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Executive Summary :
Optimove Insights’ 2026 LATAM World Cup Betting Intentions Report shows that Latin American bettors are entering the tournament as a highly committed, high-intent, and mobile-first audience. They are confident, deeply engaged with the sport year-round, and arrive at the tournament with high intent to wager.
Nearly nine out of ten LATAM bettors plan to wager in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Three out of four have bet on previous World Cups, but the region also holds a meaningful first-timer segment driven by the rise of legal sports betting in the past 18 months. Year-round soccer betting is the baseline, and the most common bettor in this market wagers several times per week. Confidence is high, with 94% rating themselves as moderately or very confident going into the tournament.
Even though there is strong national-teams betting preference, nearly eight in ten bettors will continue wagering after their team is eliminated. This is a market that combines high allegiance with resilient engagement.
Live betting is meaningful but not dominant. A third of LATAM bettors prefer live betting as their primary mode, while more than four in ten are split between pre-match and live betting. Multi-bet behavior is strong: forty-four percent (44%) plan multiple bets per match.
On communications, this is a mobile-first audience. App push notifications are preferred by 38%, nearly three times the share who prefer email. In-app messages, social, and email together still trail push as the dominant channel.
Offers and relevance are nearly tied as the most important factor in opening a message, with promotions a slight lead and personalization close behind.
After the tournament, the engagement does not slow down. Copa Libertadores leads as the post-tournament destination, followed by the UEFA Champions League. More than half of LATAM bettors already bet on soccer year-round regardless of the World Cup, and more than 20% expect the tournament to increase their ongoing interest.
The operators who win this World Cup in LATAM will be the ones who can match the intensity of the audience with equivalent precision in their communications. The combination of high intent, mobile-first behavior, multi-bet engagement, and resilient post-elimination loyalty creates one of the most valuable concentrated revenue moments in global sports betting. Positionless Marketing gives marketers the speed, data access, and execution power to act on that intent in the moments when it matters most.
Methodology :
Optimove Insights surveyed 882 World Cup bettors in early 2026. The analysis in this report focuses on the LATAM cut, comprised 264 bettors, approximately one-third of respondents.
Eighty-six percent (86%) of LATAM bettors say they plan to bet on the 2026 World Cup. Of those who plan to bet, seventy-five percent (75%) have bet on a previous World Cup, including 20% who bet on both 2018 and 2022. A meaningful 25% will be betting on the World Cup for the first time.
Year-round soccer betting is the norm: thirty-five percent (35%) bet on soccer several times per week, twenty-six percent (26%) bet weekly, and another 10% bet one to three times per month. Only 7% did not bet on soccer at all in the past 12 months.
Past competition experience extends well beyond the World Cup: sixty-one percent (61%) have bet on Copa Libertadores, forty five percent (45%) on UEFA Champions League, and 32% on the English Premier League. This is a regional and international soccer betting audience, not a tournament-only one.
Confidence is the high as 60% rate themselves as very confident in their betting knowledge, and another 34% as moderately confident, totaling 94% combined confidence. On enjoyment, fifty-two percent (52%) say betting will significantly enhance their tournament experience, and another 39% say it will enhance enjoyment to some extent, totaling 91% combined.
The LATAM World Cup bettor in 2026 is a highly engaged audience. Nearly nine in ten plan to bet. Three in five are very confident. As noted above, six in ten have already bet on Copa Libertadores. This is not a market discovering sports betting through the World Cup. It is a market arriving at the tournament with depth, confidence, and an established practice.
The first-timer segment is worth flagging. At 25%, it reflects the rapid expansion of legal sports betting in the region. These bettors are not soccer novices. Many already bet on European and South American club competitions. But the World Cup will be their first regulated tournament wagering experience. They are arriving fluent in soccer and ready to play.
Confidence at 94% combined changes the communications imperative. This audience does not need education. They need sharper odds, faster execution, deeper market access, and communications that respect their existing knowledge. Talking down to this audience is the single fastest way to lose them.
Operators should treat the LATAM World Cup audience as two simultaneous opportunities: a deep, established base of confident year-round bettors, and a substantial first-timer segment. These require different programs running in parallel: 1) retention and depth for the established base, and 2) acquisition and onboarding for the first-timers. Treating them with the same communication will underperform on both.
For the established base, the priority is real-time visibility into bettor behavior and the operational speed to deliver relevant communications at the moments when bettors are most engaged. For first-time bettors, the priority is fast, frictionless onboarding that respects their soccer knowledge while introducing an operator’s specific product offering.
Positionless Marketing enables marketers to run both programs without forcing a choice between them, moving directly from behavioral data to audience definition to campaign execution for each segment in parallel.
Ninety percent (90%) of LATAM bettors say they support a favorite national team during the World Cup. Forty-one percent (41%) describe their loyalty as exclusively strong, while 49% say they have a favorite team but also follow other teams closely. Only 8% engage with the tournament as a whole rather than around any single team.
When their national team plays, half (50%) say they will bet with 100% certainty, and another 37% are very likely to bet, for 87% combined. Interest in non-team matches is also strong: forty-four percent (44%) are very likely to bet on matches not involving their favorite team, and another 41% are moderately likely, totaling 85% combined.
Retention is strong, as 53% say they will definitely continue betting on remaining games after their team is eliminated, and another 25% will continue, but will bet less frequently. Only 4% say they will stop betting entirely.
What keeps them engaged after elimination is following a star player (52%) they admire (Mbappé, Vini Jr., Bellingham named in the question), and 47% say they will bet on the eventual projected tournament winner, plus 30% will engage with compelling group-stage or knockout storylines, twenty-four percent (24%) will support an underdog, and 22% will bet on the team that knocked their team out.
LATAM bettors are deeply invested in their home team’s success, and they remain engaged even when their favorite is eliminated from the tournament. Operators planning their retention strategy around a team-favorite loyalty assumption will underestimate this audience.
In LATAM, our data shows that two-thirds of bettors predict their home team will win, which is operationally important. If the home team progresses deep into the tournament, the audience’s emotional engagement compounds and revenue can accelerate. If the home team is eliminated, the retention data shows that even in that scenario, four in five bettors stay engaged. This is a market where the downside is small.
Star players carry weight in LATAM as 52% will follow a star player after elimination, ahead of eventual-winner predictions at 47%. This reflects a regional soccer culture where individual players and teams, both home-grown and from Europe, are what the bettors follow year-round. These two issues are major engagement drivers.
Underdog storylines and revenge matches are less popular.
Tournament communications should be built around the full arc of each bettor’s experience, with two specific design choices for the LATAM audience. First, communications should anticipate the home team’s progression as a key emotional anchor for bettors to the tournament, as well as surfacing player-specific narratives.
Second, communications should begin developing alternative engagement paths from the start of the tournament, so when elimination comes, the bettor already has a star player or eventual-winner narrative they have been following.
When elimination comes, the highest-performing retention narratives are star players and eventual-winner predictions. Underdog stories and revenge matches are second-order. This is the kind of orchestration Positionless Marketing is built for. It identifies the bettor’s emotional state and engagement breadth in real time, recognizing the elimination moment as a transition rather than an ending. Plus, Positionless Marketing has the power and sophistication to trigger personalized re-engagement with the right narrative for that specific bettor.
Seventy-seven (77%) of LATAM bettors plan to engage with live or in-play betting during the World Cup. Thirty-three percent (33%) say live betting is their preference. Forty-four percent (44%) will do both pre-match and live, and 16% prefer pre-match only.
Betting frequency is high as 27% plan to bet on every match day, twenty-eight percent (28%) several times per week, and 18% once per week. In total, almost three-quarters (73%) combined plan to bet weekly or more.
Multi-bet behavior is dominant as 44% will place multiple bets per match, thirty percent (30%) prefer single bets, and 26% have no fixed preference. The most common bet types are match results (71%), Total Goals Over/Under (35%), correct score (31%), Both Teams to Score (31%), and traditional accumulators (27%).
The LATAM World Cup bettor in 2026 is prefers in-play betting, with 33% who prefer live as their primary mode. The 44% who blend pre-match and live reflects a sophisticated audience that uses both surfaces strategically. Pre-match is not dead in this market, but it is not the dominant mode either.
The multi-bet behavior pattern is operationally important. 44% planning multiple bets per match means the operator has multiple opportunities to engage each bettor per match: pre-match positioning, live triggers, mid-match adjustments, and post-event reconciliation. This is a market where in-match marketing earns its place.
These are not casual bettors; they are committed and frequent.
In-match marketing in LATAM has a real opportunity but requires discipline. Real-time triggers tied to match events such as a goal scored in a match the bettor staked, a red card that changes the over/under outlook, or an injury that opens a player-prop market, can drive engagement. But the threshold for what justifies a notification is high. Multi-bet bettors are sophisticated, and over-pushing low-quality offers will fatigue them quickly.
The sophisticated bettor will engage with deeper market access, sharper odds, and more complex bet types. They will respond poorly to communications that read as broad-blast promotional messaging.
Positionless Marketing makes this kind of value-tier segmentation operationally feasible: marketers can identify the high-value segment in real time, design and deliver communications specifically for them, and adjust those communications as the segment’s behavior evolves through the tournament.
LATAM bettors are nearly evenly split on what makes them open a sportsbook communication. Thirty-five percent (35%) say special offers and enhanced odds are the most important factor, thirty-three percent (33%) say relevancy (an offer or tip related to their team or players they follow), nineteen percent (19%) say live match updates and in-play opportunities, and 8% say tournament news and expert analysis.
Fifty-nine percent (59%) prefer communications the day before a match, forty-six percent (46%) the morning of a match, twenty-three percent (23%) during the match itself, and 15% are happy to receive them on any day of the week.
Fifty-six percent (56%) feel their preferred site already personalizes World Cup communications well, thirty-seven percent (37%) feel it is somewhat personalized, and only 4% feel it is generic.
Forty-seven percent of bettors (47%) want more suggestions for games not involving their team, while 41% feel they are already receiving the right amount.
Thirty-eight percent (38%) prefer mobile app push notifications, twenty-two percent (22%) prefer in-app messages while using the platform, eighteen percent (18%) prefer social media, fourteen percent (14%) prefer email, and 5% prefer SMS.
The mobile app is the overwhelming primary betting interface with 60% will primarily place their bets through a mobile app, thirty-one percent (31%) through an online sportsbook, another 5% in person, and 4% through other channels.
The LATAM communications profile is primarily mobile-first. Mobile push, at 38%, outweighs email, at 14%, by nearly three to one. In-app messages add another 22% to the mobile-channel total. Together, push and in-app messaging represent 60% of channel preference. Programs built primarily around email schedules will systematically underperform here.
The near tie between offers and relevance is meaningful. In LATAM, the two are within two points of each other (35% offers, 33% relevance). This means LATAM bettors are responsive to both: promotions get them to open, but personalization performs nearly as well. Programs that lead with offers and reinforce with personalization will outperform programs that lead with only one.
The high personalization satisfaction (56% feel their site personalizes well) is both an opportunity and a risk. The opportunity is that this audience is responsive to personalization done well, with a high baseline expectation. The risk is that the bar for differentiation is high; operators cannot simply add personalization to compete. They must do it better than the audience is already experiencing.
Operators should weigh their LATAM communication mix heavily toward push and in-app channels, with email and SMS as secondary supporting layers rather than primary outreach. The investment required for push-led marketing, targeting precision, creative timing, and frequency discipline, is meaningful. It cannot be extrapolated from email-led programs without significant rework. Operators who treat push as an extension of their email program will fatigue this audience quickly.
On content, the practical play is to lead with strong offers reinforced by genuine personalization. With the bar for personalization already high, operators need to deliver communications that reflect a real understanding of each bettor’s preferences, history, and behavior. Generic personalization with the customer’s name inserted will fall flat.
Positionless Marketing gives marketers the speed and ownership to build this kind of layered communication in a single workflow, identifying the right segment, choosing the right channel, dropping the right offer, and timing it to the rhythm of the tournament.
Ninety-one percent (91%) of LATAM bettors plan to continue betting on soccer after the tournament ends. More than half (52%) bet on soccer year-round, twenty-one percent (21%) expect the tournament to increase their ongoing interest, and 18% will continue if they are engaged enough during the tournament itself.
Post-tournament betting interests are 72% who will bet on Copa Libertadores, sixty-two percent (62%) on the UEFA Champions League, thirty-four percent (34%) on the English Premier League, and 33% on La Liga. Cross-sport betting interest is moderate with 21% who will bet on basketball, and 13% on the NFL.
Sixty-five percent (65%) of LATAM bettors plan to use two or more sportsbooks during the tournament, with 41% using two and 24% using three or more. Site selection criteria are 59% for ease of use, followed by 52% for promotions and welcome offers, and 46% say a trusted, familiar platform. Further, thirty-three percent (33%) said a variety of markets, while 30% noted live betting features, and 27% cited best odds.
Thirty percent 30% have already placed a 2026 World Cup bet (e.g., pre-tournament winner prediction), and 45% have not, but plan to before the tournament starts, while 25% will only bet once the tournament begins.
The LATAM World Cup is not a customer acquisition window; it is a retention opportunity. More than 90% plan to continue betting after the tournament, which confirms that this is an established, mature market. The World Cup serves as a concentrated peak rather than a gateway. Operators competing for this audience are competing for share of a continuing relationship, not for the relationship itself.
Copa Libertadores at 72% as the top post-tournament destination is the strongest single regional indicator in this report. It establishes that LATAM bettors are first and foremost regional soccer bettors, with European club competitions (Champions League at 62%) and individual European leagues (Premier League at 34%, La Liga at 33%) as substantial but secondary destinations. Operators planning post-tournament programs around European leagues alone will miss the dominant continuation behavior.
The 30% who have already placed a 2026 World Cup bet, combined with another 45% planning to before the tournament starts, means three-quarters of the audience will be market for pre-tournament betting before kickoff. It represents a meaningful early revenue opportunity for operators who can identify and engage this segment ahead of the opening match.
The 65% multi-site behavior is operationally significant. With 41% using two sportsbooks and 24% using three or more, this is a market where bettors actively comparison-shop. Trusted platforms, at 46%, as a site selection driver indicates that while bettors will use multiple sites, the primary relationship still anchors with familiar, established operators. Trust is a defensible position; promotions alone will not move primary relationships.
Operators should design the LATAM World Cup customer journey for both pre-tournament engagement and post-tournament continuity. The tournament itself is the high-intensity middle phase. That means pre-tournament programs targeting the 75% who will bet before kickoff, in-tournament programs designed for high-frequency multi-bet engagement, and post-tournament tracks that begin during the tournament and transition seamlessly into Copa Libertadores, Champions League, and domestic leagues.
Multi-site behavior at 65% means operators are competing for share, not exclusivity. The relationship to defend is the primary one... the site the bettor opens first, deposits to most often, and trusts most. Welcome promotions will not win that primary relationship; ease of use, trust, and consistent quality of experience will.
Positionless Marketing supports this kind of relationship-first thinking by giving marketers a unified, real-time view of each bettor and the speed to act on it across the full tournament arc and beyond.
The 2026 World Cup is one of the most valuable concentrated revenue moments in global sports betting for LATAM operators. The audience is the highest-intent, most confident, most mobile-first, and most multi-bet market in our cross-market data. National team loyalty is intense, retention after elimination is high, and the post-tournament continuation is broad and immediate.
The operators who win this World Cup in LATAM will not be the ones with the loudest welcome offers. They will be the ones who can match the intensity of the audience with equivalent precision in their communications. They must be identifying intent in real time, deepening primary-site relationships during a peak engagement window, communicating through the channels bettors actually prefer, and transitioning bettors from World Cup engagement into Copa Libertadores and beyond without missing the handoff.
Positionless Marketers can deliver that. A Positionless Marketer can move directly from behavioral data to audience selection to campaign execution, meeting each bettor at the right moment, with the right message, through the right channel. In a tournament where the moments matter most, the difference between winning and losing is the speed at which a marketer can act.
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Optimove Insights is the analytical and research arm of Optimove, dedicated to providing valuable industry insights and data-driven research to empower B2C businesses.
