Beginner’s Guide On How To Bet On Football

If you are just starting out in the world of sports betting, learning how to bet on football can be the pathway to a great deal of fun.

Football betting adds to the thrill of watching the sport each week by allowing you to pit your wits against the bookmakers.

With that in mind, read on as we provide you with a handy guide to betting on football, starting with a look at the main markets offered by sportsbooks.

Popular football betting markets

There are loads of different ways you can bet on football. One of the easiest to understand is the match betting market. This has three elements – home win, away win and draw.

Using a Premier League match between Aston Villa and Manchester United as an example, bookmakers give punters three options to choose from:

• Aston Villa to win: 6/5.
• Manchester United to win: 2/1.
• Draw: 11/4.

In this scenario, if you place a £5 bet on Aston Villa and they win the game, the bookie will pay you £11. This equates to £6 profit plus your £5 stake returned. Other popular markets are as follows:

• Over/under: Bet on whether the goals in a match will be over or under a pre-determined total. For instance, if you bet on over 2.5 goals and the final score is 2-1, you win.
• Both teams to score: This is a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ bet which requires you to predict whether both teams will score in a match.
• Correct score: A bet which requires you to predict the final scoreline in a match.

Handicap markets

Handicap markets have become increasingly popular in recent years. They are used by bookies to level the playing field between two clubs.

For instance, if your bet is Villa -1 against United, they need to win by two or more goals for this to deliver a winning return.

However, the odds of 3/1 are more generous than just backing them to win the game, as the ‘one goal start’ makes the task more difficult.

Things become more complicated with Asian handicap betting, as the head starts can be in multiples of one goal, 0.5 goals, 0.75 goals or 0.25 goals.

Player-related markets

Online bookmakers offer an excellent range of player-related markets and these are a great way to enhance your enjoyment of betting on football.

For example, let’s say you fancy Marcus Rashford to get on the scoresheet at Villa Park. He can be backed at 11/4 to score anytime or 17/2 to net the first goal.

Other player-related bets include the number of shots, shots on target, to be carded, tackles, fouls, over/under passes and many more.

League-related markets

Outright league-related markets are another popular way for fans to bet on football.

You can bet on teams to win the league, finish in the top four, qualify for Europe, finish in the top half, finish in the bottom half and more.

Odds on each of these elements are published before the season starts and fluctuate when the action gets underway.

For instance, United were originally priced at 8/13 to finish in the top six in 2024/25 but were pushed out to 7/4 following a poor start to the campaign.

Bet builders

Bet builders are a form of accumulator bet which requires punters to make selections from the same game rather than multiple matches.

They allow you to combine several game-related elements into a multiple wager. If all your selections are successful, your bet is a winner. Here’s an example from the Villa vs United game:

• Both teams to score – yes.
• Over 2.5 goals.
• Rashford to score anytime.
• Over ten corners.
• Villa to win both halves.

The combined odds for the Bet Builder are 90/1, which gives punters an excellent opportunity to secure a sizeable payout from a small stake.

Bookmakers generally have a dedicated Bet Builder menu embedded in each match, which collates all the markets you can incorporate into your bet.

The markets offered differ between betting operators, so spend time testing different platforms to see which one suits your requirements.

Cash-out is generally available on Bet Builders, meaning you can secure a partial payout while the game is in progress rather than waiting for the final whistle.