With two major soccer tournaments going on simultaneously on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, early indications from online sportsbooks were that the Euro 2024 tournament was the bigger draw with bettors. That trend may have flipped for Sunday’s dueling tournament finals, however, as some betting sites reported a surge of interest in the Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia.
According to data supplied by bet365 Sportsbook, Sunday’s Copa America final saw 30% more total bets than the Euro final between Spain and England earlier that day. Argentina’s victory over Colombia also outperformed the Euro final in total betting handle, with 61% more stakes volume on the Copa America final as a sizzling summer of soccer betting winds down.
Copa America betting surged in time for final
The interest in the Copa America final was a stark contrast to earlier in the tournament when sportsbooks indicated that betting interest in the Euro tournament was higher. That was something of a surprise, especially considering that the Copa America tournament took place in the US this year and offered bettors the chance to bet on the US Men’s National Team.
With the USMNT eliminated from contention in the group stage, conventional wisdom might have held that betting volume on the Copa America would decline. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the US team began play with the greatest share of bets to win the tournament, at 28%.
Yet even early on in the tournament, betting interest in South American teams was high. Both FanDuel and BetMGM Sportsbook reported that Argentina and Colombia — the two squads that would eventually meet in the final — led all other teams in total betting handle. At BetMGM, for instance, those two sides combined to account for 53% of the total betting handle in the early stage of the tournament.
With those popular teams squaring off in the final match to crown a winner, bettors’ interest in the Copa America seemed to only intensify in time for Argentina’s win over Colombia in extra time. Meanwhile, in the Euro 2024 tournament, the most popular early picks had been Germany and France, both of which exited prior to the final that saw Spain defeat England.
Both tournaments a boost to soccer betting overall
The impact of these two international competitions was especially noticeable compared to betting on other major soccer events of 2024. Compared to the final week of the English Premier League and La Liga, the combination of the Euro and Copa America tournaments brought in roughly five times the total bets and total handle at bet365 Sportsbook.
These two tournaments also outperformed the UEFA Champions League final at bet365. The Euro 2024 final brought in 60% more total bets than the UCL final that saw Real Madrid defeat Borussia Dortmund on June 1, while the Copa America brought in twice the number of bets and double the total handle.
The effect of these international competitions was also apparent at Circa Sportsbook, where soccer betting was up “25-50%” from normal summer activity, according to Jeff Benson, director of Circa Sports Operations and Race & Sportsbook.
That sentiment was echoed by Johnny Avello, director of sports operations at DraftKings Sportsbook. The Euro and Copa America tournaments brought “significant betting interest,” according to Avello, giving the sportsbook reason to look forward to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be played all across North America.
