World Cup expected to generate more in sports bets than the Super Bowl

MoneyWatch World Cup expected to generate more in sports bets than the Super Bowl .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-moneywatch.jpg'); } By Mary Cunningham Mary Cunningham Reporter, MoneyWatch Mary Cunningham is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. She previously worked at "60 Minutes," CBSNews.com and CBS News 24/7 as part of the CBS News Associate Program. Read Full Bio Mary Cunningham May 21, 2026 / 6:00 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google The players won't be the only ones looking to score when the World Cup kicks off on June 11 across 16 cities in three continents. Held this year in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., the quadrennial soccer tournament is expected to become one of the biggest gambling events of all time. Bookies.com predicts Americans will wager $3.1 billion on World Cup games through online sports betting, which is legal in dozens of states. Prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket are projected to handle another $2.4 billion in bets, according to the forecast from the online sports betting site. "Prediction markets that have been around for a long time, but they didn't start taking sports trades until last year," said Bill Speros, a sports betting analyst for Bookies.com. "So you're going to see Kalshi and Polymarket probably do a significant number on this."Americans legally bet $1.8 billion on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, roughly the same amount they wagered on the 2026 Super Bowl. A recent PwC survey found that 58% of Americans plan to bet on the World Cup. These bets could be through an online betting service, prediction market, fantasy sports contest, or informal wagers with friends and family. About a third of those planning to put their money down say they plan to wager at least $250, according to PwC, which based its findings on a poll of more than 2,000 adults in April.Biggest World Cup fieldThe sheer scale of the World Cup also explains the surge in bett...