France Expects Record €1.2 Billion in World Cup Bets

The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11. France's National Gambling Authority (ANJ) estimates that betting on the tournament in France could reach a record €1.2 billion (approximately NT$43.95 billion).

This edition is co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and for the first time features 48 teams. The number of matches has increased from 64 in the previous tournament to 104, and the event will run until July 19.

According to Le Parisien, the ANJ estimates domestic bets will reach €1.2 billion, marking the first time sports betting in France has exceeded €1 billion. The authority has decided to launch a campaign to remind the public of the risks.

Consulting firm H2 Gambling Capital also predicts global bets will exceed €51 billion, 71% more than the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

A survey commissioned by the ANJ last month from market research firms Toluna and Harris Interactive, which polled 1,071 people, found that 41% of respondents planning to watch the matches intend to place bets, up from 36% in the previous tournament.

Among the 18-24 age group, 52% expressed an intention to bet, while 54% of the 25-34 age group did.

Additionally, UK betting company Bet365 entered the French market last week. ANJ President Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin believes the new operator will intensify competition, raising concerns about excessive betting during the tournament.

Last month, the ANJ published results from an algorithm covering online and in-person betting, estimating that up to 600,000 people are at high risk of excessive gambling.

France is one of the tournament favorites, but lost 2-1 to Ivory Coast in a friendly match in Nantes yesterday. Another friendly match against Northern Ireland is scheduled for June 8 in Lille.

French national team coach Didier Deschamps told TF1: "It's just a warm-up match, I don't want to take it too seriously."

France's first match in the World Cup will be against Senegal in the group stage on June 16.