How to bet on soccer for beginners? Guide, tips and strategies for smart wagers
Knowing how to bet on soccer (or football!) can be a big difference in how you can make the most of your wagers. With a lot of markets and competitive odds at your disposal, this is something you shouldn’t miss.
With a lot of soccer leagues, tournaments, and fixtures all year-round, there are many chances for you to place your wagers and rack up impressive winnings like no other. So if you want to put your knowledge about Champions League, Premier League, Europa League, Bundesliga, La Liga, and Serie A, this is the time to do so.
An overview of football betting
Football betting is one of the most popular sports for people to place bets on in many countries. There are several different football leagues that you can bet on, too, that take place throughout the year. This includes:
- Champions League
- Europa League
- Premier league
- League one
- League two
- Scottish FA Cup
- Europa Conference League
- Coupe de France
- Scottish premiership
- Bundesliga
- La Liga
- Serie A
The UEFA Champions League is full of excitement for any football fan, kicking off in September each year for a total of eight months. It’s considered to be the most prestigious competition in European Football, and hands down, one of the most watched, if not the most watched competitions. Teams have to qualify to play in the Champions League, and there are a few ways that this can happen. The most straightforward is that the teams that finish in the top four places of the Premier League will automatically qualify. Simple enough, right?
In addition, the team that finishes in fifth place in the Premier League and the winners of the FA Cup also qualify, giving us six teams in total. The Champions League is well underway, so it’s a good idea to start thinking about the types of bets that you may want to play on upcoming games.
Available betting markets
When it comes to betting on the various football leagues, there are quite a few betting markets available that go beyond simply choosing the winner. These bet types will apply to most, if not all, football leagues. You can even find football betting offers to help boost your wagers too – but more on those later!
You can predict the exact score of a match, bet on whether the number of goals scored will go over/under a specific number, or even bet on player props like the first or last goalscorer. We’ve put together this handy table of some of the most common betting markets for football betting.
Don’t feel like you have to bet on all of these; it’s just to give you an example of the types of bets you could place. If you’re new to football betting, then we’d recommend that you start with the match result and then move down the table as you gain more confidence.
| Betting market | Details |
|---|---|
| Match Result (1X2) | Bet on the outcome of a match: home win (1), draw (X), or away win (2). |
| Both Teams to Score (BTTS) | Bet on whether both teams will score at least one goal each during the match. |
| Over/Under Goals | Bet on whether the total number of goals scored in a match will be over or under a specified number. We recommend the over 0.5 goals strategy as it is the most efficient. |
| Correct Score | Bet on the exact final score of a match. |
| First/Last Goalscorer | Bet on a specific player to score the first or last goal in a match. |
| Double Chance | Bet on two possible outcomes of a match, e.g., a home win or draw, providing additional cover. |
Betting on football
When it comes to finding the best soccer betting sites, there are quite a few to choose from. For a full rundown of all the ones we recommend, you should take a look at the page banners. The available betting sites vary considerably among countries, so what’s available for you may not be available for someone else.
You’ll also find that any available sign-up offers can be found in our page banners, too, along with any bonus codes that you might need to claim the offers. Most platforms have markets available on all key football competitions, including the Premier League, Champions League, and some of the lower leagues too, plus a pretty extensive range of international markets.
Many betting sites also offer extensive live betting options on football matches, which you can find by navigating to the ‘In-Play’ tab. You’ll also find a number on the In-Play icon, which lets you know how many markets are currently available. Not only can you place in-play wagers at football betting sites, but you can also stream football matches live. When you stream any match, you’ll also see the stats, which will change in real time as the game unfolds, just like the associated odds. You can even keep one eye on the game and place your bets on the same screen by minimising the streaming screen into the corner.
It’s important to find the best odds before placing a wager. The best way to do this when considering how to bet on soccer is to check a few different sites. The available odds, of course, depend on the sport you’re looking to bet on, but for football, the odds are pretty consistent and, as you’d expect. We recommend that you choose a couple of betting sites from the page banners and compare the odds to see if there is much of a difference and which one is offering the most competitive odds.
Many betting sites also have an excellent bet builder feature, which gives you plenty of pre-made options, but the important thing is that you’re able to edit any of the picks within the pre-made bet to ensure it suits you. There’s a huge variety of markets that can be included in the builder that can easily be cycled through using the drop-down menus.
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Pros and cons – soccer betting
- Sign-up offers
- A range of sportsbooks to choose from
- Wide coverage of football leagues
- Betting is available in mobile apps
- Some sites are only available in certain countries
Football betting sign-up offers
If you’re considering getting started with football betting but you know little about how to bet on soccer, then the sign-up offers can be very helpful. Many betting sites will offer welcome packages or sign-up offers as an incentive for you to sign up. This can take many forms, but generally it involves placing a bet and then receiving some bonus bets to use.
Note that free bet no deposit offers are unlikely, as most sites will require you to place some sort of deposit first. Sometimes there are conditions attached to this, like that the bet has to win or less, and other times there may be minimum odds for a bet to be considered eligible.
The promotions that you can get will depend hugely on the betting site that you sign up for. Let’s just take a UK betting site as an example, though, to see what your sign-up offer could look like.
At this betting site, new bettors can get a £20 safety bet when they sign up and place their first qualifying bet. Your first bet must be an accumulator with at least three selections of odds of 2/1 or higher, and you can only stake a maximum of £20. You’ll also need to make a minimum deposit of £10 to qualify for this offer, and keep in mind that you can use any payment method except Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, or Skrill.
With this offer, you’ll receive your first bet back in the form of bonus bets up to £20. This is only if your bet settles in a loss, as the idea is to provide a cushion for your first bet. If your first bet settles in a win, then you’ll receive your winnings as usual. Here’s how it works:
- Click our links to head over to your chosen betting site and start the registration process.
- Fill in the requested personal details and hit submit.
- Place a sports bet (3+ selections) with a minimum of £10 up to £20 with combined odds of 3.0 or greater. Just keep in mind that you can’t include horse racing in your bet when claiming this offer.
- If your bet wins, you’ll take home the winnings. But if your bet loses, then you’ll receive your £20 bonus bet back as a free football bet. This bonus bet will be valid for seven days.
It’s an excellent offer for any bettors who like to place multiple selections across football matches. Something to keep in mind about bonus bets is that they come with wagering requirements, which means that you won’t just be able to withdraw the bonus bets straight away.
Instead, you’ll need to place wagers with your bonus bets at least once before any winnings can be withdrawn. The good news about bonus bets is that they don’t have to be used on one game; they can be split and used across multiple, which gives you much more flexibility.
Accumulator boost offers
Another very common type of bonus in football betting is the accumulator, which is commonly referred to as an ‘acca’. These are football-specific offers that give you boosted odds on your football accumulators. To claim this offer, you’ll need to place an accumulator bet with 3+ selections with minimum odds of 1/4. When your qualifying bet wins, you’ll then receive an additional boost of 5%-70% to your winnings. Before you place your final selections, you can use a gambling calculator to work out the potential return of your stake. This is just an example of how an accumulator offer might work; always check your promotional T&Cs for any wagering or minimum odds requirements.
Just keep in mind though that there are a few restrictions around the available betting markets and it’s only available for Football Match Result, Total Goals, Both Teams To Score, Match Result & Both Teams To Score, American Football Money Line, Spread, Overall Totals, Basketball Money Line, Handicap, Overall Totals, Ice Hockey 2-Way Result, 2-Way Handicap, Overall Totals, Baseball Money Line, Run Line Spread, Overall Totals and Tennis Match Results. Also, the acca boost is only available for pre-match bets, so you won’t be able to boost an in-play accumulator.
For any bettors who enjoy spinning the reels of a few slots in between placing bets, many sportsbooks will often have casino offers, too, in which you could potentially grab free spins when you play a minimum amount of eligible games. This offer is based on one that’s available at a UK sportsbook to give you an idea of how it might work. For the latest list of offers in your country, check our page banners.
Depositing and withdrawing funds for football betting
Before you get started with football betting, you’ll need to deposit funds into your account to use. If you’re unsure how to do this, then hopefully this overview can offer a bit of clarity. At most betting sites, you’ll have the option to make deposits using a variety of payment methods, including traditional methods like debit cards and bank transfer, as well as e-wallet options like Neteller and Skrill, plus Apple Pay.
The minimum deposit will depend on your chosen site, but this is usually consistent across a site, regardless of the payment method. There are sometimes exceptions to this rule, though, so be sure to double-check the T&Cs before making any deposits.
To deposit funds into your account, simply log in, click on the ‘deposit’ button in the top right-hand corner – you’ll find this underneath your account balance. Then choose your preferred payment method and follow the on-screen instructions. Don’t forget to select the amount that you’d like to deposit, ensuring that it is at least the minimum. All deposits are processed instantly, so your funds will be available to bet straight away.
Most sports betting sites offer the same number of withdrawal methods as can be used for making deposits; however, they do have varying processing times. For instance, if you choose to withdraw your funds using your debit card can take up to 5 business days; if you choose e-wallet options or Apple Pay are faster, being processed within 24 hours. Bank transfer is the slowest option, often taking 2-10 working days.
To request a withdrawal, you can again head to your account balance and click the ‘withdraw’ button. This will take you to a second page, where you’ll then need to fill in some details like the amount you’d like to withdraw and select your withdrawal method. If you choose to use a debit card, then your funds will automatically be withdrawn to the card you used for your deposit, unless you change this.
Final thoughts on how to bet on soccer
Learning how to bet on soccer is much more than just picking a team to back. It’s also about understanding how to claim the best offers, bet types, and how in-play bets work. There is a huge variety of promotions to choose from that can help boost your available funds, such as ‘bet and get’ offers and accumulator boosters. You can even place all of your bets on the go by downloading a sportsbook’s mobile app.
If you’re new to football betting, then take a look at the recommended sites in our page banners and take your time deciding which one is right for you. Load up a few, explore the sports coverage, and see how easy the site is to navigate before signing up. It’s also worth taking a look at the available promotions and their associated T&Cs here too. Always remember that it’s important to bet responsibly and establish your budget ahead of time. Many betting sites offer responsible gambling tools, which we’d recommend you check out.
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FAQs
🏈 Is it easy to bet on football?
Football betting can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. There is a range of bet types that you can use, with the simplest being the match result bet, which basically means that you’re betting on the team you’d like to win. Once you get a bit more confident with football betting, you can then move on to correct score or over/under goals, which require a little bit more knowledge of the teams playing.
🎁 Can I use sign-up offers for football betting?
Yes! The majority of available betting sites will have sign-up offers that you can opt-in into when you create an account. The exact offers will vary considerably, but they can include ‘bet and bet’ offers and accumulator boosts.
⚽ What are the best betting sites for soccer betting?
The best sites to choose are the ones that suit your needs. For example, if you know you’re going to be placing a lot of in-play wagers, then you may want to choose a site that offers live streaming. Alternatives, if bonuses are important to you, then make sure that you choose a site that offers plenty of promotions, including football-specific offers.
