The World Cup is hands down the biggest sporting event in the world. Every four years the entire world focuses their attention on the best players in soccer representing their countries on the grandest stage. The 2026 World Cup will take place in North America, with Canada sharing the hosting duties with the United States and Mexico.
In the 2022 World Cup, Argentina defeated France in the finals in penalties after the game finished with a score of 3-3. The 2026 World Cup will see Canada return to the tournament for second time in a row after qualifying for the 2022 tournament for the first time since 1986.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is sure to be an exciting tournament with Spain as the early favourites, while England, France, Brazil, and Argentina are the other top contenders. I for one am looking forward to the action and am currently counting down the days.
Canada is in Group B with Qatar, Switzerland, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Canada has the ability to make it out of the group and make a run in the knockout stage.
SportsInteraction.com is our top rated site for betting on the World Cup. The sportsbook is entirely focused on the Canadian betting market and they have a huge selection of fair betting lines for the 2026 World Cup.
World Cup Outright Winner Bet
The most obvious and popular futures available for each World Cup is betting on which nation will win the tournament outright. SIA has these odds available right now and they will continue to change as teams play their tournament tune-up games, as well as throughout the tournament. After the 2026 winner is crowned Sports Interaction will have the 2030 World Cup winner odds within a few days!
Here are the odds for the World Cup outright winner from SportsInteraction.com (odds taken on June 10th, 2026 – the day before the tournament begins):
These are the odds for the ten favourites entering the tournament. Canada has odds of 150-1 at the time of the screenshot.
Other World Cup Futures Bets
Sports Interaction has a ton of other World Cup bets that can be made leading up to the tournament. Here are a few with their explanations:
Top Goalscorer. Which player will win the golden boot at the World Cup.
Group Betting. Pick which team will win any of the 12 World Cup groups.
Top Team Goalscorer. Which player will finish the tournament with the most goals on specific teams.
Group Qualification. Pick if a team will qualify from their group into the knockout stages.
To Reach Final. Bet on a team to reach the finals of the tournament.
Stage of Elimination. Bet on when a team will be eliminated from the tournament (group stage, round of 32, round of 16, quarterfinal, semi-final, etc.)
World Cup Match Bets
The match betting in the World Cup matches are the same as any regular match with possibly a few more prop bets to choose from. The soccer betting page outlines some of the more common bets in soccer matches and this will also apply to World Cup matches.
Here’s an example of how the odds look using Canada’s first match of the 2026 World Cup (odds from June 10, 2026):
To see all of the current odds and betting markets available head to SportsInteraction.com, click ‘Soccer’ from the Top Sports menu, and select ‘World’.
2026 World Cup Tournament Format
The 2026 World Cup is the biggest edition ever with 48 teams, up from 32. The expanded format features 12 groups of four teams. The top two from each group advance, along with the eight best third-place finishers, creating a new Round of 32 before the Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final. There will be 104 matches in total.
The third-place advancement rule is worth noting from a betting perspective. Teams that lose a group stage match still have a realistic path to the knockout rounds, which changes how you should approach group stage futures and elimination bets.
Key Dates
The tournament runs June 11 to July 19, 2026. That’s 39 days of action.
June 11 – Opening match: Mexico vs. South Africa at Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
June 12 – Canada vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina at BMO Field, Toronto (3:00 PM ET)
June 18 – Canada vs. Qatar at BC Place, Vancouver (6:00 PM ET)
June 24 – Canada vs. Switzerland at BC Place, Vancouver (3:00 PM ET)
June 29 – July 2 – Round of 32
July 4 – 7 – Round of 16
July 11 – 12 – Quarterfinals
July 15 – 16 – Semifinals
July 19 – Final at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
Canadian Host Cities
Toronto – BMO Field: Hosts six matches including Canada’s opener on June 12. The stadium is being expanded to 45,000 seats to meet FIFA requirements and will be temporarily renamed Toronto Stadium at Exhibition Place.
Vancouver – BC Place: Hosts seven matches including Canada’s second and third group games plus a Round of 32 and Round of 16 fixture. If Canada advances from Group B, they could play on home soil through the early knockout stages.
All 16 Host Cities
United States (11): Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle
Mexico (3): Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey
Canada (2): Toronto, Vancouver
The United States hosts every match from the quarterfinals onward, with the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19.
