Betting activity during the World Cup was three times bigger than during a typical domestic season according to SOFTSWISS, once again highlighting the commercial appeal of the event.
What came up as particularly interesting was that pre-match betting held a dominant share of activity when compared to the rest-of-the-year period.
Under general circumstances, live betting and pre-match betting represent 80% and 20% respectively of all bets placed on the SOFTSWISS Sportsbook.
This time around, however, the ratio shifted, with pre-match turnover coming in at 57% of the total, while pre-match bets generated around 20% higher margin when pitted against live betting.
This trend could in large be attributed to the late-night kickoff times for European audiences – though concerns around late kickoffs didn’t have as much of an impact as some may have expected, with SOFTSWISS seeing twice as much volume on the 2026 World Cup against the 2022 tournament.
Some positives were also observed when it comes to player conversion rates. SOFTSWISS reported up to 20% of typical iGaming players place their first sports bet at one point during the World Cup.
In terms of player engagement, the final between Spain and Argentina attracted the most number of bettors and the highest betting volume in a single match throughout the competition. Interestingly, 70% of the bets were pre-game, adding to the trend outlined earlier.
Overall, the most preferred betting channel remained mobile where 85% of the total tournament bets were placed – although there was a slight 5% dip from the usual 90%.
Desktop bets came in at 15%, white tablet bets represented a fracture of the total volume.
Alexander Kamenetskyi, Head of Operations at SOFTSWISS Sportsbook, summarised: “The World Cup is not something you prepare for in the final weeks. The operators who performed best during this tournament had started months earlier by building out their promotional calendars, stress-testing their trading and risk management setups, and aligning their teams before the first ball was kicked.
“The event itself confirmed what we have always believed: platform stability under high load has become a competitive advantage, not just a technical requirement.”
