Soccer Betting in the US: How to Bet on Soccer

If you had to make a guess, what would you say is the most popular sport to bet on around the world? If you live in the US, you might, understandably enough, say basketball or NFL. However, soccer, actually, is the most popular sport to bet on worldwide.

Our detailed soccer betting guide will tell you everything you need to know if you’re considering betting on soccer. If you live in the US, your first step is probably finding out if your state even allows soccer betting.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Find the best sportsbook for betting on soccer.
• Learn about the top soccer events worldwide.
• Discover top soccer betting markets.

Online Soccer Betting in the US 

Soccer is not as high profile in the US as it is in many European and South American countries, but it’s still a pretty popular sport to bet on. When it comes to online soccer betting, the US has plenty of options available, especially during major tournaments like the World Cup and MLS.

You won’t struggle to find an online sportsbook or sports betting app to place a soccer bet online, as long as you live in one of the US states where online sports betting is legal:

• Arizona 
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida 
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Tennessee 
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• Washington, D.C.
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Many US states are now embracing online sports betting, but if you live in a state that doesn’t allow it, then you can’t place a bet unless you travel to a state with legalized gambling. Unless, of course, you are happy to skip real-money betting, which means you should have plenty of sweepstakes sportsbooks to choose from, depending on your location.

While there are some federal laws, such as the Federal Wire Act, that govern sports betting in the US, the decision on whether to legalize and regulate online gambling is up to individual states.

Is Soccer Good to Bet On? 

There are always pros and cons when deciding whether to bet on a sport, and soccer is no exception.

Pros	Cons
Soccer is entertaining, and betting enhances the experience.	Extra time and injury time can lead to unexpected outcomes.
Soccer is relatively easy to bet on, with many markets.	Odds can be low on straightforward bets.
Potential to profit, especially with consistent following of the sport.	Following multiple competitions can be overwhelming.
Soccer season runs year-round, offering constant betting opportunities.

How Do You Bet on Soccer for Beginners? 

Placing your first bet on soccer can be quite thrilling, especially if it’s on a big tournament, or on a team that has special significance for you. I was living in Spain in 2012 when I placed my first bet — on Spain of course — to win the UEFA Championship Final. It was very exciting when they beat Italy 4-0, even though the odds weren’t great, and I didn’t win much. It was enough just to win.

Step 1: Understand Soccer Odds 

Firstly, you need to understand the different kinds of soccer betting odds, as they are written in various formats:

• Fractional odds: They show the amount you’ll win relative to the stake you make, so they indicate the overall profit on the bet.
• Decimal odds: They are displayed as a number, which is what you’ll win for every $1 wagered if your bet is successful.
• American odds: They are a number with either a plus or minus sign, and they indicate the stake you need to win $100.

Learn more about soccer odds with our detailed guide.

Step 2: Choose a Soccer Betting Site 

Always use a reputable, regulated soccer betting site. You’ll want to get the best odds, so consider that when looking at the possible bets you want to make. You may want to compare a couple of different sportsbooks. 

What to look for in your selection?

If you’re signing up somewhere new, check for welcome bonuses. Sometimes you’ll be offered a free bet, or perhaps there will be a deposit bonus that lets you claim a set amount of betting credits depending on the size of your first deposit. Live soccer betting can be entertaining, so make sure that’s available if it’s something you’re interested in.  

Step 3: Place Your Bets 

To place a bet, you’ll need to first deposit some funds into your account unless you already have money or betting credits available.

1. Select the event you want to bet on
2. Choose your bet type
3. Enter the amount you wish to wager
4. Confirm the bet, and it will be added to your virtual betting slip

How Does Betting Work in Soccer? 

So, how does soccer betting work in practice? When it comes to how to bet on soccer, first you need to decide what type of bet to place. Some of the more popular options are three-way moneyline bets, double chance bets and spread bets. Getting to know the different bet types is a good way to determine how you want to bet.

3-Way Moneyline in Soccer 

A 3-way moneyline bet allows you to pick one of three outcomes: either team to win, or a tie. If you just bet on one team or the other to win, and the game results in a tie, you lose. The 3-way moneyline bet effectively lets you place a bet on a tie as well as a win.

Example: Let’s take the Switzerland vs Germany match in the group stages at the 2024 UEFA European Championship, which is commonly known as the Euros.

• You could have bet on either Switzerland or Germany to win, or predicted a tie.
• If you went for the latter, you would have won because the match ended in a 1:1 draw.

Anyone who bet on either side for an outright win lost.

Not all matches can end in a tie. In a tournament final, there must be a winner, so the game that ends in a tie will go to a penalty shoot-out, with players taking shots from the penalty line until a winner is declared. In this case, you obviously can’t bet on a tie overall. You can bet on a tie at 90 minutes, followed by a win for one of the teams in the shoot-out.

Double Chance in Soccer 

So, what is double chance in soccer betting? Our dedicated guide explains this in detail, but essentially, a double chance bet lets you bet on two possible outcomes at once.

• The advantage of a double chance bet is you are more likely to win something.
• The disadvantage is that you’ll receive lower odds than you would if betting on a single outcome.

Example: You could bet that your team will either win or tie, and your bet would pay out in the event of either of these outcomes. Only an outright loss would result in you losing money.

This is similar to an each-way bet in horse racing, where you bet on one horse to come in either first or second.

Soccer Spread Betting 

Spread bets in soccer consider the point spread, also known as the handicap. Sportsbooks commonly set soccer spreads between 0.5 and 2 goals. There is then a positive or negative number attached to each team, depending on whether they are the favorite or the underdog.

• If you bet on England as favorites with a +2 spread, and they score three goals while their opponents fail to score, then they have won by more than two goals and your bet would pay out.
• If France are the underdogs with -1, and they draw, that pays out as a win because they have a one-goal advantage.

Spread betting is a little more complicated than a straight bet when it comes to who will win, but many soccer enthusiasts really like studying the spreads and working out the best bets for this market.

So, what is the +1 in soccer betting? The +1 simply indicates the team has a one goal advantage. Any spread bets need to take this into account. If you bet on a team with a +1 ranking and the game is a tie, you lose. They must win by more than one goal for your bet to pay out.

Soccer Draw No Bet 

A “tie no bet” or a “draw no bet” in soccer betting is simply when you bet on one team or the other to win. If the game ends in a draw, your bet is a push and your money is refunded. You tend to get much lower odds on this type of bet, but the advantage is that your money is safe in the event of a draw.

• If you had bet on the above Switzerland vs Germany match and predicted Germany would win, your wager would end up being a push, and your money would be refunded.
• If you’d taken the 3-way moneyline bet and wagered on Germany, you would have received better odds, but ultimately lost your money.

Over/Under in Soccer 

Over/Under betting is when you try to predict whether the total number of goals scored in a match will be over or under a set amount. You are betting on the number of goals scored, so this bet will pay out if you get it right, regardless of which team wins or loses.

Example: In the 2024 Euros, you could have placed a bet on the Netherlands vs Austria match that over four goals would be scored. The match finished 3:2 to Austria, so your bet would have paid out. It would also have paid out if Austria had scored all five goals. 

Soccer Prop Bets 

Soccer prop bets are side wagers on something that could happen within the match or tournament. Common prop bets include both teams to score (BTTS), the number of corners taken and score at half-time. You can also bet on a specific player to score, and even try to predict who will score first.

Example: In the 2024 Euros, if you had bet on Jude Bellingham to score the first goal in the Serbia vs England group stage match, you would have won your bet. 

You can place multiple prop bets on both likely and unlikely things, with the bookmakers setting the odds accordingly.

Soccer Parlay 

Parlay bets are one of the most popular forms of soccer betting. Rather than just betting on one match or outcome, a parlay allows you to bet on many outcomes. It’s important to remember you’re placing a single bet on multiple outcomes, so you need to get all your predictions right for the bet to pay out. 

Example: In the 2024 Euros, you could have bet on Spain to win all three matches in their group stage, and you would have won, as that’s precisely what happened.

An even better parlay would have been predicting that Spain would win the tournament and win all seven of their matches because Spain was the only team in the tournament to win every match they played.

Soccer’s Biggest Events to Bet On 

Soccer season is nearly all year round, so there is almost always a major tournament in progress, or coming soon, to bet on:

• The FIFA World Cup
• The UEFA Champions League 
• The EPL
• The MLS
• The UEFA European Championship
• The Copa America
• The FA Cup

FIFA World Cup 

Taking place once every four years since 1930, the FIFA World Cup is the most well-known and prestigious soccer championship. The latest tournament was watched by over three billion television viewers worldwide, with one billion tuning into the final.

All major betting markets are available for World Cup betting, and you can either place bets on the tournament as a whole, or on individual matches. There are a total of 104 individual matches in the 2026 World Cup, compared to 64 in 2022. Parlay bets are particularly exciting to make in a long-running tournament like this, as there are just so many outcomes to try to predict.

Major League Soccer (MLS) 

MLS betting is common in the US, as it’s the major North American professional soccer league and a big event in US soccer. You can get started with betting on MLS at any decent US sportsbook, with lots of options for match bets, tournament results and parlays. 

As with any sporting event, almost anything can happen. There are around 30 teams competing across Eastern and Western conferences. When it comes to predicting overall results, it’s worth knowing that LA Galaxy holds the longest all-time winning streak with 15 wins, while Chicago Fire and D.C. United both have 11 wins at this point.

Copa America 

The Copa Libertadores de América — generally known around the world as Copa America — is the highest-level competition in South American club football. Held annually since 1960, you’ll find most sportsbooks offer a good range of betting markets on this event, including prop bets and parlays. 

UEFA Champions League 

The UEFA Champions League is the major annual European tournament, having been held every year since 1955. 32 teams compete in five rounds for the prestige of being the best club in Europe. Although this is an international tournament, it is not the national teams playing, but rather clubs from all over the continent.

Personally, I find this one is easier to be a little less emotional about. It’s hard to bet against your country sometimes, even if you know they’re unlikely to win. Like most people, I’ll always bet on my local team, but I’ll also take a little time to study forms, so I can place some bets that are led by my head and not my heart.

English Premier League (EPL) 

The English Premier League is England’s biggest tournament and is always a big deal in terms of the attention the matches themselves get and the level of betting.

Popular match bets for the EPL include outright winner bets (both 3-way and no draw no bet), over/under and prop bets like BTTS and first player to score. Parlay bets throughout the tournament are also common. A total of 380 Premier League matches take place each season, so there are a lot of different match results to predict.

Fun fact: In September 2023, three hat-tricks were scored in a single day of the English Premier League for the first time since 1995. They were scored by Son Heung-min, Erling Haaland and Evan Ferguson. 

UEFA European Championship (Euros) 

The UEFA European Championship, commonly known as the Euros, is the most prestigious European tournament. It is held every four years and is a huge event in both soccer and soccer betting. You can place bets on any market, including prop bets and parlays. As already mentioned, the bet I wish I’d made on the 2024 Euros was a parlay on Spain to win the tournament and win all seven of their matches. That would have led to a nice payout.

As with most long-running tournaments, the odds will change throughout the tournament, so if you think you can predict an unlikely outcome in this one, check out the odds at the beginning, and consider taking a calculated risk.

FA Cup

The Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup, is England’s annual knockout domestic soccer event, and the oldest soccer tournament in the world, having been played annually since 1871. You’ll find most bet types available, and it’s usually full of surprises. The nature of the event means relatively small clubs can end up playing the best in the country, which is always entertaining.

Fun fact: Rank outsiders Coventry City reached the semi-final of the English FA Cup in the 23/24 season, surprising punters, bookmakers and even the players themselves.

Soccer Betting Rules 

Before betting on soccer, you need to know some common soccer betting rules and regulations that might impact your outcomes. I’ve been tripped up before because rules can vary from one sportsbook to another, so it’s vital to check the terms for every bet you make, especially if you use more than one online sportsbook or betting app.

There are a few technicalities to be aware of when betting on soccer, especially as it is a 90-minute game that never actually runs 90 minutes. Usually, and unless otherwise stated, bets are settled according to the 90-minute result but include injury time in both halves, with extra time and penalties not included. 

However, this can vary, so always check with more complex match bets whether extra time and injury time count in terms of the specific bet you’ve made. Golden goals, which are those scored in extra time, are always a cause for celebration, but with some bet types they don’t count when it comes time for your bookie to payout.

Soccer Betting Systems and Trends 

If you’re a keen gambler of any type, you’ll know we all have our favored betting systems, and we like to keep an eye on betting trends. Here are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind as you start your soccer betting journey.

Popular Soccer Betting Systems 

The best soccer betting strategy is probably studying form and stats and making informed predictions. However, you might want to use a betting system such as the Martingale or Fibonacci.

The Martingale betting system is a negative progression betting system where you simply double your bet size every time you lose, while the Fibonacci system is a little more complex.

Archontakis and Osborne have published a guide to using the Fibonacci strategy for soccer betting. The basic premise is to bet on a draw, and if you lose, bet on another one, until you win. The only exception is if the odds are below 2.618. You should then increase your betting stake following the Fibonacci sequence of 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, and so on.

Many people love their soccer betting systems, and I have tested them myself. I also mix knowledge of the game, form of the teams and players and gut instinct, alongside this. I’d advise you to really dig into how the experts use them when it comes to soccer.

Current Trends in Soccer Betting 

As is happening in almost every arena, soccer betting trends are definitely being impacted by technology, and the data analytics now available are changing the landscape of betting by providing statistics that make some outcomes more predictable.

Some experts are now suggesting that data analysis can potentially be used in various ways, including to analyze the performance of individual players and teams over time.

It also helps to recognize underlying patterns that could help predict the outcomes of matches and tournaments. While not everyone has sophisticated programs or software to help them with their soccer betting strategies, everyone has access to the data itself.

All the stats from the 2022 FIFA tournament are now available on Statista for anyone to analyze and apply to bets in the next one. There are also simple apps that claim to offer accurate soccer predictions based on team statistics, injuries, past results and match details, along with industry news and events.

Soccer Betting Strategies I Live By 

You may now be wondering: What is the best bet strategy in soccer? That’s a hard one, but I can certainly share my top tips for betting on soccer:

• I follow all the events I want to bet on closely and keep up to date with player form, injuries, and morale.
• I place many smaller bets, with a mix of safe, low-odds bets and less likely, higher-odds outcomes.
• I compare odds across different betting apps.
• I listen to the experts when they share their top soccer picks, and even consult a soccer betting app, but I always check if that lines up with my observations.
• I manage my soccer betting bankroll carefully and leave myself a budget for the later matches in any given tournament.
• I try to follow my head more than my heart. 
• I shop around to find a good betting site or app, and consider new options if they’re offering a good soccer betting bonus, which they often do at the start of a big tournament.
  

So, Are You Ready for Some Soccer Betting Tonight? 

You’ve now had soccer betting explained in some detail. You know all about the events you can bet on, the bet types and the possible pitfalls. You’re more than ready to log into your online sportsbook and get started with betting on soccer now.

Have questions about how to make sure you’re getting the best odds? Check out our betting odds calculator if you need a hand.