World Cup 2026 shatters betting volume records in US as bookies win big

The US Men's National Team's run at a home World Cup did something no soccer tournament has managed before in the United States: it shattered betting records. And when the run ended, the sportsbooks were the ones smiling.

Monday’s round-of-16 loss to Belgium became the most-bet soccer game in the history of several major American books. BetMGM said it drew more bets than any 2026 College Football Playoff game bar the championship, the men’s college basketball final, or any title-series game from the NBA, NHL or MLB.

The record has kept falling all tournament. “This World Cup has been record-type handle stuff for us this whole time,” BetMGM’s Christian Cipollini told ESPN, crediting the primetime timing and home soil for the frenzy.

Here’s why the books won. American bettors backed their team relentlessly. Caesars’ Mark Bickerdike said 81% of the handle was on the US to qualify, with plenty also riding on Folarin Balogun to score and whose controversial suspension reversal by FIFA had cleared him to feature. That officiating scandal, in other words, even bled into the betting markets.

A -130 line made the Belgium defeat especially profitable, Cipollini noted, calling it one of the book’s biggest winners of the year in any sport. One Circa bettor had staked $750,000 on the US to advance.

With the US and Portugal both out, major liabilities have cleared. Attention now turns to France.

The question is whether the handle holds. As DraftKings’ Johnny Avello put it, bettors “have been engaged across the entire tournament,” and with Messi, Mbappé and Haaland still standing, the action may not slow yet.