Is football betting your thing? Do you like watching football? There are millions of people around the globe who share this passion and they are always looking for new and interesting opportunities to place bets on.

Surely, watching and betting on football league systems like the English Premier League, German Bundesliga or the Spanish La Liga is fun, but there’s something about tournaments that make these competitions even more exciting.

This is the reason why many betting sites have special sections dedicated to major football tournaments. To help you find the biggest and best football tournaments and learn what kind of bets you should place on these competitions, we have developed this guide.

• Learn more about the facts related to these competitions
• Find the best markets to bet on
• Get familiar with their format

Betting on football, just like any kind of betting, requires research and that’s exactly what you will get from this guide that we are about to present. We have analyzed the best football tournaments around the globe which means that regardless of the time of the year, you will always be able to find something good to bet on. So, here’s the list of 11 biggest and best football tournaments to bet on.

1. FIFA World Cup

Established: 1930
Number of teams: 32
Region: International
Current champions: France
Most popular bets: outright winner, top scorer

The FIFA World Cup is definitely the most-watched event in this sport. There are many reasons for that. First of all, this World Cup happens once in four years. Furthermore, there are over 200 national teams that are participating in the qualifications and only 32 reach the finals (31 + the host). It’s worth mentioning that the fact that players are playing for their national teams for prestige, not just for the money adds up to the atmosphere.

When it comes to betting on this football competition, just like any other similar tournament is very difficult to predict the outcome. Yet, there are a few interesting and potentially lucrative bets that are often played. Obviously, one of the most common ones is betting on the outright winner. Typically, there are between two and five teams that are considered to be the favorites before the competition starts.

However, you should remember that there’s always at least one team that’s considered a dark horse that gets to the quarter-finals or even to the semifinals. For instance, the last FIFA World Cup competition was won by France, but they played against Croatia in the finals, a team that was an underdog. So, it’s a good idea to bet on the outright winner and place a bet on a team that’s not among the top five.

Betting on the best goal scorer is another smart move. To get more chances of winning this kind of bet, you have to take a closer look at the player’s current form and their performance for the national team during the qualifications.

• The FIFA World Cup is the most popular football tournament in the world
• The next competition of this kind (the finals) will be played in 2022
• It includes 32 countries from across the world

2. UEFA European Championship (Euro)

Established: 1958
Number of teams: 24
Region: Europe
Current champions: Portugal
Most popular bets: outright winner, number of corners or similar bets

Here’s another example of a popular football tournament that includes national teams, but this time we are talking about a competition that takes place in Europe. As a content where you can find football leagues of the highest quality and as a place where football is extremely popular, it’s quite natural that this competition that includes 24 national teams in the finals is so exciting.

There are 55 teams that are competing in qualifiers in order to reach the finals. It’s no surprise that most people like to bet on an outright winner when it comes to EURO. This gives you a chance to root for your team during the competition that lasts a few weeks.

But, you should never place all your betting money on this bet because EURO is fun due to its unpredictability. That’s why some punters are focused on bets that are usually based on pure luck like the number of corners for example. With a good analysis, you might be able to do well with number of goals bets too.

• UEFA European Championship has been around for more than 60 years
• It includes 24 national teams from Europe
• This is a very difficult tournament for betting, but it promises many fun moments

3. Africa Cup Of Nations

Established: 1957
Number of teams: 24
Region: Africa
Current champions: Algeria
Most popular bets: single matches, outright winner after the first phase

Some of you might find it a little bit odd, but the truth is that the Africa Cup of Nations is one of the oldest international football tournaments not just in Africa, but in the world. Back in the days when football was not taken that seriously in this part of the world, the competition was unattractive.

However, today when we know that this continent has some true gems of football players, it’s a tournament that people who love betting should look out for. Remember that this tournament is played every two years and there are 24 national teams in the finals.

To be honest, it’s not easy to predict the winner at the Africa Cup of Nations. The teams are not consistent as the European teams and very often, the results that national teams had when they were playing during the qualifiers are not relevant.

In addition, many of these teams depend on the performance of one or two of their main players. So, if they are doing good, the team will play well too. You can place bets on this cup on most betting sites. According to some statistics, the most popular kind of bet (and the most logical one) is betting on single matches.

There’s an interesting history between most African national teams and by analyzing their record before the match and by taking the current form into account, you should be able to pick the right bet. Another good tactic that you can use as a punter is to place bets on the outright winner after the initial phase (before the Round of 16 begins). This is the time when you will get a clearer picture of the current strength of teams.

• A very old competition
• 24 participating countries
• You can place bets on almost any betting site

4. The UEFA Champions League

Established: 1955
Number of teams: 32 (finals)
Region: Europe
Current champions: Liverpool (England)
Most popular bets: handicap betting, over/under goals

Every football fan knows about the UEFA Champions League. In fact, we are all waiting for the competition that brings the best players in the world in one place. This is a competition designed for the best clubs in Europe. There are 32 teams at the group stage in the UEFA Champions League and the majority of them are big names like Real Madrid, Liverpool, Juventus, Barcelona, PSG, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Manchester United, etc.

Needless to say, each of these matches has the potential to become an epic match, especially once the competition progresses to the knockout stage. This club tournament is probably one of the main events for betting sites around the globe.

It’s organized once a year and lasts almost all year round. In addition to the popular teams, there are some unknown teams that come from the national leagues of countries like Belarus, the Czech Republic, and Romania. So, it takes extra effort to find out more about the betting options you have here.

But, this also gives punters a chance to try betting markets like handicap betting for example. It’s often very easy for teams like Real Madrid to score 4+ goals when they are playing against “anonymous” teams. This also gives you a chance to use the over/under bets.

In the same situation, you can play over when the favorites are playing at home and under when they are playing away.

• The best club competition in the world
• The world’s best football players are part of this tournament
• The UEFA Champions League is held annually

5. Copa America

Established: 1916
Number of teams: 12/16
Region: South America
Current champions: Brazil
Most popular bets: group winners, accumulators

Just like Europeans, South Americans are very passionate about football and this is the reason why Copa America is attractive. Copa America is the South American version of the UEFA European Championship. This competition is played with 12 or 16 national teams, but it’s not organized on a regular basis.

Sometimes, it’s organized after three years in other situations after four years. In any case, this is a true delight for international punters and fans. To become a successful punter with the help of Copa America, you will have to spend some time analyzing the groups.

Obviously, each group has a favorite and an outsider. The best idea is to bet on the outright winner in each group in case you are sure that one of the teams really stands out from the crowd. Another good solution is to create accumulators.

You don’t have to bet on a single match. Simply, find two or more matches (don’t add more than 4 matches even if the odds are low) and create an accumulator by placing bets on the favorites. Don’t forget that some of the teams have a rich history and these duels are tough for the favorites.

• The most important competition that includes national teams in South America
• Many different betting markets to choose from
• Opting for accumulators might be a good betting strategy

6. FA Cup

Established: 1871
Number of teams: 736
Region: England/Wales
Current champions: Manchester City
Most popular bets: outright winner, accumulators

This is probably one of the oldest football tournaments in the world played since 1871. That’s almost 150 years! The Football Association Challenge Cup, simply known as the FA Cup, is a knockout competition in English football, that’s organized every year.

There are no groups here and players have two matches to prove which team is better and move on to the next stage. A total of 736 teams are part of this competition. When betting on FA Cup matches, the punter must be very careful.

There are a few things that can help them, but it’s not a simple thing to predict who will win these matches even when one of the teams is a favorite in theory. Surely, winning this cup is a thing of prestige, but most teams are focused on the national leagues.

Yet, the majority of the winners belong to the most successful English teams and that’s why betting on an outright winner is an excellent idea. Creating accumulators in the early stages where you can find many matches in one day is also a good move.

• The FA Cup is the oldest club competition
• This is a competition that uses a knockout system
• Betting on an outright winner is a very popular bet

7. DFB-Pokal

Established: 1935
Number of teams: 64
Region: Germany
Current champions: Bayern Munich
Most popular bets: outright winner, over/under goals

DFB-Pokal is the name of the German football cup where the teams from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga compete every year. The creators of this cup (the German Football Association) have decided to follow the steps of other associations and created a knockout competition with 64 teams.

What makes this cup fun is that there are many surprises and “big names” are often knocked out in the early phase. But, this is what makes DFB-Pokal a little bit tricky for punters who are interested in betting on it. Experienced punters will probably say that placing a bet on the outright winner is one of the safest bets.

This makes sense because most of the winners come from the group of the best clubs in Germany. For example, last year, Bayern Munich won the cup and they have also won the Bundesliga title. Additionally, we should mention that many of the games end in over 2.5 goals which is obviously another bet that you should try.

Sometimes, it makes sense to back the underdogs in this competition especially when the favorite is focused on the league at the moment.

• This is the second most important football competition in Germany
• It includes 64 teams from the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga
• Over/under goals is almost always a good bet on this tournament

8. UEFA Nations League

Established: 2018
Number of teams: 55
Region: Europe
Current champions: Portugal
Most popular bets: over/under goals, group winners

If you are interested in betting on a new tournament then you probably can’t go wrong with UEFA Nations League. As the name suggests, this competition takes place in Europe and includes 55 member states of UEFA. The first Nations League started in 2018 and ended in 2019 when Portugal won in the finals.

The next one will start in 2020 and end in 2021. This is basically a competition that’s used as a substitution for the regular friendly matches played between national teams. It also adds a more competitive spirit to these games.

As with the international friendlies, it’s not easy to guess the correct outcome of a match that’s part of the Nations League. You will have to dig deeper and find out more about the current squad and how the players that are part of a specific national team are playing in their clubs at the moment.

If you are looking for specific bets to use on these matches, our suggestion is to try over/under goals taking the current form into account. Many punters are suggesting betting on group winners (there are four groups in this competition). This is a good choice because, despite the fact that there are surprising scores, it’s usually the favorite that ends up in the first place. That’s a relatively safe bet which is why the odds are low.

• A new type of football competition
• It’s played in Europe
• 55 national teams from Europe participate in Nations League

9. UEFA Super Cup

Established: 1972
Number of teams: 2
Region: Europe
Current champions: Liverpool
Most popular bets: who will win the match (overtime included), Asian handicap

The winners of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europe League are playing against each other every year in what’s known as the UEFA Super Cup. So, we can’t really say that this is really a tournament, it’s more like a product of two tournaments.

Yet, the fact that two of the most successful European clubs of the seasons are trying to outplay each other speaks a lot about the attractiveness of this match. Obviously, bettors can also benefit from this match. The good thing is that both clubs are not burdened with anything because they have already won two prestigious titles and the squads will play relaxed.

That’s probably one of the reasons why the majority of matches in the past decade have ended in a draw in the regular time which is why you should consider betting on a draw or trying an Asian handicap bet just to cover yourself. If you think that one of the teams is a favorite, but you want to play safe, you can place a bet on who will win the match including overtime if there’s overtime.

• A competition that’s active for over four decades
• You can choose different things to bet on
• Many matches in this competition ended in draw

10. AFC Asian Cup

Established: 1956
Number of teams: 24
Region: Asia
Current champions: Qatar
Most popular bets: match winner, outright winner

The fact is that football has a strong fan base in Asia too. Millions of people there are following their favorite clubs and their national teams. The Asian Football Confederation has established the Asian Cup back in 1956. This old international tournament has 24 participants that have to pass qualifications to get there.

Japan is the most successful team here, but the current winner (Qatar) was a real surprise because they’ve won this tournament for the first time and they were considered underdogs.

So, what does this information tells us? Well, it’s always better for people planning on betting on tournaments like this to observe the first couple of rounds. It’s probably better to wait for the 1/8 finals, or quarter-finals and place reasonable bets on the match winner.

Of course, you should not miss the opportunity to guess the outright winner even though it’s not recommended to place a big bet in cases like this.

• This is one of the oldest international football tournaments in the world
• There are 24 teams in the final tournament
• Japan is the most successful team

11. CONCACAF Gold Cup

Established: 1963
Number of teams: 16
Region: North America, Central America, and the Caribbean
Current champions: Mexico
Most popular bets: top goal scorer, outright winner

This is one of the football tournaments with the best name – The Gold Cup (officially: The CONCACAF Gold Cup). It includes nations where football is very popular like Mexico and Nicaragua and nations where football is not really the number one sport like the USA and Canada.

In any case, this international cup that was established in 1963 is another good option for passionate bettors. There are 16 teams in the final tournament and each of them has a chance to win the cup. However, if we take a closer look at the winners so far, we can freely say that Mexico and the USA are always among the favorites.

So, if you want to place a bet with low odds (a relatively safe bet) you can’t go wrong if you choose Mexico or USA to end up first or at least reach the finale. You can also try to predict the top goal scorer of the tournament. You have to check the current performance of the attackers in the national teams, especially those that have a real chance to win the Gold Cup.

• A competition for North American, Central American and Caribbean nations
• There are 16 national teams at the final tournament
• Mexico and USA are the most successful teams in this competition