From World Cup boom to NFL battle: Operators brace for a new season

“Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.” The acclaimed Russell Baker quote helps describe the tempestuous relationship some can have with the warmer season, especially those who enjoy a multitude of live sports. Without the popularity of football – both in terms of soccer and the NFL – basketball, hockey and college football, operators have struggled to survive the ironic cold front.

In 2026, however, the US was presented with a tantalizing gift in the form of co-hosting the FIFA World Cup tournament, providing an incredible stretch of activity prior to the start of the NFL season in September. Beginning in June and extending into July, the 2026 FIFA World Cup helped generate record betting volume among a variety of operators, including industry goliaths FanDuel and DraftKings.

Traditional sports betting operators were not the only entities to take advantage of such an opportunity, though, as the rise of prediction markets became even more noticeable throughout the global tournament. Despite potential roadblocks like time-zone difficulties attempting to derail a historic betting period, the 2026 FIFA World Cup not only reached unprecedented heights in wagering volume, but also helped close the gap to the NFL regular season.

Hitting every World Cup gooooooooal!

For DraftKings, the 2026 World Cup Final between Argentina and Spain represented the most-wagered soccer match in the operator’s sportsbook history, generating over 2 million bets between moneylines, totals and props. When compared to the event’s previous edition in Qatar, DraftKings volume increased 650%, while the operator also witnessed a 245% rise in active Spanish-language soccer customers during the global tournament.

The results support findings made by technology organizations such as Sportradar throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Sportradar’s SVP of Managed Trading Services Darren Small highlighted activity seen from LatAm players, in conversation with Global Gaming Insider. “From our perspective,” Small explained, “we saw a real increase in activity around that LatAm region, including real interest in bet builder markets.

“That was really refreshing and good to see. We anticipated that it would be an area in which we would take a lot more bets and an increase in that interest but, actually, what we saw was phenomenal.”

While time-zone discrepancies forced even the most passionate fans – including Small – to miss a game or two at the World Cup, the Sportradar executive confirmed results still “exceeded our expectations” and even remained “complimentary” of such challenges. Backed by DraftKings highlighting individual bets on players such as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, Small also noted the increased activity witnessed for player-specific markets.

He continued: “Apparently, all the striker superstars decided to turn up at the World Cup at the very beginning! That helps very much when, all of a sudden, everyone was interested in those top names. Haaland, Mbappe, Harry Kane and Messi started scoring goals for fun. People were looking at how they could back Harry Kane to score or Jude Bellingham to score, number of corners, goals at halftime, etc., which was really driving that activation.”

For DraftKings’ biggest rival in FanDuel (although less predictable competition will soon be covered), the 2026 FIFA World Cup represented “the biggest soccer moment” in the operator’s history, according to FanDuel Sportsbook Managing Director Karol Corcoran. Similar to its sports betting counterpart, Argentina-Spain became the largest individual soccer event by active customers for FanDuel, increasing handle 200% from the the previous record holder, the 2024 Copa America Final. The introduction of Super Sub markets – which automatically transferred player prop wagers to the substitute of a backed player – resulted in users taking home over $24m in wagers that otherwise would have been deemed as losing tickets.

“We are committed to putting the customer at the center of everything we do. Through insights from real customers, we identified opportunities to simplify soccer betting, reduce common pain points and build products that reflected how fans experience the World Cup,” Corcoran said. “The enthusiasm we saw throughout the tournament reinforced that soccer is a sport fans are looking for new ways to engage with, and we were thrilled to deliver that for our customers throughout the tournament.”

Prediction markets hit the World Cup stage

Not to be forgotten during the global tournament is the eventful rise of prediction markets in the US, quite difficult given the number of advertisements running across various social and digital channels for the likes of Kalshi and Polymarket. Kalshi confirmed the operator brought in over three million new customers over the course of the World Cup, as well as driving $1.9bn in trading volume for its tournament winner market alone. After all, it was all over advertising hoardings throughout the tournament!

Over 60 World Cup-related markets exceeded $50m in trading volume for Kalshi, while the operator also managed to sign partnership agreements with figures such as Lionel Messi and Timothée Chalamet, expanding its tournament presence. No matter where one turned during the global event, it seemed as if prediction market branding could always be found, which may mirror exactly what traditional sports betting operators have felt over the past 12 months or so.

In Polymarket’s case, the operator reported over $4bn in trading volume for its own tournament winner market, helping prediction markets account for 27% of all US legal sports betting volume during the World Cup. Many will argue the term “legal” being associated with prediction markets, but ultimately US residents helped the vertical achieve record heights by trading on contracts related to the World Cup, showcasing demand from the most loyal players.

DraftKings highlighted activity for its DraftKings Predictions platform as well, having set a new record for trading volume and active customers on the World Cup Final. Hinting at the new innovation for prediction markets, combo trades accounted for 20% of all World Cup trading volume for DraftKings Predictions. In recent weeks, Polymarket and Kalshi have both unveiled efforts to extend their combo trading capabilities, which serve as a counterpunch to parlay offerings from sports betting operators.

While DraftKings and FanDuel are both celebrating World Cup performance, the impact prediction markets had on the global event serves as a reminder of their evolution. As the NFL regular season quickly approaches on September 9, how operators look to expand their own event contract offerings could be a defining moment in the history of both.

Especially as FanDuel – along with its parent company Flutter Entertainment – undergoes leadership restructuring following the respective exits of Amy Howe and Peter Jackson. Heading into the most popular stretch of activity for the industry, how US residents shift focus from the World Cup to the NFL marks a headline many will be following over the next few months.

Where football and soccer’s futures lie in the US

While the World Cup is quite the spectacle, the NFL season represents the crown jewel for sports betting operators each year. Still, the activity recorded for the 2026 tournament could result in additional momentum for the MLS, which struggles to keep pace with the NFL, NBA and NHL while running concurrently. With the English Premier League also set to potentially gain additional traction, the US’ interest in soccer may finally be taking off on a grand scale.

“Listen, we say it almost every major world tournament that we expect something, but I actually do believe it’s generated a spike in that interest. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a follow-up in the coming weeks when the Premier League and European football starts, particularly on the East Coast,” Small said. “Some of those games on the weekend are in quite good time slots on the Saturday and Sunday. I’m not going to bet my house on it, but I would certainly say it’s very, very probable that we’ll see a bit more interest in soccer and soccer betting in general.”

As operators switch gears to the NFL, the momentum generated during the World Cup will surely be used to push new activations and promotions. Kalshi and Polymarket are poised to be fully entrenched within the parlay space by the time September 9 rolls around, placing even greater pressure on figures such as Corcoran.

According to the FanDuel Sportsbook Managing Director, plenty of new advancements can be expected for the 2026-2027 season: “While NFL football returns every year, each season is an opportunity to upgrade the customer experience and create new ways for fans to engage with the sport they love. This season, we’re doubling down on that customer-centric approach to deliver our most rewarding season yet, with new products and expanded generosity designed to deliver more value throughout the season.

“What made the World Cup successful for FanDuel was our ability to deliver a product that solved real customer pain points and enhanced the way fans experienced the tournament. Fans can expect new reward tokens and the introduction of our new sportsbook Rewards Club, and we’re excited to see how fans engage with these new features.”

As sports betting and prediction market operators move from football to… football, the mounting competition between both sides will surely be the focus point of the NFL season this year.