Predictable
As the World Cup kicks off this week, betting venues have become more crowded, and analysts at Macquarie estimate that related wagers could top USD 50 billion, a 43% jump from the 2022 cup. This year many sports fans will also be able to put their knowledge of the beautiful game to the test on prediction markets that operate in a regulatory gray area as financial derivatives rather than gambling. On Polymarket, World Cup predictions have attracted USD 1.8 billion in trading volume, the second highest all-time value on the market, behind the 2024 US presidential election.
Source: FT, Polymarket, June 2026