USA-Belgium Sets Sportsbook Betting Records as DraftKings Bettors Back Norway to Upset England in World Cup Quarterfinals
Caesars and BetMGM reported record betting activity for USA-Belgium, while DraftKings bettors are backing Norway as the lone underdog pick heading into the quarterfinals.
The U.S. men’s national team’s Round of 16 loss to Belgium may have ended in defeat, but it was an overwhelming success for American sportsbooks. Caesars and BetMGM both reported unprecedented betting activity for the match, while attention now turns to Norway as the only underdog capturing bettors’ interest heading into the quarterfinals.
World Cup fever has gripped American bettors in a way it hadn’t before, and the numbers back it up across multiple operators and platforms.
Record Betting and Record Viewership for USA-Belgium
Caesars Sportsbook set a new company record for unique customers wagering on a soccer event with the USA-Belgium match, surpassing a mark set just a day earlier during England-Mexico. Eighty-one percent of Caesars’ handle backed the U.S. to advance in the “To Qualify” market, and 78% backed the USMNT in the match-betting market. One Caesars North Carolina bettor won $105,000 from a $52,000 wager at +102 odds on Belgium to qualify, while a William Hill Nevada customer won $20,200 on a $10,000 version of the same bet.
BetMGM said the match produced more tickets than any soccer event in company history, with more bets placed on USA-Belgium than any 2026 NBA playoff game, NHL playoff game, NCAA Tournament game, or any 2026 College Football Playoff game except the Indiana-Miami national championship. Television numbers matched the betting surge: Fox drew 30 million viewers and Telemundo added 12 million, for a combined 42 million — more than any non-NFL sports event televised this century.
Norway-England Looms as the Quarterfinals’ Best Upset Bet
Looking ahead, DraftKings Network reported that bettors expect the quarterfinals to be largely chalk, with 85% of bets and 87% of handle on France over Morocco, and 81% of bets and 91% of handle on Spain over Belgium. Argentina’s clash with Switzerland drew the most lopsided support of all, with 94% of bets and more than 99% of the handle on Messi’s squad.
The exception is Norway’s meeting with England, where DraftKings odds list the Norwegians as +180 underdogs. Bettors split their tickets evenly between the two teams, but 81% of the handle backed the underdog Norwegians. Erling Haaland has been central to Norway’s surprising run, sitting tied for second in the Golden Boot race with seven goals in four matches and carrying +700 odds to win the award outright, along with +100 odds to score against England on Saturday. Norway, appearing in just its fourth World Cup and first since 1998, has already made history by reaching the quarterfinals for the first time — and sportsbooks are bracing for the possibility of another record-setting betting day if the Norwegians pull off the upset.