A Look at the Most Popular Betting Events in Football

Football’s success is undeniable. The sport has over 3 billion fans worldwide, making it the most popular game around the globe.

Its popularity doesn’t end at just watching though. Plenty of people take up football as a hobby, and from that perspective, it is also the most popular sport to practice. Finally, the game has a massive following on betting sites.

Perhaps it doesn’t surprise anyone to learn that football fans love to bet, considering the sports betting industry is one of the biggest entertainment markets right now. Billions of dollars go into football betting alone every year. The true success of the betting industry is that it continuously attracts new fans, especially online. Because of the success of football betting, we would like to take a look at the most popular events to wage on.

FIFA World Cup

In discussions about popularity, especially when it comes to football, the FIFA World Cup is usually the first event to get brought up. The reason, of course, is obvious; the World Cup is the most popular betting event in the world, not just in football, but in any sport. Every year, over a billion fans tune in any way they can to watch the world’s best teams compete for one of the most prestigious titles.

When a sports tournament gets that big, the betting sites aren’t far behind. Nowadays, it is possible to wager on the World Cup from the comfort of your own home, months, or even years in advance. That is what online sportsbooks are for. Bookies do their best to bring top-quality odds to their customers. On top of that, they offer bonuses and perks that help newbies get started.

The best part about online bookies is that they also, often, double as online casinos. That means that apart from betting, you can also play the best games using the betFIRST crash games website. With the World Cup being on everyone’s minds, you might even find some quality football-themed slot games, or whatever else strikes your fancy. As you can see, football and casinos have more than a few links binding them.

The European National Leagues

The history of football is quite a hot topic. Some believe that its origins can be traced to Ancient China, drawing parallels between modern football, and the game cuju. Others think that any game involving kicking a ball could be seen as a precursor. Whatever your belief is, the fact remains that football as we know it today was stratified in England during the Victorian era. Therefore, it is no wonder that the European national leagues are those that get the most attention.

Among them, the most popular is the English Premier League. Home to clubs like Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Arsenal, the EPL is known for the highly competitive environment that it fosters, which has led to some of the biggest football feuds. Star players like Mohamed Salah, Cristiano Ronaldo, and David Beckham have all played for different clubs in the league, further elevating its status.

Next to the EPL, the Spanish La Liga attracts the most fans. For good reason too, as it is the home of two of football’s most prominent clubs; Barcelona and Real Madrid. In the eyes of many Real Madrid is the number one club in the world, having won the most titles and having attracted the most international fans. Of course, as Real Madrid’s biggest rivals, Barcelona must not be forgotten when discussing the greatest clubs in the world.

The Ligue 1, Serie A, and Bundesliga are the remaining three European National Leagues with an international audience. Hosted in France, Italy, and Germany respectively, all of these tournaments are home to at least one club with an international following. For Ligue 1 it is Paris Saint-Germain, the Serie A has Juventus and Milan, and Bundesliga is of course home to Bayern Munich.

UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League is a club competition, bringing all of the best European clubs together in one tournament to determine the best. If individual European leagues bring in millions of dollars from betting every year, imagine what happens when a tournament hosts the best clubs from each of those leagues. The money starts pouring in from all over Europe (and beyond).

According to some of the reports, the last iteration of the UEFA Champions League managed to get over $2 billion from the betting industry alone. Not only did the European nations supporting the clubs tune in, but so did fans from the United States, Canada, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The UEFA Champions League may not benefit at all from these wagers, but the matches they host are certainly a driving force in maintaining the sports betting industry.

Women’s FIFA World Cup

Like the Men’s FIFA World Cup, the ladies’ event is held every four years. While historically, women’s sports have not been as popular as the male counterparts (with a few exceptions), the popularity does seem to be growing recently. The Women’s World Cup has always had a lot more attention heaped upon it than the average women’s football game. But, recently, the attendance has been growing.

It certainly is true that online sportsbooks have played a role in the success of Women’s FIFA World Cup. The pinnacle of women’s international football attracts betting fans from all over the globe. During the last iteration of the tournament, billions went into sports betting, with bookies reporting a development in interest, specifically for women’s football.

Key Takeaways

The biggest takeaway is that football is, and likely always will be the most popular sport in the world. With 3 billion fans, and growing, it is hard to imagine that any of the popular games will surpass its popularity. Another thing to note is that its popularity comes with an increasing interest from betting fans. Billions of dollars every year go into football wagers, meaning that there are quite a few people who love the sport so much, they are willing to put cash on the line for their favorite team or club.