Playbook Fusion has launched Playbook Football™ World Cup with bet365, timed to the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup later this month. The release extends an existing partnership under which the original Playbook Football™ title has ranked among bet365’s top-performing titles since going live across the UK, Brazil and the Netherlands earlier this year.
The game is a collectible squad-building product structured around the tournament. Players assemble international squads and complete daily and weekly challenges to earn rewards and International Player Cards, which can also be purchased and unlocked through pack drops. Daily campaigns and content updates are scheduled throughout the competition.
The format is designed to drive daily return visits for the duration of the tournament, distinct from standard free-to-play predictors or virtual sports products. The squad-building mechanic sits alongside bet365’s sportsbook rather than competing with it, adding a progression layer that traditional match-betting products do not offer.
Brazil version and market context
In Brazil, the product launches in a fully rebranded, market-exclusive configuration under the name Seleção365, due to go live shortly after the global release. The bespoke branding reflects bet365’s sustained investment in the Brazilian market, where the operator has been active since the country’s regulated framework came into force.
Brazil’s regulated betting market reported $7bn in GGR and 25 million active bettors in its first year of operation. Operator product differentiation — particularly around major football events — has become a key competitive factor in the market. For context on the market’s trajectory, see Top 10 Brazil casino operators.
Playbook Fusion, founded in 2024, operates at the intersection of sports betting and video game design. Its content is live with tier-one operators in the UK, Brazil and Nigeria.
Quotes
“It’s an exciting milestone to have Playbook Football™ World Cup live as we look forward to the start of the greatest football tournament in the world later this month. Playbook Football™ has already proven its appeal with bet365’s global audience, and we are confident that this new release will tap into the anticipation and energy surrounding this summer’s competition to deliver an unmissable player experience.
“We’re thrilled to be evolving our partnership with bet365 to bring Playbook Football™ World Cup to an international audience and look forward to working with their team on future seasonal events and promotions.”
Steve Rogers, Founder and CEO, Playbook Fusion
“Playbook Football™ World Cup is a strong addition to our gaming portfolio, giving customers a more interactive and progressive way to engage with football during the tournament.
“The product has been well received by our customers across multiple markets and reflects a growing appetite for experiences that go beyond traditional formats. We’re looking forward to seeing how Playbook Fusion continues to evolve the experience with new and engaging features in the future.”
Paul Cumbo, Head of Gaming, UK and Europe, bet365
bet365’s broader expansion push
The launch arrives during a significant expansion period for bet365. The operator entered the French market last week under an ANJ licence, its first entry into France in over a decade, positioned to capture World Cup volume from the tournament’s opening days.
In North America, bet365 joined Alberta’s regulated iGaming registry ahead of the province’s 13 July market launch, adding a second Canadian province after Ontario. It also launched its sportsbook and casino in Michigan in April — its 17th US jurisdiction. The operator simultaneously ended credit card deposits across all US markets from 13 April, moving customers to debit card or Apple Pay.
For suppliers, securing placement inside a global operator’s portfolio ahead of a World Cup represents one of the highest-value positions available. The Playbook Fusion deal gives the studio simultaneous reach across multiple regulated markets — UK, Brazil, and the Netherlands — at a point when operator attention on football engagement products is at its peak. The Entain–Pragmatic Play deal earlier this year, which brought Big Bass Series content to Ladbrokes and Coral retail ahead of a major football calendar, signals the same broader trend: suppliers timing product rollouts to tournament windows to maximise operator uptake. See: Entain signs landmark deal with Pragmatic Play for Ladbrokes and Coral retail.
The next test for the partnership is whether the Seleção365 configuration in Brazil, the world’s most football-obsessed regulated market, converts the localised branding into measurably stronger engagement metrics than the global version.
Source: Playbook Fusion
