT stars on the cover of SI’s World Cup preview issue: https://t.co/gfTyPw8h8R pic.twitter.com/nL3GMWmhir

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) November 9, 2022

DRAW NO BET (REGULAR TIME)
This two-way moneyline requires bettors to simply pick the winner of the game. This market is called “draw no bet,” because oddsmakers remove the third option of “draw” and lower the odds.

TIE NO BET: USA vs. WALES
USA (-141)
Wales (+100)

If there is still a tie at the end of regular time (90 mins plus stoppage), the sportsbook will consider the wager a push (‘No Bet’) and refund the original stake placed.

SPREAD WAGERING
This betting option requires bettors to win their wagers by the posted “spreads.”

SPREAD: USA vs. WALES
USA -1 (+460)
Tie -1 (+290)
Wales +1 (-213)

Team USA (-1) would have to win the game by two or more goals to cover the spread. If this outcome takes place, bettors win $460 for every $100 wagered.

If Team USA wins by exactly one goal, then Tie (-1) is the winning outcome and returns $290 for every $100 bet.

In the last option, if you would like to invest in the underdog Wales at plus-one goal (+1) you need to risk $213 in order to win $100.

Note: In spread wagering, if the match foes to overtime, the winner is determined after overtime but does not include penalty kicks,

OVER / UNDER WAGERING
In this market, bettors are asked to predict the total number of goals both teams will score in the match.

TOTAL GOALS O/U: USA vs. WALES
Over 0.5 (-1205) | Under 0.5 (+600)
Over 1.5 (-250) | Under 1.5 (+160)
Over 2.5 (+140) | Under 0.5 (-200)

If you want to wager that the USA-Wales match will be high scoring and result in three or more goals, you will win $140 for every $100 bet. On the flip side, if you believe both teams will record a “clean sheet,” you find +600 odds on a shutout recorded by both squads resulting in $600 for every $100 invested.

World Cup 2022: Schedule and TV coverage.

BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE
This market is simple. Will both teams score in the match? Yes or No?

BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE: USA vs. WALES
Yes (+100
No (-141

HALF-TIME / FULL-TIME RESULT
In this offering, bettors are required to correctly predict the betting outcome of each half in the match.

HALF-TIME / FULL-TIME: USA vs. WALES
Tie/Tie (+300)
USA/USA (+310)
Wales/Wales (+380)
Tie/USA (+425)
Tie/Wales (+490)
Wales/Tie (+1200)
USA/Tie (+1200)
Wales/USA (+2800)
USA/Wales (+300)

For example, if you believe the game will be tied at halftime but team USA wins the game in the second half, you would select: Tie/USA and be rewarded with +425 odds.

Another option offered here, if you are of the opinion that Team USA will be winning at halftime but surrender the lead in the second resulting in a tie at the end of regular time, oddsmakers are offering healthy odds of +1200.

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Frankie Taddeo is a successful high-stakes fantasy football player who created the first-ever DFS program ever offered in a Las Vegas sportsbook. Frankie is SI Betting's Senior Analyst and provides his significant experience and resources in the sports betting scene. You can follow Frankie on Twitter @Frankie_Fantasy for his latest betting and fantasy insights from Las Vegas.