FIFA is one of the most popular and accessible esports played today. It has grown in a way unlike many other esports, with organisations and professional football clubs creating their own FIFA teams. From Manchester City to UNILAD, FIFA have been doing a lot to make their mark on the esports map.
As such, new betting markets are springing up all the time from both new and established bookies alike. And, with huge tournaments held across the globe all year round, there’s not a better chance to get started on the FIFA esports action.
How FIFA is Played
Gameplay
Players play as one team controlling individual players at a time and, much like regular football, the aim of the game is to score more goals than the opposition.
Success in FIFA is largely defined by an individual’s ability to both attack and defend, as well as their deftness at switching between different players. They can also take advantage of in-game tactics which can be edited as the game progresses making it easier to defend a narrow lead or aggressively chase down the opposition for a winner.
But due to the fact that FIFA is often played between solo players, mastering individual skills and utilising them in 1v1s can really give one player an edge over another. Combine this with some sophisticated tactical nous and you’ve got a real chance of winning more times than not.
FUT
FIFA has several different game modes, but the mode used in competitive esports arenas is FIFA Ultimate Team, or FUT. This game mode allows pros to build their teams from the best footballers in the game, develop chemistry between those players and even design their teams kit and badge. These teams are then taken to major tournaments across the globe to compete for biggest prizes in this rapidly growing esport.
FIFA Tournaments
The FIFA season is made up of a series of tournaments played throughout the year. They can vary in difficulty and stature, with some of the most high-profile competitions offering huge six-figure prizes. Let’s have a look at the key tournaments to look out for.
FUT Champions Verified
This is the tournament that typically kicks off the FIA season. Played over the course of a weekend, the aim is for one player to win 27 consecutive games in order to win a chance to qualify for a place on the Global Series Ranking. The more points you earn throughout the competition, the higher you could then rank, ultimately increasing your chances of being invited to the bigger Global Series events.
FIFA Majors – eNations Cup and eClub World Cup
These competitions are the biggest of the regular season and, therefore, the most popular of all the various FIFA tournaments. The teams of players who contest these competitions range from professional gaming sides, like the current reigning champions Complexity Gaming, to professional football teams who have invested in their own esports sides, like Manchester City.
FIFA eWorld Cup
The regular season culminates each year with what is fast becoming the showpiece event of the game, the FIFA eWorld Cup. The competition is contested by players from across the globe, demonstrating the game’s global reach, offering this year’s winner a prize of $500,000. The global audience for this event has expanded enormously in recent years, with millions streaming last year’s finals on YouTube and Twitch. With this much interest, you can expect to find an enormous range of betting opportunities on offer, which is why FIFA betting is one of the most exciting markets out there at the moment.
The 2018 FIFA eWorld Cup boasted a total prize pool of $400,000, making the highest in FIFA esports history!
FIFA Betting Markets
With a game as popular as FIFA you can expect to find hugely diverse and deep betting markets on offer. In much the same way as you can bet on regular football, the wagering options for FIFA are almost endless. Let’s have a look at the sort of thing you can expect to find.
- Match Winner – This market is exactly what it says on the tin: pick who you think will win the match.
- First Goal – This market involves who you think will score the first goal. It doesn’t necessarily indicate who will go on to win the game because, by its very nature, FIFA is a hugely unpredictable game.
- Group Winner – In order to win the various tournaments that make up the FIFA season, you have to navigate your way through the group stages. This market is all about picking which group you think the tournament winner will come from. Betting on this marker gives you a bit of leeway because you don’t have to pin down one team as the outright winner. But as with all lower risk bets, the odds often won’t be too favourable.
- Tournament Winner – This market is pretty simple: you’ve got to predict who you think will be the outright tournament winner. But, with upsets such a regular feature of even professional FIFA games, this can be one of the hardest to predict. Complicating things even further is the fact that the players will be doing everything they can to get their hands on the enormous prize on offer.
FIFA Betting Tips
Probably the safest bets to place are those that back the bookie’s favourite. Some of the best players in the game, like F2Tekkz, Bruce Grannec and BorasLegend will regularly play in various tournaments all year round so it won’t be hard to have a punt on these players. But as with all other markets, betting on the favourite may be the safest bet but it won’t offer the best odds.
Just like with regular football, checking in on the stats is a great way to make an informed decision. You will be checking the stats of the individual FIFA player instead of a full team, but nonetheless it’s a good way to understand how different players could approach a game.
It is also worth mentioning that, although it is advisable to check player stats, the skill gap in FIFA is notoriously small. This means that there isn’t much difference between competitors. How well a player has been playing previously is often more an indicator of how much momentum they take into a game. But that isn’t to say that form is unimportant – momentum is one of the most important factors a player achieving success in FIFA.
In fact, because a game of FIFA is a contest between solo players rather than two teams, individual skill is as important as tactical nous. A great place to find those players that play with the most skill is by watching player streams on services like Twitch and YouTube.
Finding those players who play with great individual skill is a great way for you to find your own edge over the market.
Bonuses
The best FIFA bookmakers back up the first class gameplay with some truly exceptional bonuses that are both related and unrelated to the esport. Let’s have a look at what you can expect.
Matched Deposit
If you’re new to FIFA betting and a bit unsure about how to get started, then a decent matched deposit is a great way for you to get used to a particular site. As part of a matched deposit, the bookies will match your first deposit up to a certain amount, like matching you 100% up to the value of £100. Matched deposits are often unrelated to esports in general, but can still be of great value. The best offers are those that offer a generous bonus but with minimal wagering requirements, giving you the best value possible. Not all will be like this so it’s best to check each betting site’s terms and conditions before you proceed.
Free Bets
Free bets are a very common bonus offered at esports betting sites that can be claimed by existing customers as well as new ones. Free bets specific to esports are also available, such as Betway’s Esports Club. As part of the offer, Betway offer £10 every week when you bet over £25 on esports multiples – i.e. accumulators – making the esports betting experience that bit better.
Enhanced Odds
For the biggest events, bookmakers can offer enhanced odds promotions. These sorts of offers are usually tied to single games so they can be a great way to find the best odds on an event that is being covered by lots of other bookies but with little to split them in terms of price.
Accumulators
One of the most popular forms of online betting these days is the accumulator and, with so many games available all year round, they’re a huge part of FIFA on betting. They allow you to make several bets using one wager, multiplying the various odds together in the process. As such, the potential winnings increase with the odds meaning that from a potentially small outlay there is the chance to win a huge amount of money.
As with all higher reward bets, however, there comes a higher risk. In order for you to claim your winnings, you will need all of your various bets to win. That’s why the best bookies offer acca insurance, which gives you your initial stake back as a free bet should just one bet let you down.
Live Betting
A great feature of online betting is that you can bet while the event is going on, meaning you’re no longer limited to cramming your bets in before the game kicks off. So if you just forgot to bet before the start of a game, live betting, or in-play betting, means you won’t miss out on the action. It can even improve the odds on a particular bet. If the favourite before a game goes a goal down early on, then the odds of backing them to become far more attractive. But with games of FIFA full of fast paced action, you’d best get your bets in quick!
Cashing Out Options
The cash-out feature is one that has revolutionised online betting in recent years, allowing punters to take a portion of their winnings before an event has finished. It’s great for those who are looking to take home a tidy profit from the game when they aren’t confident their bet will come through by the end, but it is also good for those looking to recoup any funds from a bet that is looking certain to lose.
Mobile Betting
The best bookies will offer fully optimised mobile betting experiences, meaning you no longer have to be chained to your desktop in order to bet. With no additional signup charge, the top bookmakers now offer mobile apps that are available for both iOS and Android operating systems. Some even offer native apps meaning it’s even quicker to place a bet wherever you are in the world.
Some bookies won’t have an app, however, but all of the sites we review here are fully optimised for mobile use, bringing the best odds straight to the palm of your hand.
Payment Options
The best betting sites will have a range of different payment options available to their players. Let’s have a look at what you can expect to find.
Debit Cards
Pretty much every online bookmaker allows punters to use debit cards to make deposits and withdrawals using a debit card. Providers such as Maestro, Visa and Mastercard are widely supported by online FIFA bookies, and with each transaction you make protected by state of the art data encryption software, you can be sure that your data will be safe when playing online. Debit cards are slower than other payment methods like, e-wallets for example, as transactions can take up to 5 working days to be processed.
E-Wallets
E-wallets are incredibly popular amongst online punters, with customers making the most of the fast withdrawal speeds offered by providers such as PayPal, Neteller and Skrill. Withdrawals from your betting account into your e-wallet account can be done in as little as 24 hours, which is far faster when compared to debit cards. But you will need to check the terms and conditions of any bonus you want to sign up to as e-wallets can often be excluded from them.
Bet on FIFA
Now that you’ve got to grips with the basics of FIFA betting, your next step will be to find the betting site that is right for you. Simply check through our list of recommended esports bookies, compare everything from bonuses to withdrawal times to market depth, and then sign up to your favourite!
Sure. The best way to watch FIFA tournaments live is via streaming services like Twitch or YouTube, or through the live streams that the esports betting sites will themselves provide. You will need to have a fully funded account or have placed a bet within the last 24 hours for you access live streams on a betting site, but it’s still a fairly inexpensive way to watch the best FIFA action from around the globe.
Absolutely. All the sites we’ve listed here have at least a fully optimised mobile site for you to use, while the best will offer a native app that gives you the ability to place bets in lightning quick time right from the palm of your hand, meaning it’s never been easier to bet on FIFA wherever you are in the world.
Sadly there is no surefire way for you to win every bet you place. You can certainly use tipsters to give you some indication as to what would be a good bet, but they shouldn’t be seen as failsafe. We recommend doing your own research into individual player form so that you can make the most informed decision for you.
It is possible to place in-play bets on games of FIFA, but not every esports bookie will offer the feature. As such, it’s a good idea to check what features a bookie has before you invest any of your funds with them.
We would never recommend an esports betting site that wasn’t first licensed and regulated by the relevant bodies. Every site listed here holds a gambling licence from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), which ensures that in every transaction you make with them is safe and secure. The details of this licence can usually be found at the footer of each site, or by searching for the licensee on the UKGC website.
