World Cup Outright Winner Betting Explained - How to Place an Outright Bet in the UK

What Is an Outright Bet on the World Cup?

If you've heard the term “outright bet" but are not sure how it works, you're on the right page. It's one of the most popular and straightforward betting markets in football and is easy to understand even as a newbie.

To put it simply, an outright bet is a single bet predicting the team to win the entire tournament. You'll bet on which team will win the World Cup. Unlike the 1x2 match winner market, where outcomes are determined within 90 minutes, you may need to wait for a couple of weeks for the results of outright betting. 

Outright betting usually offers longer odds as you'll be selecting a country to win from among at least 48 teams. Since the World Cup lasts a few weeks, the outright market is popular for keeping you interested in the competition right up to the very end. 

Therefore, in this guide, you'll find everything you need to know about the outright betting market and how the odds work. You'll also discover responsible gambling practices to help you stay in control.

For more information on the best World Cup betting sites, head over to our full guide.

How Does Outright Betting Work for the World Cup?

As already mentioned, the outright betting market is the simplest to wager on. You’ll select the team to win the World Cup by entering your stake amount at a preferred bookmaker. 

Odds for this market are often available weeks or months before the tournament begins and will remain available until the final, depending on the bookie. However, wagering well before the tournament begins offers the best odds. As the favourites progress through the tournament, the odds shorten, reducing the potential payout.

For instance, if a team is priced at odds of 9/2 to win the tournament before it begins, you'll get a potential return of £45 for staking £10, giving you a total payout of £55. As the tournament progresses, the team's odds may reduce to 3/1, giving you a potential return of £30 on your £10, for a total payout of £40.

Rather than place one outright bet, you can place two bets with the same stake using each-way outright betting World Cup. You’ll wager half your stake on the team to win the tournament, and the other half on that team finishing in the top positions. However, the top positions vary across bookmakers, as some may offer top-2 or top-4 finishes.

Your outright bet will be settled at the end of the tournament. The bookmaker will add your total returns to your balance almost immediately after the final is completed. However, your bet may be void if the team you predict withdraws from the tournament. If this happens, your bookmaker will likely refund your stake. It's best to check the rules to understand how the bookmaker settles bets. 

Reading World Cup Winner Odds

One advantage of placing outright bets is the potential for a high return. Outright betting odds are way longer than match winner betting odds because you're predicting a single winner from 48 teams, which is much harder to predict. With match winner markets, matches are between two teams, making predictions a bit easier.

Nevertheless, reading World Cup winner odds is straightforward: shorter odds indicate favourites, and longer odds indicate underdogs. The countries with the shortest odds are the favourites to win the tournament, reflecting their recent form, star players, and tactical edge. 

Additionally, odds reflect the bookmaker's margin, showing the operator’s edge from every stake. The bookie will keep a certain amount from every stake placed on the outright market, regardless of the outcome. 

If you want the best odds, especially on the favourites, you need to place bets early, way before the tournament begins. As the tournament progresses, the odds shorten, even for favourites. Waiting until the tournament is in motion before placing your bets reduces your potential payouts.

However, placing bets after the tournament starts involves lower risk than betting before it begins. In-tournament betting allows you to analyse how the team is performing, which is absent if you wager before the competition starts.

Please note that placing an each-way outright bet offers significantly lower potential returns than placing a straightforward outright bet because your place positions pay only a fraction of the win odds. So if half of your stake (£5) on the win odds of 9/2 pays a total of £22.5, the other half of your stake (£5) on the place bet may pay around 1/4 or 1/5 of the win odds. The fraction depends on your bookmaker, and it's best to check the terms and conditions before placing an each-way bet. 

If it's 1/4 of the win odds, your potential wins will be £10.625, making your total win £33.125 instead of £55 for a straight outright winner bet. However, placing an each-way bet guarantees a return should the team not win the tournament but finish in the top positions.

When Is the Best Time to Bet on the World Cup Winner?

Knowing when to place World Cup winner outright bets can significantly influence your payout. Here are the three windows available to place an outright bet.

Before the Tournament 

Bookmakers present the longest odds for most teams before the tournament begins, offering the best potential payouts. However, it comes with too many uncertainties, especially if the squads are not finalised. It's also more difficult to predict each team's form. Additionally, some bookmakers offer enhanced odds and special promotions, such as best odds guaranteed (BOG) and money-back as free bets for wagering before the tournament begins.

During the Group Stage

As the tournament begins, the odds will start to shorten, reflecting teams' performances. You can make more informed decisions based on injury data, squad fitness, and form. If some strong nations are eliminated early in the group stage, the outright odds on the remaining contenders are decreased, which often reduces the potential payout when wagering at this point.

During the Knockout Rounds

Waiting until the knockout rounds to place outright bets significantly reduces the potential payout because the odds will be shorter. However, predictions are much easier here than before the tournament because only a handful of teams remain, and you have enough information about their form, squads, and injuries.

If you had placed your bet before the tournament began and your team is still in the knockout rounds, you may use the cashout option to claim your winnings early. However, you'll receive a fraction of your returns reflecting the current odds, allowing you to avoid a loss if your team fails to win.

Outright Betting vs Match Betting — What's the Difference?

It's easy to confuse outright betting with match winner betting as a newbie. That's why it's best to read World Cup betting guides because they differ significantly in their approach and style. 

With outright betting, you're placing a single bet on the team to win the tournament. It is settled after the final, making it a long-term option. Also, it offers higher potential returns since it can be more difficult to predict.

On the other hand, match betting involves betting on individual matches, where you select the team to win or whether the game will end in a draw. This market is often available for all matches at the tournament, creating more betting opportunities. The odds are usually shorter, and the potential returns are smaller than with outright betting.

Another outright bet is the top goalscorer market, where you bet on the player to score the most goals at the tournament. As with the outright winner market, this is decided after the competition's final. The odds are usually longer and available way before the tournament begins.

You may also wager on qualifier bets, where you bet on a team to advance past a specific stage in the tournament. So, you can bet on group winners to predict whether a team will finish top of their group. The odds are usually longer than match-winner bets but shorter than outright-winner bets.

Outright Betting Glossary

Before you bet on the outright betting market, here are a few terms you should be familiar with.

• Outright Bet: A bet on which team to win the entire competition, such as the World Cup.

• Ante-Post Betting: Placing a bet on an event way before it begins, usually at fixed odds that won't change regardless of odds movement before the tournament begins.

• Each-Way Outright: A two-part bet, one on the team to win the tournament and the other on the team to finish in a specified place or round, at a fraction of the win odds.

• Place Terms: The conditions specified by the bookmaker on the number of finishing positions they payout and the fraction of the win odds offered as part of an each-way bet.

• Odds-On/Odds-Against: Odds-on means you'll win less than your stake amount because the implied probability is greater than 50, while odds-against means you'll win more than your stake amount because the implied probability is below 50.

• Cash Out: A feature that allows you to settle your bet early for a guaranteed return offered by the bookmaker instead of waiting until the tournament ends to settle the bet.

• Void Bet: A bet cancelled and often fully refunded if the event doesn't hold, or your team withdraws from the tournament.

• Rule 4 Deduction: A reduction some bookmakers apply to winnings across all bets when one competitor withdraws from the event.

• Accumulator: A single bet combining two or more selections where all picks must win to get a payout, which is different from an outright winner, where you only place a single selection on the tournament winner.

Betting on World Cup Winner UK Responsibly

Placing outright bets is usually riskier than match-winner bets, especially if placed well before the tournament begins. Therefore, you must factor in the difficulty of choosing one of the 48 teams. 

Also, World Cup futures bets lock your stake until the tournament ends. So, even if you eventually win, you won't have access to the money until after the tournament. It is best to set a budget before the tournament begins and not wager money designed for other things. Treat betting as a form of entertainment and not a means to make money. 

Additionally, chasing your losses is a path to losing more money. If your outright selection gets knocked out, resist the urge to place another bet to compensate for your losses. It's best to use the cash-out option to limit your losses by claiming returns early, especially if you're no longer sure.

All UK bookmakers offer responsible gambling tools to help you stay in control. You can use deposit limits to control how much you wager and cool-off periods to take some time off. If you need a longer period of betting, you can opt for GamStop self-exclusion to ban you from all UK betting sites for a particular period. For additional support for problem gambling, reach out to BeGambleAware.