Soccer betting guide 2025: What to know about betting on soccer

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Soccer betting lines and odds can appear complicated and intimidating for fans who are new to placing wagers. How to bet on soccer begins with understanding three basic types of bets: total goals, money lines, and player props. Opening accounts on sports betting apps will also allow new users to claim the best sportsbook promos and welcome bonuses.

This guide will help provide the best available sportsbook offers for soccer betting, and explain soccer betting lines and strategies to know before betting on soccer, including the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and U.S. Men's National Team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup this summer.

Finding the best U.S. sportsbook for soccer betting

For soccer betting, it's beneficial to use multiple sportsbooks. Every sportsbook offers game odds and props for major competitions, but the prices on those lines may vary. Having multiple sportsbook accounts allows you to claim more sportsbook promo codes and shop for the best prices for soccer betting.

There's no one best sportsbook for soccer, so it's important to look at which books are available in your state to find the ones that are best for you.

Sportsbook	Bonus offer	Promo code
FanDuel	Bet $5. Get $200 in bonus bets if you win	No code required
DraftKings	Bet $5, Get $300 in bonus bets if your first bet wins	No code required
BetMGM	Up to $1,500 in bonus bets back if your first bet loses	CBSSPORTS
Fanatics	Bet and Get up to $1,000 in No Sweat Bets	No code required
bet365	Bet $5, Get $150 in bonus bets win or lose	CBSBET365
Caesars	Bet $1, double your winnings your next 10 bets	CBSDYW

Explaining soccer betting lines: What the basic odds mean

While there are many ways to bet on soccer, the first thing to understand is the pricing of odds. Each offering in a soccer betting catalog will come with attached plus or minus odds. The plus-money odds show you what your profit would be for a $100 bet. For example, +150 would pay out a $150 profit on a $100 bet. Minus-money odds show how much you need to bet to profit $100. For example, -175 means you have to wager $175 to profit $100.

Now, let's discuss the most common types of wagers in soccer betting.

Three-way money line

Among one of the most common ways to bet on soccer, you'll be able to choose either team to win or the match to end in a draw. Unlike two-way moneylines, if the match ends in a draw but you bet on a team to win, you do not get your money back. Instead, only the draw bet wins. There is no push potential on these bets.

Three-way money line bets in soccer do not include extra time after regular time. They are always settled in 90 minutes plus injury time.

Draw no bet/tie no bet

You are betting on a team to win the match. However, this wager removes draw as an option and creates a push where you'd get your stake back if the game ends in a draw. This is how a two-way moneyline is named in soccer betting catalogs.

Double chance

These types of bets give you two of the three possible outcomes of a three-way money line to increase your chances of winning the bet, but at much shorter odds than if you just bet one of the three-way money line options.

Here's an example from leg one of a 2025 UEFA Champions League semifinal:

Barcelona or draw -575
Barcelona or Inter Milan -475
Inter Milan or draw +125

Even if the match ends in a draw, you'd still win the bet by selecting one of the double chance options that includes a draw versus a push for betting the draw no bet market.

Spread betting

In spread betting, there will be a handicap for how much a team is expected to win or lose by. For example, if the spread for Manchester City is -1.5 goals, they'd have to win by two or more to win that bet, while a one-goal win would result in a loss.

If a team is +1.5, they can lose by one goal, draw or win the match to cash the bet.

Other popular ways to bet on soccer

Totals/goal line betting

Like spreads, these can be priced as half numbers or full numbers. A standard game will usually be set at 2.5 goals, where you can bet Over or Under that number. Betting Over 2.5 goals will result in a win if the game ends with three or more total goals, but a loss if it goes under three. If the line is set at 3 goals, then the bet would result in a push and getting your money back if exactly three goals combined are scored.

Betting on team totals is similar, but in that case, you're only betting on one specific team to score instead of either team to accrue toward your total. This can also be broken down further at some books in order to only bet on first- or second-half goals, but the concept is still the same.

Same-game parlays

Same-game parlays are popular in soccer betting, and they can have quite a few ways to stack when betting on soccer. What can be parlayed is dependent on the specific sportsbook. Potential same-game parlay legs include total goals, when teams will score, whether both teams will score and player props.

There are quite a few ways that SGPs can be put together, allowing serious flexibility given the number of props that soccer allows bettors to select.

Asian handicaps

Asian handicaps can be confusing for novice soccer bettors. They can offer partial wins or losses on a wager due to a wager being split into two separate bets.

For example, placing a spread bet on Manchester United to win by -1.75 goals at +100, half of that wager is on -1.5 goals and the other half is on -2. Here's an example of potential outcomes for betting $20 on that, which is split into two $10 bets.

Final Score	Bet 1	Bet 2	Net Profit
Manchester United wins by 3+ goals	$10 on -1.5 wins $10 profit	$10 on -2 wins $10 profit	+$20
Manchester United wins by 2 goals	$10 on -1.5 wins $10 profit	$10 on -2 is a push	+$10
Manchester United wins by 1 goal, loses or match ends in a draw	$10 on -1.5 loses	$10 on -2 loses	-$20

Futures

Bets don't have to specifically be based on what will happen in an upcoming game as some can also be placed on the outcomes of seasons or tournaments. Team futures in soccer betting include:

To win championship/tournament
To reach the final
To reach semifinal
To win group
To finish top four
To be promoted or relegated

Futures on player are also available and include:

To be top goal scorer/golden boot
Most assists
To win player of the tournament
Goakeeper of the tournament

Extra time and penalty shootouts for league vs. tournament play

In standard league or international play, matches can end in a draw after 90 minutes, but that isn't the case if a team is in the Knockout Stage of a competition like the FIFA World Cup, where only one team can advance.

In those cases, if a match is tied after 90 minutes, the three-way moneyline will pay out as a draw with the match continuing. Depending on the tournament, extra time can be played or it can go straight to a penalty shootout. Checking the tournament rules before betting and knowing the format is important.

Extra time consists of two halves of 15 minutes each, and if a team goes ahead, it wins. If the score is level following 30 more minutes, that is when it will go to a penalty shootout to determine a winner. Most extra time periods are not sudden death/golden goal. The entire 30 minutes is played, even if one team scores.

To bet on a team to advance in the Knockout Stage no matter how it is accomplished, avoid the money line and look for "to advance" soccer betting markets.

It's also important to see if the competition has more than one leg, as that bet can take time to pay out if it's placed in the first leg of a two-legged cup tie. This means in this round of the tournament, both teams get to host a game, and the total goals scored (aggregate score) from both games determines who advances.

How to bet on soccer game props

Prop betting is another way to bet on soccer games by betting on specific outcomes within the game, beyond the final score or total goals.This includes cards, goal by penalty kick, how fast goals will be scored and more.

Both teams to score

A Yes or No bet, the concept here is pretty simple – you're either betting that both teams involved will score a goal or that they won't. This can be expanded to:

If both teams score in either half
If both teams score in regular time
Match result plus if both teams will score
Total goals plus if both teams score

Halftime/fulltime betting

The three-way moneyline can also be broken down by half. For these bets, you're trying to predict both the halftime result and full time result:

Team A HT/Team A FT
Team A HT/Team B FT
Team A HT/Draw
Team B HT/Team B FT
Team B HT/Team A FT
Team B HT/Draw FT
Draw HT/Draw FT
Draw HT/Team A FT
Draw HT/Team B FT

Corners

Corner kicks can be bet on in a variety of ways, with some books offering first-half corners, corners for each specific team, corner kick spreads, and overall corner kicks for the match. There are also race to X corners lines similar to race to X points lines for games where a team needs to hit the number of corners expected before the opposition. It shows how flexible some of these bets within soccer can be.

Bookings

These markets are state- and book-specific. But some places will allow people to bet on specific players to get carded, total cards in a game, and if a penalty will be awarded in the match. The amount of fouls that a player makes or receives can also be bet on, depending on the book.

Half props

Most props that can be bet over a full game can also be broken down based on the half that a team is playing on. Shots, goals, corner kicks and even the result of the half are all lines that can be broken down based on each half. In some cases, it can also be added to parlays to assist with getting an additional leg into the mix.

First 10 minutes and intervals

Depending on the book, there are bets on if a team scores or leads within the first 10 or 15 minutes of the match as well as in intervals after. These can be stacked, so if a bet is placed on a team to lead in the first 10 minutes, along with the 60th minute, both will cash as long as the specified team is still leading. For a goal scored between a specified interval, only the time periods mentioned in the bet will count.

How to bet on soccer player props

After match props, player props are another way to bet on soccer. Some can only be bet pre-match while others will have live lines, but that depends on what book you're using. This is where futures also come into play for things like goal scorers and total assists. From tackles to total passes and saves, like other areas in soccer, this is one that has a vast variety, depending on which books are available.

Goal scorer props

A straightforward prop, this is all about who is putting the ball in the back of the net. Anytime goal scorers can be bet on, but this can be an important prop to check on multiple books because they will price scorers differently. You can also bet on players to score the first goal of the match, the last goal of the match or multiple goals as well.

For a first-goal scorer, if "own goal" isn't an option when placing the bet, those won't count, allowing your bet to still have a chance. Some books also have protections where bets void if the selected player doesn't start, but that's where checking the house rules for a specific book is important.

Assist props

When betting an assist prop, it's critical to take into account what a book determines is an assist. Some books include fantasy assists when a player draws a penalty or a free kick, but others only include assists from open play. Assists can also be changed by stat corrections, sometimes turning winning bets into losing ones.

Assists are generally easy to determine as it's the player delivering a pass before a goal or a shot on target where the rebound goes in for a goal, but they can be scored differently depending on how much a player dribbled after receiving a ball or other circumstances. This is where knowing both a book's house rules on what is an assist and stat corrections if an assist is changed are critical.

Shot props

For shot props, they're pretty simple because any shot that a player takes, even if it's a shot that was blocked, will count toward the number that you're going for for a bet. Not every book allows over/under betting on shots, but some also allow betting on the type of shot taken, if it may be a headed shot, one taken from outside of the box or even taken with a specific book.

For this, it's important to know if a book has stat correction windows because there can be debates about whether a shot is a cross or not, causing totals to change.

Shot on target props

The biggest difference between shot props and shots on target props is that shots on target props need to hit the target of the goal.

A shot off the post or crossbar (also known as "the woodwork") of the goal is not a shot on target, but a goal, shot saved by the goalkeeper, or a last man block in front of the goal is. Like shots, the type of shot on target or which half the shot is taken in are available soccer betting markets.

Tackles

A prop that can be state- or book-dependent, it's important to check what is defined as a tackle. Sometimes the line can be set on tackles attempted or tackles won, but it will be clearly outlined which is the case. If it's a tackle won, the player needs to win the ball without committing a foul for it to count as a tackle.

Saves

When stopping a shot on target, a keeper is credited with a save. Depending on the book, saves can be either counted by the team keeper, "Manchester City keeper," or the player's name, "Ederson." The difference in the two is that if Ederson leaves the game, that could end in a void or it could end in a loss if he doesn't hit his line. But if you're taking the team keeper, then it is dependent on if any of the keepers for the team combine to hit the line.

How to live bet on soccer

Once a soccer game kicks off, that doesn't mean that you're done being able to bet on it as multiple lines will be available live to bet on. Soccer is a great sport for live betting since you can watch the flow of the game and determine if it's a good spot for betting things like corner kicks, goals, money line or something more specific.

Depending on if you're watching a match via streaming or other methods, there can be a delay between what is being seen and the actual book, so it's important to see where the clock is to determine your delay. For some things like goals, there may be a chance that you haven't seen one yet, but it has happened, at which point the game may lock before placing your desired bet.

From shots on target to goal intervals and goal scorers, most things that can be bet on pre-match can also be bet on live in a game, which is another thing that makes betting on live soccer enticing. Some sports will limit in-game offerings, but soccer isn't one to do that.

Schedule of major soccer tournaments and seasons

Understanding the soccer schedule can be a little tricky because it is a year-round sport with club competition, international competitions and cup competitions. Most teams in the Americas also play at a different time of year than the major European teams.

MLS: February to December
NWSL: March to December
English Premier League: August through May
Top European leagues: similar to the EPL, leagues like La Liga, the Bundesliga, etc. run August through May
UEFA Champions League: September through May
2026 FIFA World Cup: June through July in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
2027 Women's World Cup: in Brazil from June through July
2025 FIFA Club World Cup: June 14-July 13, 2025

Tips and advice for betting on soccer

At times, soccer can be an overwhelming sport to bet on, but there are resources to help.

Expected Goals (xG)

For teams, looking at their Expected Goals compared to actual goals is a good way to show who may be overperforming versus who is a good bet to continue scoring. It can also give a good look into teams that may turn their performances around.

Monitor starting lineups

When betting on player props, checking lineups can be critical, as some books void non-starters, but that's not the case everywhere. So even if someone only plays a minute of a match, that can lead to an entire bet losing instead of voiding.

Lineups are also important for seeing how seriously a team is taking a match. With top sides playing more than 50 matches in any given season, they can't play their starters in all of them, so you may see more rotation around cups or European matches. This doesn't always mean to fade a team that is rotating in a match; it's just something that should be taken into consideration.

Shop for the best odds

It's important to shop between different books when betting on soccer. They won't always have the same lines on a specific market, allowing for a chance to grab a better line.

Sportsbooks can be pretty sharp when it comes to the top-five leagues, but that doesn't mean they'll price everything the same. Also, value can sometimes be found outside of the top leagues, where books can be slower to pick up on trends.

Along with lineups, tactics are critical to betting because some teams will trend more defensively than others. When that happens, it's usually a good time to take a look at the Under for a match, but team strength is still important. Even the most defensive team may not stop a great attack from scoring goals, even if that's what they'd like to do.

Compare futures prices to tournament brackets

Comparing teams' odds to win a tournament/cup with the fixed bracket of Knockout Stages may unearth some value. It may be impossible for the two favorites to both reach the final. Therefore, that would create an opportunity for a team with longer odds to reach a tournament final without having to face both of the top two favorites.