Analysts estimated that $2.9 billion will be wagered on the 2026 World Cup on U.S. sports betting sites, and that figure is more than double the amount wagered on the 2022 tournament, according to VOI.
VOI also cited Eilers and Krejcik Gaming saying U.S. sportsbook revenue could reach $4.4 billion if the U.S. national team exceeds expectations.
Separately, Dominic Hammond, Caesars Digital senior vice president of sports, told CNBC that a “deep run” by the U.S. Men’s National Team was when betting and engagement could really accelerate, with spikes after each match.
H2 Gambling Capital said that in June and July 2025, $1.7 billion was wagered on all soccer matches on U.S. sports betting sites, according to VOI.
H2 projected $60 billion in global wagering on the 2026 World Cup through regulated sports betting channels, and it estimated that amount would be up 71% from its estimate for the 2022 World Cup.
H2 also said it does not expect prediction platforms to have a material impact on global football betting handle for the 2026 World Cup, and that prediction markets were not included in its projections, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
On the prediction-market side, DeFi Rate estimated that more than $2.5 billion could be traded on the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., and it said the World Cup prediction market volume could clear $2.5 billion, according to PRNewswire.
PRNewswire said DeFi Rate’s model centers on roughly $1.47 billion on Kalshi in its base case, and it reaches $1.93 billion in a scenario where American interest spikes for a typical non-U.S. sporting event.
DeFi Rate also said the “World Cup trading at March Madness levels” is not necessarily about the headline comparison, with the key driver being individual matchups, which it said account for roughly 80% of projected volume, and with most of the action happening on game day, as reported by PRNewswire.
CNBC reported that the tournament was expected to be the biggest betting event in history and the first to test the U.S. sports-wagering market at full scale, with 48 teams competing across 104 matches.
CNBC also reported that Macquarie analyst Chad Beynon expected global wagers on the 2026 World Cup to top $50 billion, up from more than $35 billion during the 2022 tournament, and that Deutsche Bank estimated about $3.3 billion in U.S. handle.
CNBC said Deutsche Bank estimated FanDuel could take about $1.3 billion in U.S. World Cup handle, DraftKings about $1.1 billion, BetMGM about $250 million, Caesars about $120 million, and Penn’s theScore Bet about $83 million.
DeFi Rate said it aggregated figures from trade-tape (notional) volume via Kalshi public data through May 29, 2026.
