Big names, big matches and big bets: Flutter’s 2026 World Cup wrapped

An epic World Cup has drawn to a close, after more matches than ever before. We look at the breakout teams and the star players that Flutter’s customers bet on.

After 104 matches across 16 cities over 39 days, the biggest-ever FIFA World Cup ended with a bang. Billed as a showdown between Argentina's 39-year-old Lionel Messi, playing in his final tournament, and 19-year-old Spaniard Lamine Yamal, in his first, the final was a triumph of youth over experience, with Spain winning 1-0 after extra time.

Yamal had the most shots on goal, but it was his defensive teammate Pau Cubarsí who dominated the final with more touches and more successful passes than any other player on the pitch. The pair became just the fourth and fifth teenagers to start a World Cup final, with Cubarsí winning the FIFA Young Player Award for the tournament.

For Flutter's global brands, who had been preparing for the tournament for over a year, the 2026 World Cup was record-breaking. There were an estimated 180 million bets made during the tournament, with the final being both the top game by staking and the top for revenue, with 350,000 bets made outright on the winner, Spain. Here are just some of the reasons why this has been a tournament to remember.

Cape Verde lead the underdogs

With 48 teams this year, up from 32 at the 2022 World Cup, there were pre-kick-off concerns that FIFA had weakened the tournament, but many underdogs shone. Australia beat a fancied Turkish side 2-0, New Zealand, the competition's lowest-ranked side, battled back twice to draw 2-2 with Iran, and even Scotland grabbed a win, over Haiti, in their first finals appearance this century.

But it was Cape Verde, ranked 67th in the world ahead of the tournament, who captured the imagination. They drew with Saudi Arabia, Uruguay and eventual finalists Spain, exiting Group H unbeaten. In the knockout round they took the other finalists, Argentina, to extra time before losing 3-2. Defender Pico Lopes became a cult hero, particularly in Ireland, where he plays, and was backed so enthusiastically that he created a liability for Paddy Power worth tens of millions.

All three host nations progressed beyond the group stage, with fans in Mexico, Canada and the U.S. driving intense match atmospheres. And both Argentina and England featured in two of the tournament's top three games by staking. The final was the top, the semi-final meeting between the two was second and Norway versus England was third.

Veteran stars and new names

As Messi prepared for the final and France's Kylian Mbappé got ready to face England in the third-place playoff, the two players were tied for the Golden Boot with eight goals each. But it was the Frenchman who sealed the trophy by thumping in two goals as part of an eventual 6-4 defeat for his country.

The stars of the next World Cup are likely to be those who emerged this year. Yamal leads that group, but this was also a coming-out tournament for Johan Manzambi, the 20-year-old who scored three goals in four games for Switzerland, and Norway's 22-year-old Andreas Schjelderup, whose six matches brought a goal and three assists.

Player props, bets on the performance of individuals, are a growing trend in football and this World Cup saw the Golden Boot contenders dominate. Messi was the most popular player for prop bets across Flutter brands, followed by Mbappé and then Kane.

Record-setting performances

Despite ultimate disappointment for Argentina, this was Messi's tournament and, given his experience and talent, it's unsurprising that he set new records in 2026. He finishes having played more World Cup matches (34) than any other player, and broke Ronaldo's record as the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick.

But he was far from the only player to set records. Ronaldo became the first player to score in six consecutive World Cups, and Spain's goalkeeper finally saw his record run of World Cup games without conceding a goal ended at 650 minutes by Belgium's Charles De Ketelaere. Kane became England's leading World Cup scorer, overtaking Gary Lineker, and Mbappé became the Frenchman with the most World Cup matches (21), surpassing Hugo Lloris. One random stat: the 2026 final was the first since 1978 not to feature a Bayern Munich player.

Bigger and better?

With 48 teams, this World Cup was always going to deliver more goals and more storylines than any before. And growing rumors suggest that the 2030 tournament, to be hosted in Morocco, Portugal and Spain, with early matches in South America, could be expanded yet again to 64 teams. If so, there will be even more chances for the underdogs to win hearts and for the big stars to break records. And, of course, for Flutter's customers to bet on it all.