2026 World Cup Betting Review: Steve Freeth Looks Back on Spain's Triumph
Spain were crowned 2026 World Cup champions after edging Argentina 1-0 in the final, and bet365's Steve Freeth has shared his thoughts on how the tournament unfolded from a trading perspective.
From Spain's march to glory to England's thrilling third-place play-off, there were plenty of memorable moments throughout the tournament. Here's Steve's review of the biggest talking points.
Article Courtesy of bet365 News
Spain 1-0 Argentina
The World Cup final may not live long in the memory as a footballing classic, but from a bookmaker's perspective it proved to be an excellent result.
After a tense 90 minutes, Spain finally found the breakthrough in extra time thanks to two players introduced from the bench. Nico Williams and Ferran Torres combined to settle the contest after replacing Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal, with bet365's Sub On Play On promotion once again coming into play for customers.
Steve Freeth described the final as the bookmaker's strongest result of the entire tournament.
Argentina's hopes weren't helped when Enzo Fernandez was shown a red card after a reckless challenge on Pau Cubarsí. Sent off at odds of 33/1 before kick-off, Fernandez's dismissal gave Spain the opportunity they needed to finally break down an incredibly stubborn Argentine defence.
Early Thoughts on the 2030 World Cup
Spain began the 2026 tournament as 9/2 favourites before drifting slightly after some underwhelming early displays, with France briefly replacing them at the head of the market.
However, as the tournament progressed, Spain looked every bit the team many expected before a ball was kicked. Having lifted the trophy, bet365 have installed them as favourites once again for the 2030 World Cup, particularly with Spain set to be one of the tournament's co-hosts.
Argentina are priced at 12/1 to regain the trophy in four years' time. While Lionel Messi once again proved his quality this summer, Steve admitted the layers may finally be taking a chance against the legendary Argentine still leading the charge at the age of 43.
Elsewhere, fellow co-hosts Portugal could benefit from a new era following the departures of Roberto Martinez and Cristiano Ronaldo, while England are currently available at 8/1 after another tournament that ultimately ended in disappointment.
France 6-4 England Delivers Plenty of Drama
The third-place play-off certainly wasn't lacking entertainment.
England drifted significantly in the betting after the team news was announced, eventually starting as 10/3 outsiders against France.
Despite missing the likes of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, England flew out of the blocks. Declan Rice, a 33/1 first goalscorer before kick-off, opened the scoring inside three minutes before England remarkably raced into a 4-0 half-time lead.
Steve revealed that several customers landed 250/1 bets on England leading 4-0 at the break.
There were also 29 pre-match bets placed on Bukayo Saka to score a hat-trick at 200/1, while the incredible 6-4 final scoreline had been available at 250/1 in-play.
Customers using bet365's Sub On Play On offer also benefited after goals from substitutes Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Jude Bellingham ensured bets remained active despite the original selected players having already left the pitch.
Steve Freeth's Trading Story of the Tournament
Looking back over the World Cup as a whole, Steve admitted there was only one major loser for the traders in the outright market.
Portugal attracted plenty of support before the tournament, with many believing Roberto Martinez and Cristiano Ronaldo could finally deliver on the biggest stage.
Instead, Portugal's elimination at the hands of eventual champions Spain made life relatively comfortable for traders from the Round of 16 onwards.
The group stage proved far more challenging.
Portugal's failure to beat Colombia in their final group game prevented one customer from landing a remarkable 156/1 twelve-fold featuring a host of tournament favourites.
England vs Mexico Was the Biggest Result for Punters
According to Steve, the bookmakers' worst result of the tournament came during England's dramatic 3-2 victory over Mexico at the iconic Azteca Stadium.
Jude Bellingham's popularity among punters continued to grow with every match, and his two-goal display, combined with Harry Kane converting from the penalty spot, proved particularly expensive.
With Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez also finding the net for Mexico, it turned into one of the toughest matches of the competition for the trading team.
Mbappe Wins the Golden Boot Battle
The race for the Golden Boot swung heavily after the third-place play-off team news was confirmed.
Support poured in for Kylian Mbappe, who was backed from 10/11 into 4/6 before kick-off.
Although his supporters endured a nervous opening 45 minutes, the French superstar delivered after the break and shortened dramatically to 1/25.
His nearest challenger, Lionel Messi, drifted to 12/1 before the World Cup final.
Rodri Rewarded After Slow Start
One of Steve's biggest observations came in the Golden Ball market.
Rodri drifted all the way to 66/1 during the early stages after a quiet start to the tournament.
However, as Spain grew stronger, so did the Manchester City midfielder's performances. He eventually started the final at 13/2, despite Lionel Messi being a heavily-backed 1/12 favourite before kick-off in New York.
Cubarsí Proves Steve Wrong
Steve admitted he got one market completely wrong.
Pau Cubarsí opened at 20/1 to win the Young Player award before shortening significantly after another outstanding defensive display.
Steve questioned whether a defender had the profile to win the award and wasn't convinced by the move in the betting.
Looking back now, he freely admits the traders got that one right.
Unai Simon Silences the Doubters
Before the tournament began there was plenty of debate, particularly in the British media, over whether David Raya should have been Spain's first-choice goalkeeper.
Unai Simon answered those questions emphatically.
Spain kept seven clean sheets on their way to lifting the trophy, with Simon playing a huge role behind an outstanding defence. It was no surprise to see him no bigger than 5/1 to finish the tournament with the Golden Glove.
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Any odds quoted were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change