Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, and soccer betting is hugely popular as a result of this.
In this guide we’ll take you through the key information you need to be able to feel confident placing soccer bets, with rundowns on the major leagues and types of bets you can place.
- Major League Soccer (MLS)
- Rules for Soccer Betting
- Soccer Betting Lines
- Betting on the Top European Leagues
It’s estimated that more than 3.5 billion people consider themselves as soccer fans.
Soccer, or what is known as football in Europe and other parts of the world, originated in England back in 1863 when the Football Association in England was born, and has developed into a multi-billion dollar global industry.
Major League Soccer (MLS)
Pro soccer in the US is made up of three professional leagues: the MLS, USL Championship and USL League One.
The top-level league is MLS, which is made up of a total of 27 teams. The league is split into two divisions, Eastern Conference and Western Conference. Each team plays two games against every other team in their conference – one home, one away – as well as one game against all but four or five teams from the opposite conference.
Future of Soccer in the USA
The USA is fast approaching similar levels of soccer quality when compared to the EPL and La Liga, with many famous top European soccer players such as Thierry Henry, David Beckham and Wayne Rooney playing for a MLS team during their career.
With the 2026 World Cup set to be held in North America (shared hosting between the USA, Mexico and Canada), it’s no surprise that there is growing popularity amongst fans and professionals in the states.
Check out our MLS odds, MLS futures and MLS consensus picks pages for more on MLS betting!
Rules for Soccer Betting
Soccer wagers are official after a full soccer game, which is considered as 90 minutes of play plus any injury time. If the game goes to extra time or penalty shootouts, the wager will not be considered unless specified on the sports sheet.
Soccer Betting Lines
Three Way – Team A, Team B, and Draw. On a three-way bet, you need to ensure the selected wager is correct at the end of the game.
For example, if you choose LA Galaxy to win over San Jose Earthquakes and if they go on to draw the game, your wager on LA Galaxy loses.
Two Way – A two-way bet is where you choose the winning team, either Team A or Team B.
Point Spread – A point spread is a popular form of wagering within sports betting. It shows each team with a (+) underdog or (-) favourite, commonly referred to as the ‘line’. Your bet must cover the spread which has been calculated by the sportsbooks.
Example: New York Red Bulls (-1) Vs Montreal Impact (+1)
If you wager on the favoured team, in this case New York Red Bulls, you’re betting that the favourite is going to win by more goals than the point spread. On the other hand, If you bet on the underdog, the Montreal Impact, you’re betting that the team will lose by less than the point spread or win the game outright.
Over / Unders – You may wager that the score after full time is more than or less than the total calculated by the sportsbook. This total is the score of both teams added together.
Alternatively, you can wager on O/U on individual teams, whether the chosen team will score more or less than the wager.
Half Time – Making a wager on the half time results are wagers on based on 45 minutes plus any injury time as they head into the dugout. You can either make a Three-way bet or Tie-No Bet wager only if there’s a team leading by the half time result. If the teams are drawing, the wager is recouped and given back.
Corners – Bets made on the number of corners are calculated by O/U, to the total made by the end of the match or by individual teams going O/U the total amount.
Game Props – This is a fun way to place bets on events that may or may not happen in a game. These bets are on events in soccer which can be around penalties, assists and player performances.
Both Teams To Score – This wager is betting that both teams will score in the game, making any result from 1-1 and upwards a winning bet.
Handicap or Asian Handicap – A handicap bet is a popular bet type in points-based sports such as soccer, and involves one team starting the game with more or fewer points to try to even out the advantage that one team has over the other. It can make a match much more exciting for the wager. This is typically used with soccer teams who are the strongest within the league and don’t get the best odds in games.
Betting on the Top European Leagues
The English Premier League, La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy), the Bundesliga (Germany), Ligue 1 (France) and the Eredivisie (Netherlands) are top European leagues in which some of the most historical, famous clubs compete.
Betting on the individual leagues, as well as the UEFA Champions League – international soccer’s most prestigious club trophy – adds a great level of entertainment to following soccer, and the above mentioned soccer betting lines are a great way to get more of a buzz out of matches.