With national flags waving, fans bragging about their star players, and patriotism in full display, this World Cup is all about the hype, noise, and everything. The 2026 edition promises to be different in scale as the number of participating nations has increased. This means more hype and more opportunity for bettors to win. But there’s a problem, they may be lost in the noise.
This is where Cloudbet’s World Cup 2026 Betting Guide comes into play. Recently launched on the Cloudbet Academy, this 35-minute course was designed to help bettors think clearly and logically about a tournament that lasts only 6 weeks, involves 48 teams, and is completely different from club football.
Created primarily for crypto users, this guide offers strategies and insights to help navigate the expanded version of this prestigious tournament.
The 48-Team Format Will Change Early Decisions
For the first time, the prestigious global tournament expands to 48 national teams, with 104 matches spread across the host countries: the USA, Mexico, and Canada. On paper, that sounds like more football and multiple opportunities to win, but in reality, it means uncertainty, Cloudbet’s Betting Guide breaks down where early inefficiencies may arise and why they persist.
Industry reports estimate global betting turnover to be worth tens of billions and projections suggest the 2026 FIFA World Cup would reach higher volumes with the inclusion of more teams and more games. Cloudbet’s guides explain clearly how users can manage exposure across the tournament, especially when bets remain open from the group stage to the knockout phases. It emphasizes the importance of stablecoins like USDT and how they help bettors ride out volatility as well as save on gas fees.
“The 2026 World Cup is a prime moment for crypto bettors. On Cloudbet, with instant deposits and payouts in over 40 cryptocurrencies, you’re in the game within minutes. Stablecoins like USDT let you ride out volatility through the tournament, and low gas fees mean you can move fast when the odds shift. Want to back your country? Your club hero? You can, and with no red tape,” Cloudbet’s spokesperson says.
Cloudbet’s World Cup 2026 Betting Guide
The 35-minute free course is split into seven modules, each carefully designed to enable easier assimilation. The modules are:
- Module 1: Well-detailed breakdown of the 48-team format and how it creates inefficiencies and uncertainty, especially in the early stages of the tournament.
- Module 2: Covers early positioning tactics, tracking odds, and how to seamlessly use stablecoins to manage volatility.
- Module 3: Introduces a much simpler group stage and knockout phase dynamics and teaches contextual analysis beyond surface-level rankings.
- Module 4: Focuses mainly on special and group-based market options such as Golden Boot (highest goal scorer of the tournament), top assister, group winners, etc.
- Module 5: Explains the difference between club football and the World Cup, highlighting the tactics, pressure, and management styles behind both.
- Module 6: Teaches bettors how to spot market movements in real-time and deploy on-chain sentiment indicators to find an edge.
- Module 7: This module covers tested-and-proven techniques like future hedging, accumulator timing, and how to avoid falling for the common pitfalls; emotions and overconfidence.
Where the Football Betting Market Stands at the Moment
At the moment, hundreds of player props, special options, outrights, and future markets are available on Cloudbet. These special market covers everything—from predicting the tournament’s eventual winner to the top scorer, top assister, and MVP—giving users a ton of options to choose from.
As of January 2026, Spain leads the Outright Winner market at 5.55 odds followed by England (6.64), France (8.99), Brazil (9.11), and the current World Cup holders Argentina (9.13).
With 42 teams already qualified and the last six spots to be decided in March 2026 through the playoffs and inter-confederation games in Mexico, this leaves a bit of uncertainty in the minds of bettors.
“With groups locked in and just a few spots left, now’s the window where early odds still reflect uncertainty. This is when sharp bettors get in—before pricing tightens after March and public money floods the markets in June,” Cloudbet’s spokesperson.
For high-volume bettors, Cloudbet’s Whale Mode, which launched just in time for the 2026 Super Bowl, will enable them to automate large positions, making it suitable for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Conclusion
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will attract billions in wagers, and most of the money will arrive late, emotional, or reactive. Cloudbet’s Betting Guide will help you understand the tournament’s dynamics as well as transform you into a more strategic bettor who isn’t ruled by emotion or patriotism.
Access the World Cup 2026 Betting Guide here
