World Cup Player Props Bets

The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), also known as the International Association Football Federation, is the leading sport’s governance that has overseen the most prominent international soccer tournaments in the world since 1904.

Currently, 211 nations across six subsidiaries are competing in FIFA-organized tournaments. They are:

• AFC – Asia/Australia
• CAF – Africa
• CONCACAF – North America
• CONMEBOL – South America
• OFC – Oceania
• UEFA – Europe

As the most popular sport worldwide, bettors often flock to the top online sportsbooks looking for potential betting profits in FIFA competitions.

Whether it’s soccer player props, outright winners, totals, or one of the many soccer prop bets available, the size of the sports betting markets equals the sport’s overall popularity.

What are FIFA player prop bets?

A player prop bet, short for proposition bet, are picks that aren’t directly tied to a contest’s outcome but instead focuses on an individual player’s performance during a game or competition.

Online sportsbooks heavily focus on player prop betting markets, and with 15-20 players per squad, the possibilities and variations are endless. In addition, the odds for specific markets can be incredibly lucrative.

Goal Scorer Prop Bets

Player prop markets are diverse, but the most popular action for bettors is to wager on the various goalscorer offerings.

Whether you’re betting on goal scorer prop bets in a single game or long-term bets as a tournament’s top goal scorer, you’ll be looking for the players with the most significant potential of scoring goals.

Below we’ve listed the multiple variations of goal scorer prop bets and what they mean.

Anytime Goalscorer

Bettors wagering on the anytime goalscorer market are betting on the player they believe can score a goal at any time during a 90-minute matchup.

Brace Betting

Brace betting ups the ante, which is reflected in the available odds. Bettors can wager on a player they believe can score two goals in a game, known as a brace.

First Goalscorer

The first goalscorer market requires bettors to predict which player will score the first goal of an individual game. It doesn’t matter which team scores or what time it’s scored; if the player you bet on scores the first goal, your bet cashes.

Hattrick Betting

Hattricks are a rare occurrence in FIFA competitions; however, superstars such as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Neymar, and Cristiano Ronaldo are no strangers to scoring three goals in one game.

Betting on somebody to score a hat trick means that your chosen player must achieve at least three goals in an individual game.

Last Goalscorer

Opposite to the first goal scorer player prop market, the last goal scorer proposition requires you to pick the player who will score the game’s final goal. Whether it’s the 10th or 90th minute, your bet is deemed a winner if your selection is the last goal scorer on the board.

Alternative Prop Bets

Goal scorer markets aren’t the only player props available. Sportsbooks know that fans love to debate the individual performance of their favorite players, so they often provide an unprecedented number of various player props.

These alternative prop bets are referred to as novelty props or exotic props, and the betting options are endless.

Some of these alternative online sports betting prop wagers include:

• Player to be booked (yellow or red card)
• Player shots on target (over/under)
• Player assists
• Man of the Match
• Player tackles
• Player passes
• Player shots

FIFA Player Props Betting Strategy

When bettors approach the prop wager betting lines at soccer betting sites, it can be challenging to decide which prop odds and/or betting strategy is the best. With such a wide variety, you’re receiving a greater chance of making correct picks.

While we can’t guarantee winning tickets, we can assist you by highlighting some important factors to consider before placing prop wagers.

Player Substitutions

You must factor in his expected playing time when singling out a player. Suppose a player is regularly substituted or a star player who plays in the same position as your bet-on player is benched. In that case, the number of minutes he plays could be reduced, thus removing the chance your player could score or achieve the prop bet you’ve placed on them.

Substitutes are an idealistic margin for bookmakers to utilize in their player prop markets because if a player’s game time is reduced via a substitution, their percentage chance of achieving the statistic you wagered on is lowered.

If a player is substituted at half-time, he will miss 50% of the game. Because of this, bettors should always look for player props that involve first-team starters that usually play for a full 90 minutes.

Injuries and fitness also provide a level of risk. If a player has been struggling with injuries, consider that he may be rested halfway through a game.

Penalties

Twenty-two penalties were netted at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. This resulted in 7.02% of the goals scored in this tournament.

When selecting a goal scorer player prop, consider looking at each nation’s penalty takers because they naturally have a higher probability of scoring than non-penalty takers.

Tactical Adjustments

The betting strategy for every sports bettor is to find value by betting on an event occurring that is more probable than what’s reflected in the bookmaker’s odds.

You can isolate these player props by studying the formations and tactics of a team. For example, suppose Croatia has received a lot of bookings at the World Cup, and their next game is against Brazil, who’s received a lot of free kicks. In that case, the player-to-booked market could offer significantly more value to Croatian players than it usually would.

Elsewhere, if Gareth Southgate has moved three players up front with a 4-3-3 formation, you could expect an all-out-attacking style of play that could provide value on some of the goal-scoring player props.

Reading FIFA Player Prop Odds

Prop bets are paid out per the odds associated with your bet.

As there are many variations of soccer prop bets, the available odds can range from -110 to +1000 or higher.

Most commonly, player props with an over/under, such as shots on target, tackles made, or assists will be paid at -110 on each side of the bet. More profitable player props like first-time goal scorers will often provide plus-money betting odds such as +200 or higher, depending on the player’s skill level.

In an American odds format, if you’re betting on Lionel Messi to have over 0.5 assists at -110, a $110 stake would net $100.

If you’re betting on Lionel Messi to be the first goal scorer at +200, a $100 wager will earn a $200 profit.

The (-) and (+) symbol in the American odds format represent a favorable and underdog position.

They’re simple to read because a (-) minus symbol represents how much a bettor needs to stake to win $100, while the (+) symbol indicates how much a bettor will win if they bet $100.

FIFA Soccer Betting FAQ

Which sportsbooks have the most player props?

Many sportsbooks have a vast selection of soccer prop bets. However, the most trusted and highly rated sportsbooks we recommend for player props are FanDuel Sportsbook, Caesars, Bet365 and BetMGM Sports.

What happens to a prop if a player doesn’t play?

On most player prop markets, a player(s) must be on the starting line-up for bets to have action. If a player is inactive or didn’t play, bets are void.

What happens to a prop bet if a player gets hurt?

The top-rated and trustworthy sportsbooks found at OddsTrader will cancel your bet if the player is inactive due to an injury. However, the bet stands if the player is injured during a game.

Can you live bet player props?

Yes, you can make live bets on player props. Real-time betting odds are readily available for major tournaments such as the World Cup or domestic competitions such as the Premier League or MLS.

Why can’t I parlay props?

Specific prop bets are considered correlated, and these wagers cannot be combined to create a parlay. If one outcome is possible, sometimes another outcome is more likely, so the sportsbooks want to avoid giving bettors the total multiplier that parlays offer.

However, top sportsbooks such as FanDuel, and Bet365 allow their customers to create same-game parlays. These parlays allow bettors to combine multiple markets/props from the same game. For example, you can bet on the Brazil moneyline and combine it with over 2.5 goals, and one player receives a red card.

Same-game parlays are a popular option due to the large payouts on offer.

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