FIFA is one of the oldest and most popular video game franchises in the world. According to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) itself, its players are over 240 million globally.
While FIFA multiplayer is incredibly competitive in nature, its professional focus has made it truly popular over the last few years. FIFA esports is a truly global phenomenon, and over the last few years major football organizations and world-renowned players have become involved through league sponsorships and the creation of their own teams.
As with any growing esport, digital sports betting opportunities have come along with it. As a betting product, FIFA may be small compared to other hits like League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2, but we don't think it's insignificant, as FIFA odds can be found in a number of licensed bookmakers and the number of gambling operators offering cash prizes for gaming is likely to increase over time.
In this guide, we will focus on the FIFA betting market so that you can have the advantage with your first bet.
What is FIFA
FIFA is a football (or soccer, depending on where you are) simulation video game franchise, first launched in 1993. In total, FIFA has had 35 editions of the game since. FIFA was developed by the popular American video game publisher Electronic Arts (EA).
Each year, when the latest FIFA is released, it becomes a major racing title. The latest FIFA game on the market is FIFA 20. This information is important because if you want to bet on FIFA you will want to know which version of the game is the esport standard.
FIFA Esports
All FIFA 20 betting markets will be offered through the game's export leagues. For this reason, you need to know everything important before you start betting.
The FIFA Global Series is the leading competitive league for FIFA. Each year, the FIFA Global Series hosts a series of online qualifiers and tournaments that end with the FIFA eWorld Cup, the most prestigious event in the league. The structured league, combined with mid-season tournaments, has helped make the FIFA Global Series a viable betting product.
While the Global Series has established itself as FIFA top ones, there are a number of other leagues and tournaments throughout the calendar year that offer premier games and betting odds. Many different countries boast their own FIFA competing leagues in striking resemblance to traditional sports such as eLaLiga, eSerie A, eSuperliga, eMLS and the virtual Bundesliga. Many of these leagues are formatted similarly to online qualifiers and season-ending tournaments.
ePremier league
Outside of the FIFA Global Series, ePremier League is one of the most competitive and valuable leagues in FIFA exports. The EPremier League is the product of a partnership between Electronic Arts and the Major League itself, which gives FIFA the edge, legitimacy and prestige it needs to top the charts. Of all possibilities, betting on ePremier League will be one of the most common, simply because of the structure and credibility of the tournament series.
eMLS league
The EMLS League is another popular option for players who want to bet on FIFA 20. Owned and operated by Major League Soccer, its derivative household has 25 players, each represented by a club from the MLS team in the Eastern and Western Conferences. The race is played in a planned format similar to MLS, ending with the eMLS Cup. The 2020 edition of the eMLS Cup will be held in Austin, Texas.
Where to bet on FIFA 20
If you feel a little more comfortable with the basic FIFA then ok! Now you may be wondering where is the best place to bet on FIFA?
As mentioned, FIFA may be a widely popular video game, but it's not quite right in the top spots of esports titles. For this reason, you will not find a large number of bookmakers offering odds for FIFA 20. However, there are places you can bet on FIFA, and we have searched and outlined some bookmakers such as Betfair, and 22Bet.
FIFA betting markets
As FIFA is a relatively newer and smaller player in betting than its e-sports partners, most FIFA betting markets are quite limited. Winners of matches and tournaments will be your usual suspects of FIFA sportsbooks with random variations. Although these markets are a little boring, the speed at which FIFA emissions are increasing year by year makes us think that FIFA betting sites will likely expand their markets over time.
Winner of the match
This is one of the most common markets to see on FIFA betting sites. The bettor places bets on the winner of a match between two teams. It is also possible to bet that the match has an even ending similar to traditional football betting.
Winner of the tournament
Unlike betting on a winner of a FIFA match, the tournament winner market will allow the player to bet on the overall winner of the tournament. When you bet on the direct winner of a tournament, you will definitely want to consider all the teams and their potential - at least when you bet on your favorite!
First goal
This market is clear in itself, but we'll talk about it briefly, just in case. A bet on a first goal is simply a bet on which FIFA team will score the first goal of the match. It's more of a special bet - or at least in the context of FIFA's gambling markets - and it can add a lot of excitement to the game.
Bet on FIFA smartly
Perhaps more vital than any other information we have already mentioned is the importance of smart gambling on FIFA. The obvious and clear options when choosing a bookmaker should always be the legitimacy of the operator.
With that in mind, consider a few options before signing up to see what bonuses you can get. For almost every betting site we can think that it offers rich welcome bonuses and incentives for betting on specific markets. Who knows, there may even be a bonus for betting on FIFA 20 or even one for the biggest annual FIFA tournaments.
See also: How to bet on League Of Legends