The 2022 World Cup finalists are both in action today as France and reigning champions Argentina get their first taste of the 2026 edition of the tournament.
Betting sites expect both sides to open their campaigns with a victory, but neither will be taking Senegal or Algeria lightly after watching World Cup betting favourites Spain fail to beat Cape Verde on Monday.
The Standard is your one-stop shop for all things World Cup betting, pulling together the best World Cup betting offers, the latest match and outright odds, and a few predictions for the upcoming matches.
Top 10 World Cup betting offers for June 16
The Standard's betting experts have picked out the best World Cup betting sites, assessing bookmakers based on welcome offers, ongoing promotions, mobile app quality, and market depth. Here are our top 10 World Cup betting spots for the first weekend of the tournament.
1. Betfair
New bettors can get £30 in free bets when joining Betfair, or there's an alternative Betfair welcome offer, which features enhanced odds of 50/1 on Spain or France to qualify from the group stage, with winnings paid out in free bets. Betfair also offer a 90-minute guarantee on all World Cup games. That means if a wager on a match result market is winning when the clock strikes 90, it will be marked as a winner, no matter the final outcome.
2. Betfred
The Betfred World Cup offer gives new customers who sign up and bet a minimum of £10 £50 in free bets to wager on the World Cup. Bettors can also secure a £5 free bet for Spain vs Cape Verde when they wager £5 or more in-play at odds of evens or greater in the Sweden vs Tunisia match. There's also a £5 free bet builder bet for any game in week one of the tournament, money back on losing accumulators, and the unique double-delight & hat-trick heaven promo.
3. Sky Bet
New customers will find a selection of Sky Bet offers available for the World Cup. Bettors could choose to receive enhanced odds of 60/1 on a goal to be scored in England vs Croatia. Alternatively, they could opt for a promo which awards bettors with a £10 free bet every time Harry Kane scores for England at the tournament. To qualify, bettors will need to sign up and wager £10 on any World Cup market. There's a chance to claim a share of £5 million with Sky Bet too. Wager £5 or more on the World Cup winner market to be in the prize draw, which will pay out if England win the tournament. The Sky Bet Club provides a free bet for those punters who place five or more World Cup wagers, whilst price boosts are available for every game on Sky Bet's excellent mobile app.
4. Paddy Power
Bettors wanting to get behind England at this World Cup will find two promotions on Paddy Power. Firstly, they can get 50/1 on England to beat Croatia in their opening match. They can also get 50/1 odds on England to qualify from Group L on a £1 bet and £2 for every game they win in the group stage as part of the Paddy Power World Cup offer. England bettors will also be interested to know that there is a free bet builder bet available for every England group stage game. With Paddy's Rewards Club, enhanced odds, free bet builder for every England game, and Paddy's Wonder Wheel, there is plenty of draw to Paddy Power's World Cup offerings.
5. Midnite
New customers who join Midnite can get £30 in free bets to wager on the World Cup. There's also the option to claim £20 in free bets each week of the tournament via Midnite's Bet Club. With an app Store rating of 4.7/5, mobile-first bookies Midnite offer one of the best app experiences on this list.
6. Grosvenor
Grosvenor gives new bettors a 100% profit boost when joining, while they are offering a 25% boost token on World Cup bet builder bets. There's also cashback available on selected matches if certain conditions are met, with bettors eligible for a free bet refund up to £25.
7. Tote
Tote's welcome offer is bet £10 and get £40 in free bets, although not all of the welcome bonus can be used to wager on World Cup games. Tote's top World Cup promotion is both novel and unique with bettors able to get their money back on losing World Cup outright bets if the team they backed goes out on penalties. Tote are offering a maximum refund of £25 on those losing World Cup outright bets, while users can who bet £25 on accumulator wagers can get a £5 free bet each week.
8. BetVictor
England don't start their World Cup campaign until June 17, but already many fans will be turning their thoughts towards the Three Lions, who have been boosted to 100/1 with BetVictor to win the tournament. The BetVictor World Cup offer is available until the end of the group stage and if England do win the tournament, bettors will be paid out in a mix of cash and free bets. For the opening day, BetVictor have a good selection of price boosts for the opening game on both singles and multiples, while bettors can use the Lucky Dip feature to get enhanced odds on a random selection on selected World Cup markets.
9. Spreadex
Spreadex are providing a special World Cup sign up offer which includes up to £100 in free bets. The offer features a guaranteed £30 in free bets, while bettors who wager £10 on Spreadex's World Cup outright market will receive an extra £10 fixed-odds free bet for every game their selection wins in the tournament. Spreadex's other selling points include a 100 per cent winnings boosts for World Cup accumulators and 2 up early payouts on all tournament games.
10. Ladbrokes
The Ladbrokes sign-up offer includes £30 in free bets that can be wagered on the World Cup, with bettors required to wager £5 to unlock the bonus. Accumulator bettors can get their stake refunded as a free bet if one leg of their World Cup acca doesn't win, so long as their multiple has at least five legs. There's also a £5 free bet builder wager available daily for bettors who deposit £10 in shop using a Club Ladbrokes card and then wager £10 online.
World Cup free bet offers for today
The USA and Canada enter the World Cup chat today with Canada taking on Bosnia-Herzegovina in their opening match before the Stars and Stripes collide with Paraguay. Here are five of the World Cup betting offers for today's matches.
- Betfair: Get 50/1 on France to qualify for last 32. New customers only, wager a maximum of £1 on France to qualify from Group I. Get paid out in free bets at odds of 50/1 if they advance.
- Betfred: Bet £5 on Argentina v Algeria, get £5 in free bets. Opt in, bet £5 on Argentina vs Algeria in-play at odds of evens or greater and get a £5 free bet to use in-play on DR Congo vs Portugal.
- Betnero: Bet £5, get £5 in free bets. Wager £25 or more on the World Cup winner market and get a £5 free bet every time your selection wins by two or more goals.
- Bet365: Money back on losing England vs Croatia bet builders. Opt in, put together a bet builder for England vs Croatia with minimum odds of evens. Get your stake refunded in free bets, up to a maximum of £5, if the bet loses.
- Tote: Money back on losing WC bet builders. Wager £10 or more on a World Cup bet builder (4+ legs, minimum odds 3/1) and get your stake back as a free bet if the bet builder loses by one leg.
World Cup match odds
Bettors can find the best odds for World Cup fixtures below. The odds are live so any changes made by bookmakers will be reflected instantly.
2026 World Cup outright odds
Below are live outright winner odds for the 2026 World Cup, which will change significantly throughout the tournament.
Latest World Cup news
Team news can make or break a country's chances at the World Cup - and your bets. Keep up to date with all the latest top stories from the World Cup.
World Cup predictions: France vs Senegal
France are strong favourites for a reason here, despite Senegal's storied history in this fixture. I expect Mbappe to make a fast start and show new Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho that he remains at the peak of his powers. France to win 3-1.
How we choose World Cup free bet offers
The Standard took a close look at all the World Cup offers listed on this page before putting them forward. Here are some of the criteria we considered when looking at free bet promotions and other offers.
Welcome offer value and qualifying stake
We weigh the value against the qualifying stake, as a high free bet figure means little if the qualifying bet is £20 at evens, for example. Headline figures (£30, £40, £50) are only one factor - lower qualifying stakes often win out for casual bettors.
Free bet token structure
Free bets can be paid out in different ways, which might impact the overall value of an offer. For example, bonuses split into 4x £10 free bets give bettors more wagering options, allowing them to potentially diversify their bonus, whereas one big £40 free bet token forces a single decision.
Restrictions & wagering
Restrictions on qualifying bets and free bet tokens can also make or break a welcome offer. Bettors should look out for minimum odds restrictions or caps on winnings from World Cup free bet offers. Bettors may also be hindered by the type of wager a free bet can be used for. If the bookmaker offers a large bounty of free bets for joining, but all the free bets are restricted to correct score or more niche markets, the offer loses some value. Some World Cup betting offers require bettors to wager any winnings, which subtracts from the value of any welcome offer.
Ongoing World Cup promotions
Plenty of bookmakers will continue football-specific promos such as 2 Up, money back on losing bet builders, acca insurance, daily price boosts, and free-to-play games for the World Cup. Ongoing promotions provide return value for bettors, so regular punters are set to benefit more from promotions.
How to bet on the 2026 World Cup
The Standard has an in-depth guide on how to bet on the World Cup with plenty of useful insights, but for those seeking some quick hints and tips, here's our top advice for World Cup betting.
Understand World Cup betting markets
Knowing how each betting market works and what has to happen in order for a bet to win is critical. Bettors should never bet on a market they don't understand. A novice bettor may want to keep it simple, wagering on markets like the World Cup winner or match result while building up their betting knowledge.
Outright vs match betting
Outright markets, such as tournament winner, top scorer, and Golden Ball, tend to offer the best value before the tournament starts, when the field is wide open and prices have not yet been sharpened by results. Outright prices shorten quickly during the knockout rounds and that value tends to evaporate once the field narrows past the round of 16. However, there are occasionally opportunities to get a bit of extra value on outright bets during the tournament following a surprise group stage defeat, i.e. Saudi Arabia beating eventual winners Argentina in 2022. Match betting is the safer ground once teams are actually playing and form is visible.
Bet builders and accumulators
Bet builders combine multiple selections from a single match, such as match result, over/under, and an anytime goalscorer. Accumulators instead combine selections from multiple matches and the odds compound across each leg. Large accas can look tempting, with huge potential returns, but don't forget the risk factor is being multiplied with each leg added, just like the odds. That being said, acca insurance is offered by some bookmakers such as Ladbrokes, which refunds your stake (up to £10) if just one selection of your 5+ leg acca fails. Bet builder boosts, provided by bookies such as William Hill and Bet365, can also add a little extra value on the bettor's side.
Reading odds and finding value
UK bookmakers default to fractional odds, but you can change odds to decimal in the app or website settings. Bettors can work out their potential return with fractional odds: the right number shows the stake, and the left shows the winnings. So, if a £1 bet was placed at 3/1 odds and it won, bettors would make a £3 profit and also get their £1 stake back. Decimal odds show how much you would receive back, including your stake. So, 4.00 in decimal odds is equivalent to 3/1. The implied probability of a bet winning can also be determined from the odds. A price of 2/1 means the bookmaker rates the outcome at a 33.3 per cent of happening. If a punter rates it higher, that is where value sits. You can find further value by comparing prices across multiple bookmakers using The Standard's odds tool.
Bankroll discipline across a tournament
Set a total tournament budget before the opening match and stick to it - avoid chasing losses with bigger stakes on the next match. Treat bets on your own nation's matches with extra caution - emotional bets are usually bad bets. All bookmakers will provide various responsible gambling tools such as deposit limits, time-outs, and self-exclusion via GAMSTOP, but you can find further support at BeGambleAware or Gamcare and the NHS gambling support page.
World Cup betting - FAQs
Where is the 2026 World Cup being held?
For the first time, three countries will host the World Cup. The USA will host the majority of games, including all matches from the quarter-finals onwards - 78 matches across 11 cities in total. Canada and Mexico will host 13 games each, across two and three cities, respectively. The final is at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
What are the best World Cup betting offers?
The Standard's picks are re-ranked daily based on the current state of each promotion and the World Cup. Personal preference can play a big part in what a punter views as the best offer - if you prefer accas, promotions that offer an accas winnings boost or minimise risk with free bet refunds might be preferable over boosted in-play odds, for example.
Can you bet live on the World Cup?
Yes, every UK-licensed bookmaker on this list offers in-play betting on World Cup matches. If live in-play betting is your thing, LeoVegas Sport's welcome offer is a 100% profit boost on a first in-play bet. Grosvenor also offers a strong variety of in-play bet builder markets.
Is the 2026 World Cup still going ahead?
Yes, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The 2026 tournament is the first to feature the expanded 48-team format, with 104 games across 39 days confirmed by FIFA.
We aim to offer every online gambler and reader of The Standard a safe and fair platform through unbiased reviews and offers from the UK's best online gambling companies. Gambling can be addictive, always play responsibly and only bet what you can afford to lose. Gambling sites have a number of tools to assist you to stay in control, including deposit limits and time outs. If you think you have a problem, advice and support is available for you now from BeGambleAware or Gamcare. Any offers or odds listed in this article are correct at the time of publication but are subject to change. Terms & Conditions apply to all offers.
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