Official figures show that nearly 3.6 billion people tuned in to watch the FIFA World Cup in Russia. This makes the 2018 soccer tournament one of the three most viewed sporting events in the history of mankind. These tournaments happen every four years, but even though the next soccer World Cup is still far ahead, you can bet on it straight away. How? By placing some soccer outright bets!
Also known as futures, future bets, or ante-post wagers, outrights let you put your money on an outcome that’s happening in a relatively distant future. What this means is that even if the World Cup is years away, you still have an opportunity to bet on it.
Of course, the World Cup is not the only event you can place your soccer futures on. You can bet on practically any soccer competition in the world.
Soccer Future Bets Explained
How soccer outrights basically work is that you bet that a certain team is going to win a certain competition. This can be a tournament like the World Cup, but also a league like the Serie A, Premier League, or La Liga.
Apart from betting on the competition winner, you can also bet on the players. For example, you can bet on the top scorer of the competition.
Of course, all this is true only if your sportsbook has soccer outright bets in its offer. If not, you can either wait or try to pitch them your betting idea.
How to Propose a Soccer Outright Bet?
There are some online sportsbooks out there that listen to their customers. With such a sportsbook, you get a chance to make interesting prop bets. If you come to them with a betting proposition, they might decide to listen to it and come back with the odds.
Apart from proposition bets, these sorts of sportsbooks might also be interested in some outright bets. So, if you have a soccer future bet in mind, there are probably some sportsbooks out there that would be interested in it.
Examples of Soccer Outright Bets
You can separate all soccer outrights into several categories. The main one focuses on the team that is going to win a certain competition. Even though the competition-winner is the most popular soccer outrights, other types also deserve your attention.
Soccer Competition Winner
Here are some examples of soccer futures that you can bet on months or even years in advance:
- England to win the 2022 World Cup
- France to win the 2021 Euros
- Liverpool to win the 2020-21 Premier League
- Manchester City to win the 2021 Champions League
- Argentina to win the 2021 Copa Libertadores
Team Performances
This category focuses on how a specific team is going to perform in a specific competition:
- Manchester City to score 100+ goals in the Premier League
- Liverpool to score the most goals in the Champions League
- Australia to Concede the most goals at the 2021 Olympics
- Bayern Munich to allow the least number of goals in the Bundesliga
- Newcastle to sack the manager by the end of the season
Player Performances
Another popular type of soccer prop bet is the one that focuses on the players:
- Lionel Messi to be Barcelona’s top scorer in the Champions League
- Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Capocannoniere (top scorer) award in the Serie A
- Harry Kane to be the top scorer at the 2021 UEFA Euros
- Kasper Schmeichel to keep the most clean sheets in the Premier League
- Carlos Vela to win the MVP award in the MLS
Exotic Soccer Outrights
There are some soccer outright bets that are, by nature, very similar to soccer props. For example:
- Lionel Messi to sign for an MLS club after leaving Barcelona
- Cristiano Ronaldo not to retire before the age of 40
- Neymar to delete his Instagram account
- Zlatan Ibrahimović to sign a contract with WWE
- A streaker to run onto the pitch in a Champions League game
Frequently Asked Questions About Soccer Outright Bets
Can you bet on which manager is going to get sacked first?
Yes, you can. In fact, this is one of the most popular soccer outright bets, offered by a large number of sportsbooks. How it works is that you bet on a manager to win the sack race. If he does, you win. If someone gets fired before him, you lose. You also lose if the manager stays in his role after the season finishes.
Why do odds on soccer ante-post bets change as time goes by?
The reason is that oddsmakers create ante-post odds based on probability. If they think a scenario is likely to happen, they will give very short odds on that outcome. However, if the bettors think differently and start putting their money on some other outcome(s), the sportsbook will have to react and adjust the odds in order to secure its profits. That’s just how betting odds work.
Can you wager the bonus on a soccer outright bet?
It all depends on your sportsbook. Still, generally speaking, bonuses are time-limited. What this means is that you need to wager the bonus and see the outcome of the bet within a certain period. So, unless your outright bet is going to be decided pretty soon, you’re probably not going to be able to use the bonus for it.
Can you cash-out early with your soccer future bet?
If there’s such an option available in your online sportsbook, you should be able to cash-out early. However, depending on when you do it, you might not get all the money. Or, you can get more money than the amount you staked. It all depends on the chances of your outright bet going through.
Why are odds on soccer futures better than regular odds?
Odds on soccer futures are usually much longer than those odds offered just before the event. The reason is that bettors place these sorts of bets when there’s still a lot of uncertainties. Months before the event, you have no idea who’s going to play, how good the players’ form is going to be, etc.