World Cup: Betting Stats Visualized
by Tyler Doty
Betting Stats: Types of Bets to Try During the World Cup
A World Cup always attracts a large number of bettors. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced bettor, never forget that you should always rely on statistics before placing your bets.
These key figures from the last two tournaments are available in greater detail on our 2026 World Cup predictions page.
Under/Over: Which Bets Should You Place?
While the average number of goals over the last two World Cups was 2.66, the famous “Over 2.5” bet missed the mark over half of the time (only 48%). It therefore remains a fairly uncertain bet, unlike the “Over 1.5,” which hit in nearly 3 out of 4 matches (74%).
The “Over 3.5” bet hit in just under a quarter of all the matches (22%). While these figures aren’t set in stone, it’s also important to note the new World Cup format, which will feature more matches and include teams that are, on paper, weaker.
The figures we’ve just provided could therefore be revised upward, particularly during the group stage when major nations face the underdogs (New Zealand vs. Belgium, Brazil vs. Haiti, Germany vs. Curaçao, or Panama vs. England, for example).
Goal Props: Focus on the Second Half
This is a stat found in most soccer leagues: the second half is often more goal-heavy than the first. If you enjoy betting on goals, you should therefore focus on the second half when placing your bets.
For example, we see that in the last two World Cups, 24% of goals, nearly a quarter, were scored in the final 15 minutes (76–90+). Note that, following the same logic, 59% of goals are scored in the second half!
Correct Score: Where to focus?
Of the 128 matches analyzed from the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, the most common exact score is 2-1 (or 1-2): it accounts for 12% of the matches!
If you want to try your hand at correct score markets and take advantage of the high odds on these bets during the 2026 World Cup, the scenario with 3 goals in a match and a 1-goal margin seems to be the one to focus on for maximizing winning bets.
Good luck with your World Cup bets, and don’t forget that you can find many other statistics on our World Cup page by clicking the blue button below.
