The beautiful game has billions of fans across the world with hundreds of football games taking place every day. There is always value to take advantage of through football betting – that’s why we’ve put together the ultimate football betting guide to help you learn how football betting works and succeed with your football bets moving forward.
Before we start our football betting markets and strategies, it’s important to know the most important football leagues and competitions for betting – it’s always good to keep an eye out for these leagues and how it’s shaping up throughout the season to place smart football bets.
The most-watched league in the world currently is the English Premier League which is the home of icon teams such as Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Champions League winners Manchester City. There is always excitement on Premier League matchdays and that shows with a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people.
Founded in 1962 in Dortmund, the Bundesliga is the number-one association football league in the world when it comes to average attendance in the stadiums. Bayern Munich currently holds the most Bundesliga titles with 32 titles. The Bundesliga is known for its fast-paced attacking football which is perfect for any football lover.
It’s fair to say that La Liga has seen a bit of a decline in interest since the departure of the two superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi but La Liga still attracts billions of viewers worldwide, most notably to watch the two giants of football Real Madrid and Barcelona who play in the fiesty ‘El Classico’ clash.
Regarded as one of the best football leagues in the world, the Serie A has been known as the most tactical and defensively sound national league as it’s birthed such talented defenders like Maldini, Cannavaro, Nesta, Baresi – the list could go on and on. You can tune in to see iconic teams such as Inter Milan, AC Milan, Roma, Juventus and Napoli battle it out for the top spot.
In recent times the French national team has been hailed as the best team and most of the talent has come through the Ligue 1, while it has been a while since a Ligue 1 team won the Champions League with Marseille the last winner in 1993 – PSG has came the closest finishing runners up in 2020. Ligue 1 is known as the last one in the ‘Big Five’ European leagues.
There are many football betting markets that you can find, but it can sometimes become overwhelming especially if you are a beginner when it comes to football bets. Gaining a better understanding of certain football betting markets means you can make more informed bets.
The most popular football bet is match betting or it is also known as 1X2 which is choosing what the full-time result will be in the game. There are three choices when it comes to match betting on football.
1: The home team will win.
X: The match will end in a draw.
2: The away team will win.
It is important to note that if you are betting on matches in competitions such as the Champions League, or FA Cup where extra-time is a possibility. Match betting will only be the full-time result in 90 minutes plus added time. The odds on match betting will be determined by the quality of players on teams, recent team form, team news, injuries and more.
This is a well-liked betting strategy for careful punters who like to cover certain results. Double chance gives the bettor a chance where they can cover two of the three possible outcomes in the match.
An example would be if Manchester United was playing Chelsea, you could select the following options:
1X: Manchester United to Win or Draw
X2: Draw or Chelsea to Win
12: Manchester Utd to Win or Chelsea to Win
Picking this option will usually come with shorter odds compared to match betting as you are covering two of three possibilities – it is usually best to add double chance bets to accumulator bets to get higher odds.
Have a good feeling about a player scoring in the game? You can back your player to score in the football match with Goalscorer markets. There are three popular choices when it comes to goalscorer markets which are the following:
If a player is in red-hot form, you will want to capitalise on their form and place a goalscorer bet. Many bookmakers such as Bet365 offer enhanced odds when it comes to goalscorer markets and player bets.
Handicap betting is the bookmaker’s way of giving an advantage to the weaker team and a disadvantage to the stronger side. If you believe a team is going to win against a lower team by a heavy scoreline, many punters will back the stronger team on the handicap markets.
When browsing handicap markets, you will come across both European Handicaps and Asian Handicaps.
With the European handicap, the bookmaker gives a virtual lead to the underdog by a certain number of goals. This means if you back the favourite with a -1 goal handicap, they need to win by more than one goal for your bet to come good. It’s straightforward – your bet is either a win, a loss, or a draw based on the handicap result.
The Asian Handicap takes it a step further by eliminating the chance of a draw, offering two types of handicaps: simple and split. For example, a -1.5 goal Asian Handicap on the favourite means they need to win by two clear goals. The split handicap might give you options like -1.0, -1.5, meaning part of your stake goes on each. If the team wins by two goals, both parts of your bet win. If they win by just one, you lose half your stake and get the other half back.
Handicap markets in football add an extra layer of strategy to betting, perfect for those who enjoy a deeper analysis and potentially higher rewards.
Unsure of the result but you are predicting both teams to score in the game? This is the best bet for you. The both teams to score market is pretty simple to understand as you can either choose Yes or No on whether both teams score in the game.
Taking a look beforehand to study teams, you can see whether they have a leaky defence or if both teams are in good goal-scoring form which can help you lead to better football bets.
The Overs / Unders Market focuses on the number of goals, corners, cards and more that are scored in a game rather than the game’s actual outcome.
An example would be if Arsenal are playing Tottenham, you can select there to be over 2.5 goals in the game meaning if the result finished 2-1, you would win – any more goals in the game aswell would still mean you are a winner.
Today bookmakers will give you a whole range of options to bet from in a football match. These types of football bets are normally secondary markets but are still highly popular amongst football punters.
Predicting the exact score in a football game can be difficult but those who enjoy lower stake bets with juicy value will enjoy the correct score market. This is normally done as single bets but you can do a correct score acca if you are feeling lucky which could lead to huge payouts. Picking a correct score means it must be the final score at the end of the game.
If you notice a team does their best football in the later half of the match, you can select a draw and win the second half to increase the value of your bet e.g. if you are betting on Manchester City vs Liverpool, you may do Draw-Manchester City or Manchester City-Manchester City meaning they must lead at half-time and full-time.
We have spoken about both teams to score but you can also add who you believe is going to win the game with this market. This type of bet is popular with teams who are likely to win with a strong attack but are vulnerable in defence, you can find better value in this market instead of in straight match betting.
You may have come across the term ‘outright betting’ this is a wager on who you think will win a competition or league – for example, if you were to place a bet on Leicester when they famously won the Premier League in the 2015-16 season, you would have got a whopping 5,000-1 meaning if you’d of placed £10 your payout would have been £50,000!
Outright football bets are not just for teams but you can bet on players winning individual awards such as Ballon D’or or PFA Player of the Year.
In play betting on football matches has become more favoured amongst certain football punters as it allows them to watch the game in real-time, meaning they can see the stats and any potential momentum shifts meaning they can capitalise and place bets on certain outcomes. Football odds in play can change quite frequently so it’s always good to keep an eye on in case you spot some good value.
While we can’t guarantee a winner on your football bets every time, there are certain tips and strategies that can do in order to give us the best chance of winning our football bets. So if you are looking to place your first bet or are a seasoned football bettor – we hope our football betting tips can help you beat the bookies.
While it may seem a pretty simple tip, it can be tempting to choose the bigger names in football sometimes but even the biggest names in football can sometimes suffer a dip in form meaning certain teams have a much better chance of beating them than usual.
A staking plan means deciding on a set amount of money you stick to when betting. This makes it simple to see how much you’ve won or lost. Money made from the betting fund is taken out now and then, or when it hits a specific amount, to be spent on things other than betting.
Different bookmakers will offer different football odds depending on the market and selected games. That’s why it’s important to do some thorough research to find the best odds. To get competitive odds, have a browse through the most popular sports betting bookmakers preferably one that specialises in football betting. The better the odds, the bigger your profits will be on your football bet.
If you are someone who just enjoys having a little bet on the football on the weekend, it’s understandable that you don’t want to track your bet wagers but if you are looking to identify what is working on your football betting strategy, it is key to keep track of your football bets. This can also help you keep an eye on what teams and players are helping you win bets in the future.
Before you place a bet, you should always think about the money and if you are okay with losing the amount. If the answer is no, you should not be placing the stake. If gambling is starting to seriously negatively affect your life, please seek help – you can find more information on GambleAware.
Exploring the world of football betting can be as exciting as the game itself, but knowing where to start can be a bit of a puzzle. That’s where popular football bet strategies come into play. These are some of the top football betting strategies that you can find.
You can combine a few double-chance selections in order to create an accumulator with value as it allows those who are risk-conscious to cover two selections out of three. While the odds may go lower due to the nature of the selection, you can start to see your odds accumulate once you build an acca. It is important to be patient in building your balance as it is a long-term investment.
In football matches, we can sometimes see the underdogs take an early lead in the game which can lead to an increase in odds for the favourite e.g. If England concedes to Slovenia early, their odds may increase from 1/2 to EVS to win the game.
Many punters have found success in only betting on overs/unders as a football bet. In a close game, it can be difficult to predict whether it’ll be a home win, draw or away win but if you have noticed there is a good chance there could be goals in the game, the value is in backing over 2.5 goals.
Football betting is constantly evolving and we’ve seen an increase in markets. One where people are starting to find value in betting on fouls in the game or most notably football players – many football bookmakers such as Paddy Power will allow you to create an accumulator on players to commit fouls e.g. Rodri over 1.5 tackles could be a selection.
Matched betting in football involves using bookies’ free bets to make a profit, no matter the match outcome. You place one bet on a team to win and another to not win, covering both outcomes. This way, you can’t lose because you’re betting with the bookie’s free offer. It’s a smart strategy to earn extra without risking your own cash, as long as you carefully follow the process and cover all possibilities.
We understand that you still may have a few questions about our football betting guide, that’s why we’ve put together this frequently asked questions section to help answer anything we’ve missed.
Many football tipsters take their time to fully research and put together football tips that can help fellow punters bash the bookies. You should always approach using football tipsters at risk, finding a reliable tipster can save you time when placing bets and can come in handy in spotting value.
Football betting odds represent the likelihood of an event happening, influencing your potential winnings. For example, if a team has odds of 2/1, betting £1 means you win £2 if they’re victorious, plus your stake back. It’s crucial to compare odds across football betting sites for the best deals. Odds can vary, especially for popular football tips.
Yes, many football betting sites offer free bets to new customers or as part of ongoing promotions. To qualify, you usually need to make a qualifying deposit and place a bet at minimum odds. If your bet loses, the free bets credited to your account can be used to place more football bets, though payment method exclusions apply.
While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, the best football prediction site offers detailed analyses, statistics, and free football betting tips. These sites consider everything from team form to injuries, remember, no prediction is guaranteed, so it’s wise to use these tips as part of a broader strategy.