Soccer Betting Tips We Should All Know

Soccer, football, footy… whatever your preferred term for it, the sport of kicking a ball around the field is an incredibly popular one with both supporters and bettors. If you’re looking to make a bit of cash or simply increase the excitement of a match, league or tournament, then here’s a look at soccer betting and how it works.

Now that Covid-19 restrictions are all but gone, we’re back to full schedules and ongoing soccer action across a number of leagues. These provide you with ample opportunity for soccer betting action. 

• UEFA Champions League: This is a top soccer tournament involving European teams from all the major leagues who compete in a round-robin format. It’s one of the most-watched sporting events worldwide. 
• Premier League: This soccer tournament involves the top English division of 20 teams competing across a 38-game schedule. The bottom three teams are relegated to the second-tier division. 
• La Liga: This is the top division of Spanish football played in a double round-robin regular season. 
• Copa del Rey: This is a knockout tournament organised by the Royal Spanish Football Federation.
• Confederations Cup: Taking place every four years, this tournament features eight teams and is a great lead-up to the World Cup. 
• FA Cup: This is the oldest national football competition featuring England’s best talent. This involves hundreds of teams competing in an elimination-style qualification. 
• Bundesliga: This is the top division tournament played in Germany. 
• Serie A: Similarly, this is the top division competition played in Italy. 
• Ligue 1: This is the top division tournament involving French clubs. 
• Major Soccer League (MLS): Founded in 1996, this is the American version which has grown to have 23 teams from across the United States.

One of the most-watched events on the sporting calendar is easily the FIFA World Cup – the international tournament held every four years that brings together the world’s best teams and most famous players. Run by FIFA (International Federation of Association Football), the event has been hosted in different countries since 1930. If you’re looking for an exciting soccer event for betting, then this is the one to watch out for. There are so many betting options, from top scorers and MVPs to winning teams across each of the stages. 

- How it works

There will be 32 teams that succeeded in the qualifying rounds to make it to the world stage. The competition is structured as follows:

• Group stage: The teams are divided into eight groups of four and compete in a round-robin tournament. The top teams advance to the next state. 
• Knockout stage: The top 16 teams will now compete in a single-elimination tournament of one-off matches. There’s the Round of 16 (8 matches), quarterfinals, semi-finals and the final.

Before placing your first bet, you need to get to grips with the soccer betting terminology. Some of the more popular phrases include:

• Stake

This is how much money is at stake if you lose the bet. When the stakes are high, you’re betting a lot!

• Selection

This is the team or bet you have chosen to win. You make your selection before putting down the cash. 

• Odds

This is the probability of what might happen in the game. This is determined by the bookie drawing on previous information and experience. 

No matter which league or tournament you choose, there are lots of ways you can wager on soccer! There are also handicap betting and point spreads that refer to the expected margin of victory for the better team. Here’s a look at some of the betting options to consider before putting down your money. 

• Double chance: Choosing the home team, away team or a draw, you can bet on two of the three possible outcomes. 
• Correct score: This is a more specific bet option where you have to choose the end-of-game score for each team. 
• Half-time result: You can choose either who is winning at half-time or the actual half-time score.
• Half-time/full-time result: You choose the half-time and full-time results and require two correct results to win. 
• First and last goalscorer: Basically, choose who will score the first goal…and the last. 
• Both teams to score (BTTS): This is a bet that both teams will score, but you don’t have to decide how many. This is often offered alongside betting on the winner or other such bets.

Alongside the standard bet options mentioned – as well as many more - there are many soccer live bet options that you can try out to make it even more exciting. Also known as ‘in-play betting’, live betting refers to gambling that occurs once a game has started. You can place your bets throughout the game as the odds change. Some of the live bet options include:

• The first team to score
• Total number of goals
• Precise score at half
• Precise score at full time
• Score at half 
• Will there be a goal in the half?
• Next team to earn a corner
• Will there be a booking in the half?
• Total number of shots on goal for a team

Before diving in, you might want to follow a few guidelines to make the best possible wager on the day. 

• Check whether there are any player injuries that could impact player performance. 
• The amount of time left and whether or not there have been any goals scored are important for live betting, as this will prompt managers to adjust the formation accordingly. 
• Consider the field and weather conditions as these will impact the players on the day. 
• The more research you do on the teams and game, the better prepared you will be to place your bet!

You have all the information so now you’re ready to get started with your soccer betting. Check out Sportingbet, the country’s leading sports betting site, to place a bet on almost any soccer league and tournament from around the world.