The current edition of the World Cup has exceeded "expectations," with an 80% increase in betting volume compared to the 2022 edition in Qatar, even taking into account the larger number of matches in an expanded tournament featuring 48 teams.

Although many football fans were skeptical about increasing the number of teams from 32 to 48, bettors appear to have welcomed the move.

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Darren Small, senior vice president of managed trading services at Sportradar, told AFP, "We've seen an 80% increase in ticket volume." He added, "We see more bets and more active customers. We've set records and exceeded our expectations in terms of what we expected to see compared to 2022, which is a bit difficult because that edition was different as it was held in the winter." For the final on Sunday between Spain and Argentina, the defending champions, Small expects the company to handle about 8.5 million betting tickets for its 250 clients among betting companies worldwide.

Sportradar Group AG is a global sports technology company that says it creates immersive experiences for sports fans and bettors.

Small said that although the numbers surprised the company, they expected an increase due to the expansion of the tournament to 104 matches.

He added, "But we also expected that due to sector growth and overall growth."

The England team may have to wait another four years to try to add a second star to their 1966 achievement, but they topped the betting list.

In fact, the four teams that reached the semi-finals, which are also the top four in the FIFA world rankings, attracted the most attention.

The "Three Lions" attracted approximately 16.3 million betting tickets, ahead of France (15.5 million), Argentina (15 million), and Spain (14.5 million).

The matches with the highest number of betting tickets were England's 1-2 loss to Argentina in the semi-finals, which generated approximately 5.8 million tickets; England's 2-1 win over Norway in the quarter-finals (5.7 million); and Spain's 2-0 win over France, the 2018 champions, in the semi-finals (5.3 million).

- "Dispelling fears" -

David Stevens, head of public relations at the historic English betting company Coral, said their concerns about the expanded format had dissipated thanks to a group stage that saw its share of surprises.

He told AFP, "Our fear was that a large proportion of results would be predictable, with so-called smaller teams offering little or no resistance to their established opponents." He continued, "But in reality, that was not the case at all." He added, "During the group stage, we saw many matches with results contrary to betting expectations."

Cape Verde was the most prominent of these cases, putting up a strong performance against Argentina in the round of 32 before exiting the tournament with an exciting 2-3 loss after extra time.

Stevens said, "Special mention must go to Cape Verde." He continued, "The islanders have become the new favorite team of all betting companies after they held both Argentina and Spain to draws, so I think... to a large extent, the concerns we initially had no longer affect us."

The increased interest in betting is also due to the offers available not only on the winning team but also on individual player performances and a wide range of other possible outcomes.

Small said, "You can bet on Messi scoring with his left foot in the first 25 minutes, Spain winning 3-1, there being 15 corner kicks plus two assists."

Perhaps driven by the success of the 48-team format, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the Swiss official, hinted at the possibility of further expanding the tournament to 64 teams.

Stevens commented, "Will we welcome a larger World Cup in four years? The simple answer is: no. There has to be a point where fans and bettors alike start to lose interest due to too many matches, and 64 teams seems very much like that point." He concluded, "Nevertheless, Mr. Infantino wants it to happen, and therefore it is likely that it will indeed happen, given the influence he currently holds within FIFA."