Updated Updated: June 1, 2021

FIFA World Cup 2022 Betting in NZ

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is just over a year away, however anticipation for the game is already being felt. Known as the greatest sporting event of the world, the World Cup brings together the finest talent of men’s professional football teams in an inspiring and exciting competition. These same emotions are shared by Kiwis who join the rest of the world in following the action, the thrills, and the most memorable moments take place from their tv and computer screens.

Football is a popular sport in NZ and continues to grow as more Kiwis practice it in their spare time. In addition to playing and watching the sport, there has been a popularity of wagering using some of the best online sportsbooks in NZ. In this guide, we will provide you with important information regarding World Cup odds, different markets, and how to watch the World Cup live.

Finding the Best FIFA World Cup Betting Sites

There are numerous online bookmakers which allow punters in NZ to place bets on World Cup results and matches. By choosing one of the best ones, you will be able to enjoy a variety of markets, rewarding bonuses, and superb customer service. It is also important to check whether a sportsbook is regulated and what features it offers.

Once you pick a sportsbook, placing your first World Cup bet is fairly simple. All you need to do is:

  1. Whilst on the sportsbook, search for FIFA World Cup markets.
  2. Browse available markets and pick the odds you wish to bet on.
  3. Enter the amount you wish to wager and click to confirm your order.

The sportsbook will automatically process your request and update your account accordingly. Once the event you have wagered on has been completed, any applicable payout will be settled into your account. If you have any difficulties with placing a bet you should get in touch with the sportsbook’s customer care team.

Here are some platforms we recommend you open an account with.

888Sport

888Sport forms part of a global online casino and sportsbook empire. As a registered player, you will get access to a wide selection of sporting events, including football. The FIFA World Cup markets feature prominently on the platform, and you will be able to use free bets to participate in the action, whilst also streaming live games.

Bethard

Bethard provides players in New Zealand with a dedicated welcome bonus along with several ongoing sports promotions. The award-winning platform features numerous markets focused on the World Cup fixtures as well as other special occurrences. This online sportsbook provides 24/7 support and accepts a number of payment methods.

LeoVegas

LeoVegas offers players in New Zealand a generous free bet to welcome them to the platform. It is best-known for its mobile platform which has been awarded several recognitions over the years. In addition to placing a number of pre-match and live World Cup bets, LeoVegas lets you live stream a selection of matches.

How to Find the Best FIFA World Cup Betting Odds

Betting odds are decided by each individual bookmaker. Very often, the odds for a particular football match are very similar on each platform, but might vary by a small amount. As a result, it’s a good idea to shop around in order to find the best FIFA World Cup betting odds. In addition, you should open accounts with at least two or three sportsbooks in order to take advantage of promotions and the best odds quickly.

Top Betting Markets in the 2022 FIFA World Cup

As with any other football event, you will be able to find a wide variety of betting markets which cover the World Cup results and other match and tournament occurrences. If you are new to football wagering you might be tempted to stick to the simplest markets, such as match result. 

Although understanding how the market works is easy, correctly predicting the result is not. This is why bookmakers provide a range of alternative markets to give you better odds of correctly predicting an outcome and enjoying your time watching World Cup matches. Here are a few examples of the most popular markets you will find.

  • Over/under goals: The bookmaker offers what it believes will be the total number of goals scored in a match. Punters can wager on whether they believe that the real total will be higher or lower than the value suggested by the bookmaker. The great feature of this market is that you don’t need to predict the exact total.
  • Top scorer: This market is easy to understand and consists of punters picking the player whom they think will score the highest number of goals. The market can focus solely on a match or the entire FIFA World Cup.
  • Half time: This market can be presented in one of three primary ways. You may either need to predict which team would be ahead by the end of the match’s first half, the total goals scored by the end of the first half, or the exact goals per team at half time.
  • Goalscorer: In this market, punters try to predict whether particular players will score at least one goal during the match or the entire tournament. As always, odds reflect the historical performance of particular players, so a highly successful striker would have very low odds since it is highly likely that he will score.
  • Futures: A futures market bet is one which is based on events or a series of events which will finish in the future. For example, punters could palace a futures bet on a particular team winning the World Cup before the tournament has even started.
  • Proposition bets: These are markets where the final outcome of a match or tournament is not taken into consideration. Instead, other occurrences are focused on, such as the number of free kicks awarded or red cards given. Prop bets, as they are sometimes referred to, offer an alternative way to bet on the World Cup without trying to predict scores or strikers.

Placing Live World Cup Bets

One of the most thrilling experiences of wagering on the World Cup in NZ is placing bets during a live match. Unlike in pre-match games, where odds remain most unchanged, odds during a live match are continually changing and are based on events taking place in the game. If you have a hunch that the tide will turn for the losing team, a live bet is the best way to get a greater payout, as you would place the bet when the odds of that team winning are highest.

In addition to offering live bets, the best online sportsbooks let you cash out early for most live bets. A cash out is simply closing a bet before the end of the occurrence on which you are betting on. For example, you could cash out a top goalscorer market before the end of the FIFA World Cup. If the odds of the player you’ve picked are higher than when you placed the bet, then you would receive a payout. However, if the opposite happens or there was no change in odds, then you forfeit your wager.

Watching the World Cup Action Live

In addition to enjoying live bets, some of the best online bookmakers in NZ let you watch a selection of football matches live. This means that you can follow the action directly from your sportsbook account without having to pay extra for the service. It is important to note that not all matches are available and you would need to fulfill certain conditions in order to have access to the live World Cup stream. 888Sport, LeoVegas, and Betway are three of the top sportsbooks which offer live streaming.

Top World Cup Betting Tips

No matter if you are a complete beginner or an experienced football punter, you can always improve your wagering performance and experience by following these tips.

Set an Affordable Budget

Before you place your first World Cup wager you should understand what your budget is. Since there is no way to guarantee a correct prediction, you must be ready and able to lose this entire budget. Wagering on football is a form of entertainment with no way to ensure any payouts. Understanding this will allow you to focus on the thrill of the game rather than the pressure to make correct predictions.

Split your Budget

You might be tempted to put all or most of your budget on a single market, but you should avoid this. Instead, place multiple smaller bets of around NZ$10 – 25 on several markets and matches across the week or the entire World Cup. This will reduce the risk of losing your wagers and will provide anticipation for several matches, not just one or two.

Research Who to Back

When wagering on World Cup odds you must forget about your favourite or home team. You should always back, or support, teams or occurrences which are likely to make your prediction come true. It’s ok to take a gamble once in a whilst, after all, anything can happen in football. However, punters have greater success when they research the teams or players they are wagering on beforehand.

Take Advantage of Sportsbook Bonuses

There are several reasons to have accounts with multiple sportsbooks in NZ. From enjoying multiple welcome bonuses and being able to access the best odds for specific markets, having multiple accounts lets you participate in ongoing promotions such as cashback or free bets.

FAQ

The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be hosted by Qatar, marking the first time the championship is hosted in the Arab world.

The upcoming edition of the World Cup has been subject to an unusual amount of controversy, not least about the high temperatures which commonly feature in the country. However, it is unlikely that the tournament will be moved from the current hosts since all the necessary stadiums and facilities are ready or soon to be.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup will start on the 21st November 2022. The World Cup final game will be played on the 18th December 2022. These dates are quite unusual, as the championship is normally played throughout June and July.

Brazil is the overall favourite team to win the upcoming edition of the World Cup. France and England also feature strong teams and rank as second and third most likely to win.

Brazil is the best-performing team in the World Cup, having raising the coveted golden trophy a total of five times.

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