BETBY has published “10 World Cup Insights for the Next 10 Months of Football,” an in-depth analysis exploring how football betting habits evolved between the 2022 and 2026 World Cups, and detailing the actionable takeaways for sportsbooks in the current season.
After a major event like a World Cup, most operators focus on its numbers. The more strategic question is what sits behind them.
The report answers it across every layer of engagement — match-result betting, player props, sportsbook features, products, and promotion campaigns.
The shifts are significant and worthy of operator attention, as players have started interacting with football differently.
Key takeaways
- Only 18.84% of World Cup bets arrived through the dedicated tournament page.
- Desktop accounted for 13.14% of World Cup players but 30.24% of World Cup turnover.
- Days when no World Cup match was running, activity across BETBY.Games rose rather than fell.
The season is still early doors — early enough to turn all 10 insights into sportsbook growth.
Report highlights
- What drove player engagement behind x2.96 average stake growth.
- Why operators should go beyond bet growth in a new club season.
- What stark shifts hit markets and player props in the last 4 years.
- Where World Cup bets came from and what it means for event discovery.
- Which World Cup players produced 30.24% of World Cup turnover.
- What kept players engaged between matches, and what difference it made.
“Most operators came out of the World Cup with better numbers, but few could explain why. The majority viewed the tournament primarily as an acquisition opportunity, when that was arguably the least interesting aspect of it,” said Stefanos Karakidis, Business Development Director at BETBY. “The tournament reached four out of five of our players, yet generated less than half of all bets. It was everywhere, but it wasn’t everything on the sportsbook.That’s why we set out to uncover the insights that many operators might otherwise overlook.”
