Portugal leads all markets in domestic support for its national team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with 57% of outright betting slips placed in the country backing Portugal, according to data published by Entain.
The Ladbrokes and Coral owner released figures from its Patriotic Punter Index, which tracks how frequently bettors in individual countries back their own national teams in the outright winner market ahead of the expanded tournament.
England placed mid-table in the patriotism ranking, with 20% of outright slips placed there backing the Three Lions despite England entering the tournament as one of the leading contenders. France ranked second overall on 29%, followed by Austria on 25%, Germany on 24%, Colombia on 23%, and Brazil on 21%. Spain recorded 16%, placing below England on the domestic backing measure.
Spain the most popular global selection
Across Entain’s international markets combined, Spain emerged as the most bet-on outright selection, accounting for 17% of all wagers. France followed with 15%, while England and Portugal each attracted 11% of global outright stakes. Brazil took 9%, with Argentina and Germany each on 7%.
The divergence between domestic support and global popularity is clearest in the case of Spain. Spanish bettors themselves are among the least likely to back their own team — 16% domestically — yet Spain draws the largest share of international money across Entain’s book.
Scotland data reflects 66-year wait
Scotland returns to the World Cup for the first time since 1998, and Entain’s data reflects the weight of that gap. Only 9% of outright bets placed in Scotland backed the Tartan Army to win the tournament, with Scotland available at 300/1. Cross-border backing was limited in both directions: 8% of Scottish bettors backed England, while only 1% of English bettors backed Scotland.
The Patriotic Punter Index shows that football loyalty and betting logic don’t always go hand in hand. Portugal clearly stands out as the most patriotic market, with fans firmly backing their team, while countries like France and Germany also show strong belief.
Tom Ritzema, Group Trading Director, Entain
Operator significance of major tournaments
The data underlines the commercial relevance of the FIFA World Cup for regulated sportsbook operators. The 2026 edition is the first under an expanded 48-team format, staged across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 19 July. The larger field increases the number of matches from 64 to 104, extending the betting calendar and the volume of markets operators can offer across the group stage and knockout rounds.
For European operators specifically, major international football tournaments are among the highest-volume betting events of any calendar year. They arrive at a time when the sector is absorbing significant cost pressures: UK online casino duty rises to 40% and sports betting to 25% under changes confirmed last year, squeezing margins on precisely the high-turnover events that tournaments generate.
Entain has also maintained a public stance on unlicensed operator activity in English football. In a recent open letter to six Premier League clubs, Group General Counsel and Chief Customer Care Officer Simon Zinger called on clubs to end commercial relationships with unlicensed gambling operators, arguing such arrangements channel activity toward unregulated markets.
The Patriotic Punter Index data is drawn from Entain’s own customer activity ahead of the tournament. The 2026 World Cup kicks off on 11 June, with group-stage fixtures spread across multiple venues in all three host nations. Entain has not disclosed the total volume of outright bets underpinning the index figures. For the UK market, the tournament will test how recently introduced UKGC deposit limit rules interact with the elevated staking activity that World Cup periods typically generate.
Source: Entain
