The United States men’s national team’s World Cup meeting with Belgium ended in elimination, but the match produced record-breaking results for sportsbooks across the regulated U.S. betting market. Multiple operators reported unprecedented wagering interest as American fans flocked to place bets on one of the tournament’s most anticipated knockout-stage contests.
The surge in betting activity reflected broader interest in the USMNT’s World Cup campaign. A strong start to the tournament, including a convincing victory over Paraguay and a subsequent win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, helped attract casual sports fans who may not traditionally follow international soccer. By the time the United States faced Belgium, sportsbooks were seeing engagement levels rarely associated with the sport in the American market.
Caesars Sportsbook said the match established a new company record for unique customers wagering on a soccer event. According to the operator, the previous record had been set only a day earlier during another World Cup fixture, underscoring the tournament’s growing popularity among bettors.
Customer sentiment heavily favored the United States. Caesars reported that 81% of the money wagered on the “to qualify” market backed the USMNT to advance, while 78% of match-betting handle supported the Americans. Forward Folarin Balogun was also among the most popular player-related selections, appearing frequently in both straight wagers and same-game parlays.
While many bettors were disappointed by the result, some markets still produced winning outcomes. Caesars noted that an overwhelming majority of betting handle on the “both teams to score” market backed “yes,” a wager that cashed early in the match. The sportsbook also reported notable payouts for customers who correctly backed Belgium to advance.
BetMGM reported similar results, describing USA-Belgium as the most-bet soccer match in company history based on ticket count. The operator said the game generated more bets than any NBA playoff game, NHL playoff game, NCAA Tournament matchup, or 2025 MLB postseason contest tracked during the comparison period.
The data suggests the World Cup was able to compete with, and in some cases surpass, wagering interest traditionally reserved for major American sporting events. Soccer has historically trailed sports such as football, basketball, and baseball in betting volume, making the scale of activity surrounding USA-Belgium particularly noteworthy.
Industry observers have often pointed to major international tournaments as opportunities for sports betting operators to introduce new customers to soccer wagering. The record-setting numbers reported by Caesars and BetMGM indicate that many fans embraced that opportunity during the USMNT’s tournament run.
The betting figures were accompanied by extraordinary television viewership. Fox attracted approximately 30 million viewers for the match, while Telemundo added another 12 million, bringing the combined audience to roughly 42 million viewers.
According to figures cited by sportsbook officials, that audience exceeded viewership totals for any college football, NBA, MLB, or NHL game this century. Only NFL broadcasts have consistently drawn larger audiences during the same period.
The combination of record wagering activity and massive television audiences highlights the extent to which the USMNT’s World Cup run captured public attention. Although the tournament ended with a loss to Belgium, the event demonstrated soccer’s ability to generate significant engagement from both sports fans and sports bettors across the United States.
