How to Bet on Football - Updated 2026 Guide for Football Betting Tips

We break down the most common football bet types in simple terms. This includes accumulators, double chance, draw no bet, handicaps, half time/full time, outrights, and over/under markets. We also explain how to hedge your bets and make better use of odds.

On top of that, we cover live football betting and how it can offer extra value when used the right way. Finally, we share practical tips to help you judge whether football betting advice is reliable or not.

If you’re ready to apply these strategies, explore our list of recommended football betting sites to get started.

How to bet on football for beginners: Step-By-Step Guide

Our tips on how to bet on football would be incomplete without a step-by-step guide for beginners:

1. Choose a bookmaker for football betting

Do some research to find a football betting site that suits your needs. You could consider factors such as a welcome offer, a good live betting platform and friendly payment options.

2. Open a sportsbook account

After you have zeroed in on one of the many football betting sites, create an account. To do so, you would have to provide some basic information. These would include your name, your date of birth, email, postal address, a preferred user ID and a password.

3. Opt for a payment method

After being directed to a banking page, you must opt for your preferred deposit method from a dozen or more options.

4. Deposit the amount you wish to bet

You must state how much you want to deposit along with personal details related to the deposit information. These could include a credit card number and its expiration date.

5. Place your football bets

On the site's sports menu, select football. Thereafter, choose the game, the betting odds, and the bet type. You may want to place many bets. On your bet slip, enter your staked amount for each bet.

Football betting odds explained

When bookmakers calculate odds, they account for cash flow projections and add their margins before releasing the price.

You can use the betting odds to calculate what returns you can get if you bet on a match. Odds are usually presented in fractional or decimal formats.

In India, fractional odds are the most common. Using fractional odds, you can find out your potential winnings proportional to your placed stake. For instance, if you place a ₹100 bet on Arsenal to beat Manchester City at 5.00, You will get a pay out of ₹500 if your bet wins (₹400 profit in addition to your ₹100 stake).

To convert fractional odds into decimals, multiply your stake by the quoted odds. Betting exchanges usually employ decimal odds. Below we have listed a few examples:

11.00 odds = ₹100 bet will return ₹1100 including your stake

4.5 odds = ₹100 bet will return ₹450 including your stake

1.5 odds = ₹100 bet will return ₹150 including your stake

Good knowledge of the game combined with research will help you recognize when bookmakers get the odds wrong. Good knowledge can also help you decide where to place bets.

Understanding Football Betting Odds

Fractional Odds

When betting on the football calendar’s most intriguing events, understanding how odds work is imperative.

Odds are the numerical values representing the probability of a particular event occurring. For example, Inter Milan to beat PSG in the Champions League Final is priced at 2.30 with several major sportsbooks.

That means that for every ₹100 wagered on Inter, ₹230 is returned if they win the final. This total comprises of the original stake plus a profit of ₹130.

Bettors can calculate potential returns by multiplying their stake by the odds. For example, a ₹100 bet at 1.50 returns ₹150.

Betting odds are not assigned to outcomes at random; numerical values depend on several factors, including team form, player availability, historical performance, market demand, and bookmaker margins.

Additionally, odds are rarely entirely standardised. While several major top bookmakers provide comparable odds on popular markets, better value might be available elsewhere.

Understanding Football Betting Markets: Different Betting Markets Explained

Full Time Result Markets

Full-Time betting, arguably the football market’s simplest selection, tasks punters to predict the outcome of a match at the end of regulation time.

During the Champions League Final, bettors could select between a PSG victory, an Inter Milan win, or a draw.

A draw in a Champions League final or other fixtures which could go to extra-time and penalties, refers to a level score after 90 minutes (regular time). Some bookmakers offer markets that consider extra time, extending the wager to 120 minutes.

The betting for this is often presented as follows:

In this instance, if you’re betting on PSG, you need them to beat Inter Milan within 90 minutes, with your bet losing if they draw or lose the game.

Over/Under Markets

Over/Under lines are used for various markets, including goals scored, corners, and card counts. The bookmaker sets a figure (e.g., 2.5 goals), and bettors predict whether the actual total will fall over or under.

For example, for the Champions League final the yellow cards for Inter Milan players over/under line is 4.5.

When betting on this, punters must predict whether the Italian club’s yellow card count exceeds or falls short of 4.5. A yellow card count of 5 or more exceeds 4.5, while a count of 4 or less falls short.

Most prominent sportsbooks set the Over/Under line strategically, so an equal split of punters wager over or under the projected total.

Since commonly wagered football stats (e.g., 1 goal) are recorded as whole numbers, Over/Under markets that use a .5 decimal avoid hitting the exact number, known as a push.

In football betting, pushes only occur when a bookmaker sets the over/under line as a whole number e.g., 7 corners.

The betting of these types of markets often look as follows

Handicap Markets

Handicap betting on football markets is available at most major bookmakers. The betting market, designed to level the playing field in predictable matches, enables bettors to give one team a goal advantage or disadvantage.

With handicaps, bettors can increase the value of wagering on dominant teams who win games most weeks.

If a -1 handicap were placed on the favourites, they would have to win by at least two goals to win the bet.

Meanwhile, placing a +1 handicap on the underdogs increases the chances of winning a bet on the underdog, despite their perceived inferior strength.

The betting for this is displayed as follows

In this example, if you bet on Nottingham Forest, you just need them to avoid defeat for your bet to win.

A bet on Chelsea means you need them to win by at least two goals, whilst betting on 'Draw' means you need the favourites t. win by exactly one goal.

Asian Handicaps

Asian Handicaps might initially perplex newcomer bettors, but the variation of traditional handicap markets is a comprehensible way to bet on previously unappealing markets.

Removing whole number handicaps in Asian Handicap markets eliminates the possibility in bets ending in draws or no results.

Like traditional handicap betting, an advantage or disadvantage is placed on one of the two teams to level the playing field. For example, a bettor could place a -1.5 handicap on Manchester City during a Premier League fixture against Fulham.

The match would theoretically begin with the Citizens one and a half goals behind, meaning Guardiola’s team would have to win by a two-goal margin to win the bet.

This contrasts with traditional handicap markets, where a 1-0 or 2-1 Manchester City win would result in bets ending as a draw. Half-goal advantages mean bets must have a win-or-loss conclusion.

Here, if you bet on Man City, you need them to win by 2 or more goals, whilst a bet on Fulham means they just need to avoid losing by two or more.

Game Prop Markets

Game Prop markets refer to betting options that don’t directly depend on the final score. These include markets such as total goals scored, corner counts, card counts, and first team to score.

Non-final score markets can be particularly appealing when two teams are evenly matched. In such cases, wagering on the likelihood of an end-to-end contest. For example, by backing ‘Both teams to have over 8.5 corners’ often feels more pragmatic than predicting a winner.

Likewise, during an unpredictable fixture, such as Barcelona Vs Real Madrid, the Catalans have 105 El Clasico wins against Madrid’s 103, wagering on a prop market, such as +3 goals over 90 minutes, is more strategic than predicting a winner.

In addition, full-time markets typically have three outcomes: home team win, away team win, or draw.

In contrast, the plethora of outcomes in most Game Prop bet markets, where corner, goal, and card counts can range from 0 to 10+, creates riskier, more engaging, and better-valued betting options.

There are huge range of game props to bet on with the biggest bookmakers, the most common of which are as follows:

• Corners - Over/Under
• Cards - Over/Under
• Shots
• Shots on Target
• Passes
• Offsides
• Free Kicks
• Thrown Ins
• Goal Kicks
• Which team will score first/last?
• Team to win from behind
• Team to score/miss a penalty

Player Prop Markets

Player Prop markets – for example, Erling Haaland to score, Myles Lewis Skelly to be sent off, or Mohammed Salah to score and assist – are another strategic way of betting on football without selecting an outright winner.

Player-based markets can offer more value and entertainment than backing the match result. Games involving top teams like PSG, Celtic, and Bayern Munich often feel like a foregone conclusion before a ball has been kicked. In such instances, Player Prop markets provide different betting opportunities.

At reputable betting platforms, such as 1xbet, Stake and Parimatch, the options for player-based bets are plentiful, and often rewarding.

Finding odds for markets like player to score or assist, player to have over 4.5 shots, player to commit over 2.5 fouls, player to make over 3.5 tackles, and goalkeeper to make under 1.5 saves is effortless and provides greater value than backing the favourite to win.

For example, odds of 2.05 are available at 1xbet for the Premier League’s record-chasing goalscorer, Mohammed Salah, to score or assist against 9th-placed Brighton.

This contrasts with backing Liverpool, who have shorter odds to claim all three points.

When it comes to betting on player props, these are some of the markets available with the India’s top online sites and best betting apps:

• Shots
• Shots on Target
• To be carded
• Passes - Over/under
• Tackles
• Fouls
• To be fouled
• Offsides

Bet Builders

Bet Builders are multi-leg punts on single football games. The same-game multi-leg wager has rapidly grown in popularity since the inception of digital gambling platforms due to its personalisation features and favourable odds.

With Bet Builder, offered in varying forms by all the India’s major sportsbooks, bettors can combine numerous market selections, including full-time result, first goalscorer, and number of corners, in one wager.

The custom bet feature is similar to traditional multi-leg accumulators but only focuses on an individual match.

Let’s say, a Bet Builder covering Manchester City beating Leicester City, Erling Haaland scoring, and Phil Foden assisting could have odds of 8.50, rather than a traditional accumulator, which might include Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle United winning.

The option is advantageous for bettors looking to increase their engagement and enjoyment of a singular match. Additionally, it provides freedom for creative and bespoke betting experiences; most combinations imaginable are available with Bet Builder on major Premier League fixtures.

While Bet Builder odds can be generous especially on bets with four or more legs, each added selection reduces the likelihood of success, but significantly boosts potential returns.

If bettors are convinced of multiple outcomes during one match, Bet Builder provides a profitable, and often engaging, way of personalising multi-leg wagers.

Half-Time/Full-Time

Half-Time/Full-Time markets task bettors with predicting the result at the interval and the final whistle.

Half-Time/Full-Time wagers are only deemed successful when the score is guessed correctly at the midway point and full-time.

For example, a successful Arsenal HT/Southampton FT bet would require Arsenal to lead after 45 minutes, but Southampton to overturn their lead and win the game. If Southampton HT/Southampton FT has been wagered, the bet loses despite the Saints' victory.

The market has nine available selections, varying between combinations of a team winning, drawing, or losing at half-time and winning, drawing, or losing at full-time. For example, Southampton HT / Draw FT, Southampton HT / Arsenal FT, and Southampton HT / Southampton FT.

Teams like Arsenal, who have dropped 21 points from winning positions this season, could be profitable picks to lead at half-time but draw or lose by full-time.

The betting for these types of markets will often look like this:

Double Chance Markets

Double Chance markets allow bettors to minimise football’s persistent uncertainty and unpredictability by covering two outcomes in a single bet.

For example, during the Premier League’s final day contest between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea, bettors can use Double Chance markets to cover both a Nottingham Forest victory and a draw.

Essentially, in these instances, bettors are wagering against a particular outcome (in this example, a Chelsea win) occurring.

Betting on the weaker side to draw or win can be strategic in double chance wagers; it offers a safety net by covering two outcomes, increasing the chances of a return even if the underdog doesn't win outright.

However, odds on Double Chance markets are less favourable than backing a team outright. For risk-averse bettors, backing a team to win or draw offers a safer alternative to the more lucrative option of backing them to win outright.

The betting for this market is often presented like so:

Goalscorer Markets

Goalscorer markets, perhaps due to the growing individualisation of elite-level sports but largely due to the advantageous odds available, are popular football selections.

In player-based markets, including first goalscorer, second goalscorer, player to score, and player to score 2+, among several other choices , the bet focuses solely on the individual, rather than the overall team outcome.

Markets for 2+ goals or 3+ goals, particularly when backing the world’s best players against weaker opposition, are a great way of making one-sided affairs more profitable and engaging.

The betting for this market will look something like:

For ‘Anytime’ goalscorer, the player just has to score at any point in the match for the bet to win.

For ‘First’ Goalscorer, the player must score the first goal in the match for the bet to win (own goals don't count towards this market).

For ‘Last’ Goalscorer, the player must score the last goal in the match for the bet to win.

Correct Score Markets

Correct score markets are popular among newcomers and seasoned bettors. Typically, correct score markets require punters to predict the exact scoreline, for example, 4-0 to Aston Villa, at full-time. In several cases, correct score markets are also available for half-time markets.

Predicting the exact scoreline can be challenging; a 2020 study suggested only 9.2% of correct score predictions were successful.

Correct score’s difficulty produces favourable odds. Modest odds of 2.50 were available for Manchester United to beat Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final. Yet, for United to win the final 2-0, better odds of 12.00 are widely accessible.

Bettors can use statistics to their advantage in correct score markets in several ways; most notably, punters must understand how probable each scoreline is. Although it’s exciting to imagine, 4-2 results rarely occur in the Premier League.

During the 2024-2025 Premier League season, the most common results were 1-1 draws, 2-1 home wins, and 2-2 draws.

Meanwhile, analysing a team’s scoring patterns, particularly against weaker or stronger oppositions, provides a deeper insight into how they might fare in a given fixture.

Liverpool have kept a clean sheet and won on 14 occasions this season; backing the Kopites to a 2-0 or 3-0 win, a scoreline that provides good value with most sportsbooks, against weaker opposition could prove profitable.

Irrespective of scoreline analysis, guessing a fixture’s exact result is challenging. Nonetheless, the market selection is engaging and winning bets yield significant value.

The betting for this market will often look like:

Outright Markets

In outright markets, odds are for competitions, not individual matches. Bettors can back a team’s final standing before a competition begins or while in play.

Numerous outright Premier League markets are available at the start of the season. Title-winner markets receive the majority of media attention.

For example, Liverpool are valued at 2.20 to win the 2025-2026 PL title. Elsewhere, Manchester City has odds of 3.00 while Arsenal have appealing odds of 3.50.

Despite City’s dominance in recent seasons, backing a Premier League title winner is persistently perplexing. After all, Leicester City lifted the title in 2015-2016 with odds of 5000.00.

So, backing next season’s title favourites, despite Liverpool’s strength, feels risky. Top two markets provide bettors with greater leeway for unforeseen dips in performance.

Elsewhere, top 4, top 5, top 6, top-half, bottom-half, and relegation markets are provided by several bookmakers.

Once the competition begins, and an idea of a team’s strength is understood, odds are shortened or extended depending on the outcome’s probability.

Manchester City entered the 2024-2025 Premier League season as strong title favourites, but their odds adjusted accordingly as Guardiola’s side stuttered throughout the campaign.

The markets most commonly offered are:

• Champions League Winner
• Premier League Winner
• Premier League - to be relegated
• FA Cup Winner
• League Cup Winner
• Europa League Winner
• Championship - to be promoted
• Next 'Team' Manager
• Next Manager to be Sacked
• ‘Player’ Next Club
• Tournament Golden Boot Winner
• Player of the Season Winner

These bets are long-term and can be placed at any point during the competition running time until the eventual outcome of the has been decided.

Outright winner bets are only paid out once the champion has been confirmed. This is done when they have mathematically won the league and cannot be caught by another team.

For relegation markets, bets will be settled once a team has been mathematically relegated and cannot escape the drop.

For bets relating to specific knockout tournaments, bets will be settled once the final has been played, or the team bet upon has been knocked out.