Gone are the days when soccer betting in the U.S. only took place during major international tournaments. As each state adopts legal sports betting, sportsbooks’ soccer menus have expanded, bettors have gotten used to betting on non-North American leagues, and high-profile events (and players) are pulling new bettors into the betting market. As a result, soccer betting has seen a continuous rise in interest similar to that of the MLB and other American staples.
The faster emergence of sports betting opens doors to “new” games
The key factor is simple: the regulated US sports betting market has become huge, very quickly. In 2024, nearly $150 billion was wagered legally and sportsbooks generated $13.7 billion in revenue, which industry tracking shows is a record. Meanwhile, commercial gaming reporting in late 2025 continued indicating strong year-over-year performance in sports betting, which suggests a continued market expansion and not merely a transfer of bets from one sport to another.
In an expanding market, the gains in soccer do not require “taking” share from baseball. The betting market can grow by attracting new bettors, younger and mobile-first users, especially those who treat betting as a second screen to live sport.
Soccer betting’s increasing trend in the United States
Soccer has several structural features that suit modern sportsbooks.
- Almost an annual schedule. MLB has a season but soccer is basically year-round. Whether it’s domestic leagues (MLS), European leagues, continental competitions, or international windows, sportsbooks can provide a meaningful match inventory nearly every week of the year.
- Global recognition and streaming access. Fans of the English Premier League can follow the action live on a Saturday morning, tune into MLS that night, and enjoy international matches in between. More often than not, all this action can be accessed on the very same devices used for betting. In recent seasons, MLS itself has registered record engagement signals. For instance, the MLS registered record regular-season attendance in 2024. Those indicators count and matter because more viewership and attendance correlate with more active betting markets. Punters gain more interest in the sport, and newbies can even use a hand from Sportytrader’s soccer betting picks that capture leagues and tournaments from all over the globe.
- Spikes driven by tournaments resulting in an upward reset. Betting on football is the world’s biggest sports periodic catalyst. Major tournaments can turn casual fans into wagering participants, sometimes even for the first time. The main point is not only that there are millions of additional bets during a World Cup or continental championship. It’s that they stick around after it. They start betting on club competitions thereafter. That’s when they’ve understood the common markets like moneyline, draw-no-bet, totals, both-teams-to-score and more.
Is soccer indeed outpacing baseball in betting volume?
The correct answer is “it depends on the measure and the market.” Nationally it is not clearly proven.
The sheer volume of bettable events that baseball’s 162-game season generates, plus the daily slates, makes for a significant “inventory advantage.” Soccer events may deliver a higher intensity in a single event, yet baseball can remain strong in aggregate due to its many events.
Baseball has increasingly become a durable product, according to public data. In places where betting results and result breakdowns are disclosed, baseball is usually a high-end category. This doesn’t ensure that soccer can’t surpass baseball, somewhere or on a given weekend. However, it shows why broad claims that “soccer has passed baseball” are difficult to back without consistent operator-by-operator national reporting.
Soccer may dominate some engagement behaviors. Soccer is heavily oriented towards in-play betting, parlay products within the global match schedule and spikes for live event betting. High bet counts, numerous app openings, and impressive retention can be translated into these behaviours, sometimes outperforming what baseball sees in younger generations, although total dollars wagered may remain above MLB levels.
Baseball may be affected by integrity and regulation more than soccer
Another overlooked dynamic is how regulators and leagues treat bet types. Baseball has recently come under increased scrutiny regarding certain micro markets like granular props. If regulators limit bet menus for baseball more so than they do for soccer, it could marginally curb future handle trajectories by limiting the number of events you can wager on, in turn cutting the frequency of bets.
What to watch in 2026 and beyond
North America will host the 2026 World Cup and sportsbooks, broadcasters, and sponsors are expected to ramp up soccer-facing promotional and programming efforts in relation to the industry.
If this moment gives rise to a second big “step change” in US soccer fandom and betting participation, there is a plausible case to be made that soccer might overtake baseball in selected states, at selected operators, or on specific engagement measures, even if baseball remains competitive nationally on total handle.
