Global Betting Revenue Likely to Skyrocket During 2026 World Cup

President Donald Trump looks on FIFA President Gianni Infantino addresses members of the media, Monday, November 17, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok).

As the United States, Mexico, and Canada World Cup 2026 gets closer and closer, global sportsbooks are getting ready to experience what is set to be the largest surge of online sports betting in the history of Internet-based gambling.

In the coming year, global estimates predict that the World Cup year will help online gambling grow even more than usual.

That is, even in the most conservative estimates, including studies published on Research and Markets, a yearly gambling revenue growth of over 10%

Many projections, including the aforementioned report published on Research and Markets, consider gambling revenue as a whole. This includes both sports betting and casino game betting.

However, in emerging markets, such as Latin America, sports betting plays a key role in online gambling growth due to the popularity of sports like soccer and baseball - casinos with no deposit bonus offers attract many players who often become regular sports bettors.

Still, casinos are fundamental for the global growth of gambling and they will create strategies to attract players ahead of the World Cup, which will help online gambling grow as a whole and not only in the sports betting site.

Bonuses and themes focused on promoting soccer as a whole, and soccer-related casino games.

A higher influx of casino games with soccer themes, as software developers plan ahead of the World Cup to capitalize on the event’s popularity.

Record-Breaking Profits at the Turn of Every Corner

Globally, it’s expected that more than 150 billion will be bet on World Cup 2026, accounting for national and international markets alike.

A key fact to consider is that most studies are showing gambling profits of legal markets. In numerous instances, and especially in those studies undertaken in the United States, cryptocurrency gambling is ignored. Hybrid or straight-up crypto casinos become more popular by the day, as cryptos steadily become the norm in everyday life and more people adopt them, and as regulations prevent players from accessing legal or fair markets.

This means that, even when it comes to legal gambling revenue, which is already growing by two-digit percentages on a yearly basis, real numbers are likely much higher.

Exponential Growth with Each Passing World Cup

Even if regulations are becoming ever more strict worldwide, especially when it comes to international gambling platforms, global gambling revenue continues to rise. According to Bloomberg, gambling revenue grew 65% from Russia in 2018 to Qatar in 2022.

This growth isn’t just related to World Cups, even if FIFA’s global events are a main driver of sports betting revenue.

According to AGA’s State of the States 2025 report, 149.9 billion dollars were wagered in the United States in 2024, and this only accounts for legal bets, considering the prominence of crypto gambling among tech-savvy Americans, the total is likely much larger.

As per an analysis published on The Lancet, American betting revenue is expected to hit 25 billion by 2028, whilst the Latin American markets are also expected to continue on an upward trend due to legalisation in countries like Peru and Brazil, and potential growth in Chile and Paraguay.

More Games, More Countries, More Betting Opportunities

There’s another key factor that we can’t overlook when considering this next World Cup.

With the expansion from 32 to 48 teams, there will now be more games and more countries than they have ever been in World Cups. More games mean more markets, more betting opportunities, and more people invested in placing bets.

In the US alone, legal operators like FanDuel, Ladbrokes, and BetMGM are targeting double-revenue growth in the coming World Cup year, as per a report published in Reuters.

Based on all the evidence and research that we have, it’s safe to assume that World Cup 2026 will be the most profitable World Cup in the history of online sports betting.