Kambi and its global network of Turnkey Sportsbook partners have exceeded 100 million bets1 placed during the ongoing FIFA World Cup, underlining growing player demand for higher-margin betting products and evolving wagering preferences.
With 102 of the 104 World Cup games played, data from Kambi’s global partner network shows the continued growth of player props and Bet Builder, reducing the dependency on traditional core markets to drive engagement and margin performance. This is illustrated by this week’s semi finals which had more than 700,000 unique combinations placed on each game.
The expanded tournament has delivered on the increased turnover potential that was anticipated, yet Kambi has also exceeded average turnover per match and seen an increase in average stake compared to 2022, with the final two games yet to be played. Kambi’s geographically diversified partner network has driven betting volume across a wider range of markets and time zones, while diversifying risk and liabilities across its broad global partner base.
Key World Cup 2026 betting trends (versus 2022)
- Pre-match Bet Builder turnover up 3.6x
- Average pre-match Bet Builder selection size now 3.5 compared to 2.9
- Player shots on target is the top pre-match Bet Builder offer by turnover, generating 2x the turnover of match winner market
- Share of pre-match turnover from bets other than match winner up from 57% to 63%
- Live Bet Builder turnover up 10x
- Player shots on target is the most popular live bet, accounting for 15% of live turnover
Together, these trends highlight a clear shift toward more sophisticated, higher-margin recreational play, enabling Kambi to maintain strong tournament margins—even in a competition where top seeds dominated the latter stages and leading strikers consistently found the net.
This evolution has been powered by Kambi’s AI-driven trading system, with the tournament marking the first World Cup where both pre-match and live betting markets were fully compiled and managed by its proprietary algorithmic technology. The result is enhanced efficiency, improved scalability, and a richer, more dynamic betting experience.
By combining advanced AI capabilities with extensive data from its global network, Kambi has introduced a range of product enhancements, including expanded player prop markets, greater Bet Builder flexibility, reduced suspension times, lower in-play delays, and improved platform uptime.
Werner Becher, CEO of Kambi, said: “Surpassing 100 million bets before the final demonstrates both the scale of our network and the progress we are making in sportsbook innovation. This is the first World Cup fully traded by our AI-powered capabilities and we’ve seen the impact in stronger product performance, greater engagement with player props and Bet Builder, and a betting mix that continues to evolve beyond traditional markets. At a tournament where results have not always been favourable for some bookmakers, these advances have enabled us to continue performing strongly and delivering for partners.”
Kambi will publish its Q2 2026 Report on 22 July, sharing further World Cup insights and sportsbook performance details, and invites analysts, investors, and media to join a presentation at 10:00 CEST.
- The 100 million bet milestone applies to Kambi’s Turnkey Sportsbook only and does not include the millions of bets driven by Kambi’s Odds Feed+ product. ↩︎
