Football
In case you didn’t know, the World Cup 2018 begins a couple of weeks’ time – but if you didn’t know, we can’t help but wonder where you’ve been for the past few months! Football mania has definitely hit, and whether you’re a true sports fan or not, it brings with it plenty of chances to make some smart wagers and win big.
If you’re new to football betting, then obviously placing a wager the World Cup can seem intimidating. Not only is the competition arguably the world’s most important footballing event, but there’s also hundreds of different betting markets and odds to choose form.
So, where do you start? In this guide we’ll be discussing all the different types of world cup football odds, types of bets and more, as well as the best bookmakers to make them with. This means that come the 14th of June, when the football World Cup 2018 begins, you’ll be primed and ready to back your favourites.
The Best World Cup Markets and Odds Available Now
When it comes to football betting there are two main types of bet available; regular bets and in-play options. Of course, within these categories there are hundreds of different markets and each should be explored in-detail before deciding what kind of World Cup football 2018 odds wager you want to place.
Regular World Cup Football Betting Markets
Regular football bets are, as the name suggests, the most common type of football bets around and are the type of bet you probably associate most with football betting. These are bets which must be placed before an event kicks off, for instance before a match is played or before the World Cup 2018 begins.
Here are some examples of popular regular World Cup 2018 football bets:
- Outright Winner
- Name the Finalists
- Group Stage Winners
- Winners of a Specific Match
In addition to these kinds of bets, there are also ‘prop bets’ or ‘specials’ as they are called in the UK. ‘Specials’ are betting markets you can place a wager in which do not directly correlate to the results of the match. For example, a player to score or a certain player to be disqualified from the competition.
Here are some examples of the most popular World Cup 2018 ‘specials’:
- World Cup 2018 Top Goalscorer
- World Cup 2018 Golden Ball Winner
- Harry Kane to Score a Hat Trick
In-Play Betting Markets
As with regular bets, in-play betting markets are quite self-explanatory; they are markets you can bet on once a match has begun. Whilst at one point bookmakers which offered in-play markets were something of a rarity, nowadays most of the top UK sportsbooks do offer this option.
In-play markets can be very appealing and profitable, especially for sports betting newbies. This is because they allow you to wait until the very last minute to make a decision, and you can watch the action unfold before placing a wager. They also often provide punters with very good odds, especially if a match is drawing to a close and time is running out.
Here are some examples of the most popular World Cup 2018 ‘in-play’ betting markets:
- Next Team to Score
- Next Player to Score
- Next Team to take a Corner
- Half Time/Full Time Result
Our Top 5 UK Bookmakers for the World Cup 2018
Just as there are hundreds of different World Cup football odds and markets, there are also hundreds of UK bookmakers just waiting to take your money. Whilst choosing a high-street or online bookmaker is an entirely subjective decision, we do think there are some factors which make some bookmakers better than others.
Below, we have listed five of our favourite UK bookmakers for World Cup 2018 football odds, and included information about all the things which make them stand out from the crowd.
