The 2026 World Cup generated 2.1 times more turnover than Qatar 2022 across an expanded 48-team, 104-match competition, with EveryMatrix Sports data revealing a fundamental shift in sportsbook behaviour driven by player-focused betting and increasingly complex Bet Builders.
Speaking on the iGaming Daily podcast, Mark Wilson, Head of Trading at EveryMatrix Sports, highlighted how the five-week tournament provided operators with clear insight into evolving customer preferences, particularly around individual player markets and multi-leg bet construction.
Player Markets Reshape Risk Profiles
Half of all Anytime Goalscorer turnover during the tournament was generated by just five players: Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Harry Kane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland. Mbappe alone attracted approximately twice the betting interest of Haaland.
This concentration creates new risk dynamics for operators. Wilson noted that a favourite can win while heavily backed player outcomes fail to materialise, producing positive sportsbook results that would not have occurred under traditional match-result betting patterns.
Cristiano Ronaldo exemplified this shift. Despite massive betting interest surrounding the football icon, his failure to convert that attention into goals delivered a 46% margin for EveryMatrix Sports on Ronaldo-related betting.
“You can get the favourite winning, but if certain things don’t happen in the match, it could still be a very good result for the bookmaker, and we didn’t see that in the past,” Wilson explained.
Bet Builder Complexity Accelerates
One in every two pre-match Bet Builder bets featured four or more legs, with the share of total turnover from these larger combinations increasing throughout the tournament. During the group stage, complex Bet Builders represented 15% of turnover, rising to 16% in the Round of 32 and 20% in the Round of 16.
By the World Cup final, Bet Builder bets accounted for 21.5% of total turnover, with 10% of that activity including at least one player market. Customers were combining team outcomes with individual player performances to create more personalised betting experiences.
The growth in pre-match player markets also contributed to a slight dip in in-play betting proportions. Wilson attributed this to product improvements since the previous World Cup, noting that enhanced pre-match offerings encouraged customers to place bets earlier and watch matches unfold.
Tournament-wide, 82% of bets were placed on mobile, while 26% were live bets.
Granular Markets Create New Betting Narratives
The World Cup final, which generated 50% more turnover than either semi-final, demonstrated how granular markets alter match economics for operators. Argentina recorded no shots on target in 90 minutes, resulting in a 100% margin for EveryMatrix Sports on bets backing Argentina or Argentina players to register shots on or off target.
Similarly, Argentina accumulated over 20 fouls, yet only one bet linked to that outcome proved successful.
EveryMatrix uses betting data to identify popular selections and incorporate them into featured Bet Builders through automated processes. Wilson said the company draws inspiration from sources including Premier League fantasy competitions to surface player form and newsworthy narratives.
Platform stability remained critical, with EveryMatrix achieving approximately 98% in-play uptime during the tournament. Wilson emphasised that uptime is a key metric the company measures against industry standards, particularly during major events where product innovation depends on consistent availability.
