While there are still some final spots left to fill out for the 2026 World Cup, the anticipation for the event next summer has plenty of people over the moon. Soon enough, we’ll find out where teams will be playing in the first round. That’s right, things are coming on Friday and the Las Vegas sportsbooks are ready for the World Cup Draw to take place.
On Friday, things indeed will be announced, as 48 spots are going to be revealed. This is going to be the first time ever that 48 teams are going to be featured in the World Cup, as things were previously held with 32 countries all vying for the title. This time around, though, there are 16 more teams, which is sure to change things up for a lot of people out there.
Why does this matter for Sin City? While Las Vegas isn’t going to be hosting any games next summer, we don’t have to tell you that plenty of people are going to flock to Vegas to watch the games from start to finish at the local sportsbooks and at resorts. Throughout the year, people don’t need an extra excuse to have a vacation in Las Vegas, as watching sports action there makes things even more fun.
With the World Cup around the corner, the sportsbooks and resorts in Vegas are expected to be packed for the events when they arrive. This is going to lead to plenty of bets being placed throughout the tourney. Come Friday, we’ll see which groups teams are placed in and there should be a movement in the Las Vegas odds for some of the top teams out there. Stay tuned.
Spain remains the betting favorite to win the 2026 World Cup
Leading up to Friday’s draw, keep in mind that Spain remains the betting favorite to win the 2026 World Cup. This isn’t a major surprise, as Spain has been at the top of the list for quite some time and they’re going to be entering the tourney with a ton of confidence. That’s always going to be the case with Lamine Yamal still looking like one of the top players on the planet.
Spain of course isn’t the only team holding strong odds. England, France, Brazil, Argentina, Germany and others are teams that are being considered the major contenders to win it all. With England, there’s no question that the roster is going to be stacked, but the Three Lions haven’t been able to get over the hump in recent tournaments. Will this year be different for them?
Looking to get in on the betting action too? Now is our time to remind you that leading up to the World Cup, the top sportsbooks out there are going to have some fantastic promotions for you to take a look at, of course including Bovada, BetOnline and more. The BetOnline promo codes and promotions are fan favorites when people visit Las Vegas online casinos and that’s surely going to be the case for the World Cup too.
As for the action back on the pitch, Spain and England are going to have plenty of people following them closely during the World Cup and that’s of course going to include the people who make their way to Las Vegas for all of the games. Soon enough, the games will start and the bets are going to be off the charts. It will of course be fun for everyone in Vegas once that time comes.
Ecuador and others are considered ‘dark horse’ picks for the World Cup
Looking at some of the more underrated teams, Ecuador and others are considered ‘dark horse’ picks for the World Cup, which isn’t a surprise. Colombia and Uruguay are other South American teams that people are going to be paying attention to. With Ecuador, they were able to finish the CONMEBOL qualifiers in second place, which caught a lot of people off guard.
Don’t forget too that Ecuador actually started the qualifiers with -3 points due to a punishment from FIFA for fielding an ineligible player for the previous rounds of games. However, that didn’t stop the Ecuadorians from not only punching their ticket for the tourney in North America, but also making plenty of noise throughout play as well. Their fans are quite excited.
Moises Caicedo is considered one of the top midfielders on the planet and Ecuador also features other exciting young talent in Willian Pacho, Gonzalo Plata, Piero Hincapie and more. Ecuador holds +7500 World Cup betting odds, which isn’t strong at all, but they’re going to be yet another squad for people in Vegas to follow. It will be interesting to see how they do.
Braulio Perez is a sports writer with more than 10 years of experience in journalism. He's a graduate of Washington State University. He has covered NCAA, NFL, MLB, NBA and more for multiple publications. Braulio currently resides in New York City.