Macquarie: World Cup wagers could top $50B in 2026

Macquarie forecasts global wagers on the 2026 FIFA World Cup could top $50 billion, driven by an expanded field of 48 teams, 104 matches and broader legal sports betting access in the United States. The investment bank published the updated estimate on June 12, 2026.

The firm used the 2022 tournament as its baseline, estimating roughly $35 billion was wagered in 2022. Applying an average of about $0.5 billion in betting per match and accounting for a 60% increase in the number of matches takes total wagering above $50 billion. The bank’s figures include activity on parlays, player props, live betting and prediction-market platforms.

Macquarie noted growth in U.S. market access as a key factor. The report estimates about 65% of the U.S. population now has legal sports betting access, up from roughly 40% during the 2022 World Cup. The bank also cited favorable match timing for U.S. audiences and the availability of soccer-specific betting products as contributors to higher engagement.

The report compared major events to illustrate scale. It estimates the 2022 final between France and Argentina generated about $5.25 billion in wagers. By contrast, Macquarie projects roughly $1.8 billion of wagers on the 2026 Super Bowl. The bank also estimated global viewership of the 2022 final to be about ten times its Super Bowl estimate.

Operators are approaching the World Cup as an opportunity to acquire customers, particularly in the U.S. The report states that long-term financial gains will depend on converting one-off World Cup bettors into repeat customers and on cross-selling them into higher-margin products such as online casino gaming. The bank described the U.S. outcome as ‘high-variance,’ noting the impact hinges on whether engagement persists after the tournament.

Macquarie expects the tournament’s financial effects to become clearer in 2027 and projects a 2% to 5% uplift in operator EBITDA the year after the event, based on historical patterns. The report identifies Flutter Entertainment, Super Group and Rush Street Interactive as companies positioned to benefit from elevated wagering. It also highlights sports data providers Sportradar and Genius Sports as likely to see increased demand for data and odds services.

The report cautions that much of the upside depends on product innovation and successful customer retention. Because the per-match wagering assumption mirrors 2022, final totals will depend on how new bettors respond and on the penetration of advanced betting products across regional markets and after the tournament concludes.