New data released by Betano operator Kaizen Gaming suggests that bettors tend to favour their own national teams when predicting the outcome of major international football tournaments.
The analysis, based on more than 230,000 bets placed across Betano markets as of 4 June 2026, examined customer behaviour ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
According to the data, 79% of Betano users in Argentina backed the national team to win the tournament, while 75% of users in Brazil selected the Seleção. In Germany and Portugal, 57% of bettors chose their respective national teams as outright winners.
National loyalty was also evident in Colombia, where the home side attracted 19% of outright winner selections, second only to Portugal at 24%.
In markets without a participating national team, including Bulgaria, Denmark, Peru and Romania, bettors most frequently selected Portugal, Spain and France to win the competition.
The data also provided insight into player-related markets. Cristiano Ronaldo attracted 21% of bets in the tournament MVP category, ahead of Spain’s Lamine Yamal on 12% and France’s Kylian Mbappé on 10%.
For the Golden Boot market, Mbappé was the most popular selection globally, receiving 26% of bets. England captain Harry Kane followed with 12%, while Ronaldo received 8%.
In the assists market, France’s Michael Olise led with 29% of selections, followed by Portugal’s Bruno Fernandes on 18% and Lamine Yamal on 13%.
For the Best Goalkeeper market, bettors most frequently selected Morocco’s Bono, who attracted 18% of bets. Portugal’s Diogo Costa and Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois followed with 13% and 11% respectively.
France emerged as the most popular choice in the highest-scoring team category, receiving 28% of bets. Germany followed on 16% and Portugal on 14%.
At the other end of the scale, World Cup debutants Haiti and Curaçao were the most commonly selected teams in the lowest-scoring team market, attracting 25% and 19% of bets respectively.
One of the more unusual findings came from Brazil, where 11% of local bettors selected their own national team as the tournament’s lowest-scoring side, placing Brazil among the most frequently chosen teams in that category.
The study also highlighted local preferences across individual markets. In Argentina, Lionel Messi was the most popular selection to finish as the tournament’s top assist provider, receiving 29% of local bets. In Colombia, Luis Díaz attracted 24% of top goalscorer selections, while James Rodríguez received 43% of bets in the top assists market.
Brazilian bettors continued to back Neymar in individual awards markets, with 16% selecting him as the tournament’s best player. The country’s users also strongly favoured younger talents, with 53% selecting Endrick and 27% backing Rayan Vitor for the Best Young Player award.
In Portugal, Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes were the two most popular selections in the top goalscorer market, attracting 24% and 16% of local bets respectively.
