Optimove report reveals: 86% of Latam plan to bet on the FIFA World Cup 2026

An engaged, mobile-first audience represents one of the biggest revenue opportunities in the global sports betting market.

Optimove, the #1 player engagement platform for iGaming and sports betting operators, today released its LATAM 2026 World Cup Betting Intentions Report, revealing that 86% of Latin American bettors plan to place bets on the tournament.

The study was conducted by Optimove Insights, the company’s research and data analytics division.

The report positions Latin American audiences as mature, highly engaged, and mobile-focused bettors. The combination of strong interest, confidence, and continuous engagement, even after their national team is eliminated, creates a significant opportunity for the industry.

Among bettors planning to participate, 75% have already bet on a previous World Cup, including 20% who bet in both 2018 and 2022.

The remaining 25% will be betting on a World Cup for the first time, driven by the expansion of legal sports betting across the region.

At the same time, 94% describe themselves as moderately or highly confident in their betting knowledge, reinforcing that this is an experienced audience that expects precise and relevant communication.

The LATAM 2026 World Cup Betting Intentions Report is based on a survey of 882 bettors worldwide, conducted in early 2026, including 264 respondents from Latin America.

Research highlights 

• High confidence and year-round engagement. 60% of Latin American bettors rate themselves as highly confident in their betting knowledge, while another 34% consider themselves moderately confident—totaling 94%. Additionally, 35% bet on football several times per week, and another 26% do so weekly.

• Strong loyalty to national teams. 90% support a favorite national team during the World Cup. When their team plays, 50% say they will definitely bet, and another 37% are very likely to bet. Even after elimination, 78% will continue betting.
• Live betting and multi-betting behavior. 77% plan to bet live during the tournament. For 33%, this is the preferred format, while 44% combine pre-match and live betting.

• Push notifications dominate communication. 38% prefer push notifications as their main communication channel, far ahead of email, which is preferred by only 14%.
• The World Cup as an engagement accelerator. 91% will continue betting on football after the tournament. Among their preferred destinations, 72% will move to the Copa Libertadores, 62% to the UEFA Champions League, and 34% to the Premier League.

• Use of multiple betting operators. 65% plan to use two or more platforms during the tournament. The main selection criteria are ease of use (59%), promotions (52%), and a trusted, familiar platform (46%).

“This is one of the most engaged sports betting audiences in the world. Nearly nine in ten Latin American bettors will follow the World Cup through betting and remain active year-round, mobile-first, and demanding personalization, not generic promotions.

Operators that succeed in LATAM will be those able to match this level of intensity with equally precise communication.

This is what Positionless Marketing enables,” said Optimove Founder and CEO Pini Yakuel.

To the full report here.

Optimove 

Optimove is the creator of the Positionless Marketing concept and the #1 player engagement platform for iGaming and sports betting operators.

Positionless Marketing frees marketing teams from fixed-role limitations, empowering every marketer to execute any task instantly and independently.

Positionless Marketing has been proven to improve campaign efficiency by 88%, enabling marketing teams to drive more personalized engagement with existing customers.

For the second consecutive year, Optimove was named a Visionary in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Multichannel Marketing Hubs, recognized for its AI-driven decisioning, prescriptive insights, and ability to orchestrate thousands of real-time personalized campaigns across channels.

AI-driven marketing is a hallmark of Optimove’s leadership.

By embedding AI directly into its platform since 2012, Optimove helped establish today’s Positionless Marketing standard.

Its platform includes Optimove Engage and Orchestrate for cross-channel campaign decisioning and orchestration; Optimove Personalize, a digital personalization engine; and Optimove Gamify, a loyalty and gamification platform.

Today, its full AI-powered suite is at the forefront of enabling marketers to streamline workflows from insight to creation and optimization.

Optimove delivers industry- and use-case-specific solutions for leading consumer brands worldwide.

 Optimove insights 

Optimove Insights is Optimove’s analytics and research arm, dedicated to delivering valuable market insights and data-driven research to empower B2C businesses.