US sportsbooks project a record betting handle of between 2.8 billion and 4.3 billion dollars on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which opened on June 11, making it the largest soccer betting event in US history. The top of that range would exceed the legal handle of any single Super Bowl to date.
The drivers are reach and proximity. The tournament is being played entirely in North America, across 16 cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada, giving US bettors matches in their own time zones. Roughly 65% of the US population now has access to legal sports betting, up from about 40% during the 2022 Qatar World Cup, per PlayUSA.
The concentration among market leaders is striking. Deutsche Bank projects FanDuel will handle around 1.3 billion dollars in World Cup wagers, with DraftKings close behind at about 1.1 billion. Globally, one analyst estimate puts total wagers above 50 billion dollars, more than 40% above the 35 billion estimated for 2022, as cited by Bettors Insider.
For operators, the tournament is a customer acquisition event as much as a handle event. The books that convert World Cup sign-ups into retained casino and in-season betting customers will judge the month a success regardless of the headline handle figure.