FIFA World Cup 2022 generated significant interest in football and online gambling in the US

Judging by the success of the 2022 edition, by the next world cup, the US might refer to football as football instead of soccer. Ok, that's a joke; we all know that the Americans are too hard-headed to change their ways. But like always, there's some truth to the joke, at least when you look at the sports wagering and viewership statistics coming from the US market. FIFA World Cup 2022 marked the first world championship in football with regulated online gambling in the US. As a result, operators in the online gambling industry had high expectations leading into last year's world cup, and as this article will highlight, the expectations were exceeded. American football and the Super Bowl drive the most online gambling revenue, but the FIFA World Cup is hot on its heels. The final game between Argentina and France had more punters than other major sporting events, including NCAA's March Madness and the NBA final. As the below statistics from GeoComply show. Last year, the Super Bowl had 3.1 million unique punters, while the FIFA World Cup final had 1.7 million individual punters. The demand for football betting has also been confirmed by JustGamblers, a performance marketing website that refers players to regulated online gambling operators in the US. They noticed a 17% increase in traffic and queries relating to online wagering during the World Cup compared to last year's period.

The United States is a developing market; to date, only six states have legalized online gambling. However, more states are likely to follow in the coming years as the market matures, where we can expect significant growth. This growth can align perfectly with the next edition of the FIFA World Cup, potentially shattering the numbers recorded for 2022. The next World Cup that takes place in 2026 is going to be a landmark event for North America as the United States, Canada, and Mexico will jointly host it. The next edition also sees an expansion of participants, from 32 nations to 48 nations, with a record 80 games scheduled. Given the location of the next World Cup, the growing popularity of football, and the legalization of online gambling in the States, it's likely that 2026 will further close the gap between American football and football.