Football—or soccer as it’s known in North America—is the most popular sport in the world. Check the ratings of the top European Leagues and events such as the World Cup, and you’ll see that it’s bigger than the Superbowl. That’s a one-time event, while football is played all-year round, which also makes it a perfect fit for football bets.
Online bookmakers have taken football betting popularity to new heights. A lot of new bet types were developed in addition to live betting which has seen a meteoric rise.
The fact is that you’ll find more soccer bets online than in betting shops, and often at more competitive odds. We’ll share a few of the most important bet types for football below.
A Range of Markets for Every Type of Bettor
It’s safe to say that the online sports betting market revolutionized the betting industry. It added many new betting markets into the mix, while promoting a host of new sports. Of course, soccer still gets the most attention. You’ll find a soccer bet featured on the front page of nearly any bookmaker online. Not just one, but many, covering both pre-match and live betting options.
This is where the strength of betting sites lies. They offer more soccer bets than betting shops, and many of them come with highly competitive odds. The costs or running online bookmakers aren’t as large as betting shops, which allows for better vig. This translates to better odds, and the difference can be seen in the simplest of soccer bets such as picking the match winner.
With that being said, there are many more markets to explore than sticking to the most popular one. We’ll list the ones frequented by bettors below, and hopefully give you valuable info on where you should lean on.
Most Popular Soccer Bet Markets
1×2
We’re going to start this list off with the most popular soccer bet of all time. 1×2 refers to the three possible outcomes in a soccer match: 1 is for the home team to win, X is for the draw, while the 2 is for the away team to win. Your goal is simple. Pick any match—for example the Derbi Della Madonnina—then put your money on either of these three options.
This is a pre-match betting market, meaning you can place your bets on it before the match begins. Once you make your pick, you need to let the match finish. This bet only refers to 90 minutes of play time – extra time and eventual penalty kicks don’t apply.
Accumulator
Accumulators are another popular type of soccer bet. Shortly known as accas, they allow you to build a bet with several football bets tied into one large slip. Obviously, accas may offer stunning returns, but the risk involved is much higher than, say, choosing a team to win a match.
Even with a modest bet, you can win incredible money with accumulators. However, keep in mind that unless you use a system bet, you need to win all matches on the slip. So, for example, if you have 10, you have to get those 10 predictions correct in order for a payout. Get one wrong and you lose it all. That’s why accumulators work best without going crazy on your bets.
Asian Handicap
With the Asian handicap bet, bookies level the playing field for two teams of uneven quality. They are handicapped based on form. For example, underdogs will have a head start in the form of goals, which will be reflected into the odds. Favorites will start with one or more goals down, and it’s your goal to cover the spread with this bet in order to win.
Both Teams to Score
This is one of the simplest soccer bets you can try. It doesn’t involve the winner nor the end result. As long as both teams score in a match, you will win your bet. For example, if you place a bet in the El Classico between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, you will win it if both teams score in the match.
It doesn’t matter if the match ends with a result of 1-1, 2-3, 4-3, or any other combination. As long as both teams score—and considering their quality they’re likely to—your bet slip will win.
Half-Time/Full-Time
Here’s another interesting soccer bet that involves the result after 45 and 90 minutes. You can put your money whether the half-time or full-time result is a draw, or a home/away win.
The odds for this market can be pretty generous, which is why it’s popular among experienced bettors. They’re certainly much better than choosing the matchwinner.
Over/Under
The Over/Under (O/U) market is a great choice for new and experienced bettors. With it, you will need to correctly predict if the total number of goals in a match is over or under the line set by the bookie.
For example, if the bookies sets the line over or under 3 goals, there should be more or less than 3 goals respectively. Similar to the half-time/full-time result, the odds can be pretty generous for this type of bet.
Correct Score
Predicting the correct score in a soccer match is one of the most lucrative bets you can place in soccer. It also pays pretty well if you think you can predict the correct score the match ends in.
Of course, it requires a lot of research and skill, so this betting market is best left to the pros. Check out the teams’ goalscoring form and recent form and with a bit of luck, you may be set for retirement.
Goal Scorer
Predicting the goal scorer in a soccer match is another great bet you can place on soccer matches. You don’t need to guess the result, correct score, or the number of goals. You’re simply predicting if a particular player scores in a match.
Prolific goalscorers will have shorter odds in this market, while defenders or midfielders who don’t score that often will have longer and more valuable odds.
