Now that the curtain has come down on the domestic football season, attention turns to the sport’s marquee event – the 2026 World Cup. This year’s edition of the tournament takes place in North America, with games being played across the US, Canada and Mexico. This will be the second time the US has hosted the World Cup, Mexico’s third time (a host record), while this is new territory for Canada. The competition, featuring a record 48 teams for the first time ever (previously 32), begins in Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca on 11 June, with the final to be played at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on 19 July.
For sportsbooks across all three nations, the World Cup will be the time to harvest the fruit from the seeds planted months, even years, in advance. “Preparations are well underway. For us the World Cup is much bigger than a traditional sportsbook calendar moment,” says Jared Beber, CEO of domestic Canadian and Ontario-licensed sportsbook Bet99.
“If we’re still preparing now, then we’re definitely behind the curve,” adds Yoni Sidi, CEO of Mexican operator Winpot. “We started a long time ago – probably over a year ago – thinking about and planning for the World Cup, and we still had stuff we didn’t think about or stuff that we did last minute. In general, we gave ourselves enough of a runway to make sure we were as prepared as we could be across all departments.”
For US-based Fanatics Betting and Gaming (FBG), which offers online sports betting in 23 US states, the tournament represents a significant milestone. “This is our first World Cup as a sportsbook,” says senior vice-president of marketing Michael Fitzsimmons. “We anticipate a ton of interest from our audience and our customers into wagering on this tournament, so we’ve got a lot of fun stuff planned. There haven’t been that many World Cups since online gambling has been legal in the US, so this is another benchmark moment for the category.”
A North American World Cup of course means North American time zones. While European operators and bettors alike will have to deal with kick-off times as late (or early) as 5am, Sidi highlights how big an impact favourable start times – a luxury not usually afforded on the continent – will have for local operators.
“It’s massive. Previous World Cups have always been seven or eight hours ahead of Mexico, sometimes even nine hours. The last one that was relatively close was the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Engagement and in-play betting viewing figures will be much higher – I can tell that because the cost of the TV adverts we’re running is much more expensive than it has been in the past. It makes a huge difference to be able to actually sit in front of the TV at a normal hour.”
FBG’s Fitzsimmons notes that operators from host nations will have greater opportunities to convert casual fans into customers when the sport’s leading lights come to town. “Having the world’s biggest stars playing during primetime really helps draw an interest, and then there’s the benefits for the more casual bettor, who maybe pays attention to soccer culturally but doesn’t wager a lot. I think having the matches hosted here – and being such a part of the conversation every day – will draw an interest for even the more casual fans and bettors.”
Proof is in the product
Such a large-scale event provides operators with the opportunity to experiment with new product features. Fanatics Sportsbook has already integrated two enhancements to its same game parlay (SGP) offering: ‘Fair Play’ provides first-half injury protection, whereby the bet is voided if a player leaves the field in the first 45 minutes. Meanwhile, ‘Squad Bets’ allows customers to combine individual players into a SGP to achieve a single target. For example, a squad of three to six players to hit a combined statistical target such as a certain number of assists across a set of fixtures.
In terms of editorial output, Fanatics is also leaning into the emotional side of the World Cup. “With content,” Fitzsimmons explains, “we’re following the key narratives of the tournament, whether it’s something like Messi’s or Ronaldo’s last World Cup, for example, or even the US team and their expectations. We’re able to follow those editorial storylines and create social content we think will draw fans in. Both in product and organic content we’re finding a way to draw interest.”
In Canada, Bet99 is factoring in the diversity of its audience’s interests with regard to football. “The starting point is understanding there is no single soccer audience in Canada,” Beber remarks. “You have casual national team fans, diverse communities with deep connections to global football cultures, highly sophisticated bettors who follow European and international leagues year-round, and entertainment-driven fans who engage through content, creators, watch parties and social moments.
“For us, tailoring the product is not just about adding more markets. It is about making the experience more intuitive, more relevant and more engaging for different types of fans. That includes stronger match discovery, timely communications, content around key moments, localised storytelling, responsible personalisation and experiences that make the tournament feel bigger than the bet itself.”
Winpot’s experience is different in Mexico, where football is the undisputed number one sport. This meant the operator, according to Sidi, has been more focused on cosmetic changes rather than any major upgrades to its sportsbook platform.
“In terms of the product itself, apart from redesigning it and making the website look and feel like a World Cup event, we haven’t had to do that much. Any changes have mainly been from a creative perspective,” he reveals. “We keep abreast of what the competitors are doing, just to make sure we’re not missing any tricks, which I don’t think we are so far, and, if we see that something is desperately missing, then we can always make that change.”
Zonal marketing
In a football-obsessed nation like Mexico, Winpot had no trouble drumming up interest for this year’s tournament. The operator struck a strategic ambassadorial partnership with TV presenter Miroslava Montemayor, who is the star of Winpot’s nostalgic TV ad campaign and boasts a large social media following and football expertise owing to her time presenting the Champions League on broadcaster TNT.
Using AI, the ad features the evolution of sports betting from the 1970s through to the modern day, while eluding to Mexico’s history with the tournament after hosting in 1970 and 1986. Both editions delivered iconic moments including Carlos Alberto’s famous strike in 1970, and Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ in 1986.
Dealing with football’s governing body, FIFA, may not be completely straightforward from a marketing perspective. Potential copyright issues present a potential banana skin, especially for any regulated operators. Sidi continues: “We’re not going to mess around with any potential complaints, especially not from a body like FIFA, who I believe will be extremely vigilant on any use of the IP, especially for a home nation.
“I’m sure a lot of the brands working in the home nations, whether regulated or not, will try and push the boundaries, but my main concern is that we not only have something that’s as attractive as possible, but that we can also sleep at night and not get a phone call after the first match and have to make all those changes again.”
Stateside, FBG has steadily increased its football-related editorial content over the last year in an attempt to build authenticity “so we don’t look like we’re just starting to talk about the sport for the first time” by the time the World Cup kicks off, Fitzsimmons notes. Outside help from social media has also been a key factor in reaching a younger demographic by working with football content creators and influencers. In addition to a promotional film developed by multinational media firm Anthem Sports & Entertainment, the bulk of FBG’s marketing efforts will be focused on ramping up the volume of its football-specific content.
Fanatics is also planning to capitalise on the excitement around the tournament by introducing its 100% profit boost promotion, which doubles customer winnings on specific wagers up to $100, for every group stage match, while also giving away more than 1,000 shirts.
Bet99 on the other hand has taken a more understated approach to marketing in the run up to the World Cup. “Our philosophy is not simply to spend louder,” Beber attests. “A lot of operators can buy media. The harder part is making every touchpoint work together.
“For us, the focus is integrated execution, media, partnerships, CRM, content, product, hospitality, responsible gambling education, live experiences and customer operations all reinforcing one another.” The privately held company has also built a multi-city hospitality and fan engagement programme as part of its marketing efforts, with an emphasis on bringing customers together outside of football and creating experiences.
Domestic distractions
While operators from all three hosting countries have been eagerly preparing for what is sure to be the biggest betting event ever, regulatory challenges have given them pause for thought. In Mexico, for example, operators are grappling with a crippling increase in the country’s tax rate from 30% of GGR to 50%, which came into effect earlier this year.
“I can’t pretend and say the tax environment is easy,” Sidi says. “It’s a hit on everyone, with the regulated brands affected much more than the unregulated brands, which is one of my concerns with the new regulation. It’s extremely outdated; I think it’s from the 1940s or 1950s and hasn’t really evolved to where we are today. It obviously puts a bigger strain on the margins you have as an operator, and we’ve had to tidy our house a bit.
“Overall, I wouldn’t say it’s changed our plans per se, but it simply made us a bit more vigilant on the costs we have. I still think a tournament of this scale dwarfs any tax issue, purely through the level of excitement. These things don’t happen too often.”
It’s certainly more of a case of regulatory anticipation than burden in Canada. Alberta will become the second province after Ontario to open its doors to commercial sports betting and online igaming, with the market due to launch on 13 July – though that is less than a week before the World Cup final on 19 July. Bet99 is choosing to view the overlap as an opportunity rather than an inconvenience, capitalising on the extra attention afforded by having all eyes on the spectacle.
Beber says: “You need operational readiness, compliance alignment, responsible marketing, product stability and customer support all working together. That is the balance we are focused on – moving quickly, but carefully. Alberta is an exciting next step for the government regulated Canadian market, and the World Cup can create a strong backdrop for that launch if executed properly. The key is ensuring the customer experience is seamless, compliant and built for long-term trust, not just short-term activity.”
Opportunity knocks
The scale of the opportunity presented to home nation operators cannot be overemphasised, according to Sidi. “As an acquisition opportunity, I don’t think it gets any bigger,” he muses. “We have a solid eight weeks of the biggest event in the world being hosted over three countries, but if we focus on Mexico, it’s a home nation and we’re a big brand. These opportunities don’t come around at all. I really do think this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Such assertions are backed up by projections from market intelligence consultancy H2 Gambling Capital, which estimates around $5.7bn will be wagered on the 2026 World Cup through legal sportsbooks in the host nations. Mexico is expected to have the highest share of betting spend, followed by Canada, then the US.
Given the size of its market, the US is expected to be the greatest contributor at $2.9bn of handle, compared to $2.5bn in Mexico and Canada at $300m. Getting players through the door is only part of the equation. Beber suggests the acquisition legwork done for the World Cup could yield further gains in online casino customers further down the line. “Acquisition is only the first step,” he notes. “The real value is what happens after that first interaction.
“Our view is that sportsbook is often the front door into a much broader entertainment ecosystem. Major sporting events create the emotional spark, but long-term value comes from how well you convert that moment into an ongoing relationship. We absolutely believe major tournaments can support casino growth over time, not because you force cross-sell but because you build trust and engagement value across the broader entertainment ecosystem.”
While Canada and Mexico may not need as big of a boost, Fitzsimmons believes the success experienced by US sportsbooks during the World Cup could have longer lasting implications for how football betting is treated in the country.
He says: “As the game continues to grow, we do see significant volume for us as a sportsbook in terms of handle on soccer. If the World Cup goes as planned and we see the interest we anticipate, it may just open up investment or other opportunities into larger tournaments or events in between World Cups, whether it’s the European Championships, Copa América or the Champions League finals.”
The chances of a home nation winning the World Cup this year (a feat only achieved six times) are unlikely if not impossible, with Mexico, the USA and Canada sitting 15th, 16th and 30th, respectively, in the FIFA world ranking. Nevertheless, with the buzz, excitement and, most importantly, money generated for operators by the tournament, it’s unlikely to matter.
The post Coming to Americas: how the host nations’ operators are preparing for the World Cup first appeared on EGR Intel.
As the industry gears up for a betting bonanza that is expected to generate $60bn in stakes with legal bookmakers across the globe, EGR examines how seriously operators from the US, Canada and Mexico are taking international football’s showpiece event
The post Coming to Americas: how the host nations’ operators are preparing for the World Cup first appeared on EGR Intel.