A beginner’s guide to betting on the World Cup

When betting on any football competition, you should apply the same principles you would to all sports betting or casino betting markets. While betting on the outcome of a game can be fun, you must employ certain principles in your strategy so that you are not blindly choosing teams without doing any level of research.

Qatar 2022 is the first World Cup that has taken place in the middle of the domestic football calendar. This can cause variables that are not usually in play during a World Cup that traditionally takes place in the summer, at the end of the football season. This later start to the tournament is because the weather is simply too hot for players to take to the pitch in August in Qatar. FIFA could have taken this on board when they initially granted Qatar's application to host the competition, but that's a conversation for another day.

If you are looking to place a bet on the outcome of World Cup games, you can also take advantage of several other markets. They mirror traditional football markets throughout the season. This includes markets such as:

• Outright group winners.
• Golden boot.
• Outright trophy winners.
• Who will qualify out of the group stages.

This isn't an exhaustive list and there are also plenty of markets where you can bet in-play, such as on the number of corners, or yellow and red cards. You can also find lists that detail the best players at the World Cup and who to keep an eye on.

If you are starting in the gambling world as a beginner, you must bet only on markets you understand and use only the money you can afford to lose. If you find yourself chasing losses and betting money you can't afford to lose, you shouldn't continue to gamble. This could signify that it is an issue for you and you must speak to somebody as soon as possible.

However, a lot of people enjoy gambling responsibly and they see it as a fun activity that can heighten the excitement of the game. With anticipation already at a fever pitch for football's biggest prize, sprinkling the fun of a little wager on top is usually something that encourages people to pay more attention to the games. You can also follow journalists reporting on the tournament, and blog posts from fans who will give their opinion on how things could play out in Qatar.

If you study form and watch the games, this is a good strategy to begin with. You need a good knowledge of the team you're betting on. If key players are missing through injury or sickness, this will likely work against them. You may spot this opportunity in the gambling market as a potential chance to make some money when betting on the outcome of a World Cup game. This could also be crucial if you establish that the replacement player is not of equal quality.

If the player is coming up against a more formidable player for the opposition in that area of the pitch, this could have a critical impact on the game's outcome.

You can also look to bet on the outright winner of the tournament. Traditionally, teams such as Argentina, Brazil and Germany have gone the distance. Irrespective of the chances before the tournament, these countries seem to produce proven winners, generation after generation. The five-times winners Brazil are currently the favorite to lift the Jules Rimet Trophy in Qatar this December.

If you want to bet on a team to win it outright, study the form, the squad and how they traditionally play together. You can also plan their route to the final and see if they are in a difficult group or could come up against another favorite early on in the knockout stages, which could hinder their chances of winning the tournament.

You will likely come across the big hitters in any competition at some point. However, if you can avoid playing them early on, and they have to play each other, this could pave the way for a team to win the tournament. As well as considering quality, it would be best if you had luck. Unfortunately, we don't have a guide to get luck on your side.

Plenty of teams have gone into tournaments as favorites and crashed out early, either in the group or the early knockout stages.

International football can work differently from club football, and you should also consider whether the atmosphere and humidity in Qatar will favor those players from warmer climates such as Brazil and Spain.