Soccer (or Association Football better known as Football) is the most popular sport in the world. Even though it’s not the #1 sport in Canada, it has many fans. And so is soccer betting!
Bettors in the Great White North enjoy placing wagers on soccer. After all, most online sportsbooks offer plenty of soccer leagues and tournaments worldwide, including in Canada.
If you want to bet on soccer, you can do it by joining an online betting site that offers its services in Canada.
However, not all of them are worth your time, and that’s why we decided to make a list of the best soccer betting sites available to Canadian bettors.
This article will cover our ultimate list of online sportsbooks and discuss our thorough selection process, which should help you understand how these online betting sites work.
Next, we’ll cover betting markets for soccer. After all, soccer has more betting options than any other sport.
After that, we’ll focus on some of the most attractive soccer competitions covered by Canadian sportsbooks and discuss betting options on them.
Finally, we’ll give you some essential tips and tricks for betting on soccer and answer frequently asked questions.
- Top Betting Sites to Bet On Soccer
- How We Selected Our Soccer Sportsbooks
- Is Betting On Soccer Legal?
- Soccer Competitions
- Types of Soccer Bets
- Types of Betting Bonuses for Soccer
- Soccer Betting Tips
- FAQ
Recommended Canadian Sports Betting Sites For Soccer
Here’s our selection of the best betting sites for soccer in Canada. After thorough research, our online betting experts team managed to narrow the list to several great platforms. They cover all popular soccer leagues and provide competitive odds on a wide array of betting markets.
Feel free to select a betting site you like, open an account, and start placing bets on soccer as much as you like. Please take a good look at available welcome offers for every platform as they can kickstart your online soccer betting journey.
If you’re not sure how to choose, don’t worry. You’ll find a detailed explanation of our selection process, which will help you understand how online sportsbooks work. After that, you should feel more confident in choosing a sportsbook.
Bonus Offer 100% UPTO CAD 200
- Canadian players accepted
Bonus Offer 50% UPTO CAD 2500
- Canadian players accepted
Bonus Offer 100% UPTO C$250
- Canadian players accepted
Bonus Offer 100% UPTO CAD 125
- Canadian players accepted
We cordially invite you to check out any of the following top-rated betting sites that offer industry-leading odds, and fast timely cash outs and of course, you will be showered with free bets and bonus cash when you sign up to any of them today.
If you wish to take advantage of any Soccer bonus or Football free bet that we have listed above, be aware that they may change from time to time, whilst we do update our website regularly it is advisable that you visit the betting sites whose offer interests you to make sure the listed bonus or free Soccer bet is still available, and when you visit the betting site always familiarise yourself with the terms and conditions of the bonuses and free bets.
How We Picked the Best Soccer Betting Sites
To pick the best Canadian soccer betting sites, we made a strict test covering all aspects of online sportsbooks.
Every site that failed to rank 10/10 was excluded from our final list, meaning all platforms featured on this page passed the test with a maximum score.
Here’s how we reviewed each of these aspects.
Licences and Regulations
Every online site that offers sports betting services needs to be licensed by an official regulatory body. That way, you can make sure that it’s operating legally, meaning no illicit operations are going on.
Some regulators are recognized by the industry and widely regarded as the best. Therefore, if a site is regulated, for example, by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission or the Malta Gaming Authority, it means it underwent strict regulatory procedures before getting a licence.
Safety and Security
Even when an online betting site is legal, it still needs to be safe and secure to protect all its users from cyberattacks.
All sites that made it to our final list of the best soccer betting platforms use necessary security protocols to ensure maximum protection. They all also have all the required protocols in place, such as SSL encryption, making sure nobody can meddle with your sensitive data.
Soccer Betting Options
Since this is a guide on soccer betting, we had to make sure that all platforms offer plenty of betting options for soccer enthusiasts. This wasn’t a difficult job, as most sites covered all major and minor leagues and tournaments.
Still, we explored available betting markets and excluded the sites that failed to offer detailed wagering options.
In other words, all Canadian soccer betting sites on this page will offer a wide array of markets you can bet on when it comes to soccer.
Soccer Bonuses
Bonuses play an essential role in online wagering. Their goal is to attract new bettors to a sportsbook and award them with bonus money or free bets.
Some promotions are better than others, and we made sure to select the sites featuring the best ones.
Bonuses can be misleading when marketed, so our team made sure to take a deep dive into their respective T&C section and find out more about their expiry dates, wagering requirements, betting limits, and more. This helped us determine the real value of a bonus.
After that, we ranked the sites based on the overall generosity of their respective welcome bonuses and promotions for regular customers. Only the sites that topped the list were included on this page.
Live Betting Options
Live betting (or in-play betting) is a type of wagering on sports matches after they start. It’s an exciting way to bet, offering plenty of opportunities to earn a quick profit.
Many online sportsbooks in Canada feature a separate section for live betting, where you can find additional info on the match you’re wagering on.
We compared these sections and their available features. The ones ranked better were included on our ultimate list of the best Canadian betting platforms for soccer.
Mobile Betting
Placing bets on the go has become paramount for many Canadian soccer betting enthusiasts, so we made sure that they can wager using their mobile devices.
All sites on the list allow mobile betting, and the only difference is that some of them offer mobile-native apps while others are available via mobile browsers. You can access most of them on both Android and iOS phones.
Payment Methods
To start betting on soccer, you first need to deposit to the platform of your choice. Some of them offer more Canada-friendly payment methods than others, and we ensured that you have a decent selection when making a deposit.
This wasn’t a difficult task since there are plenty of online payment methods in Canada already, and most of them are accepted in online sportsbooks. We just focused on the ones that offer better minimum and maximum limits.
Customer Support
No matter how professional soccer bettor you are, you’ll require some kind of assistance at one point, and that’s what customer support is for.
Each sports betting site features a customer support team that you can reach using one of the available contact options. In most cases, there are three ways to get in touch: live chat, email, and phone.
Still, some customer service teams do a better job than others, meaning there are no delays in answers, and they try their best to resolve your issue. We tested every site we reviewed and ranked their support teams accordingly. In the end, we included only those ranked well.
Is Betting on Soccer in Canada Legal?
Legal online betting options are minimal on Canadian soil.
However, the Great White North residents are still free to join some of the offshore online sportsbooks and place bets on their favourite soccer matches and competitions.
Soccer in Canada
However, there is a growing soccer fan base in Canada, who follow international matches as well as popular leagues such as the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga and the Serie A. Soccer is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the biggest tournament is the FIFA World Cup which takes place once in every four years.
Each soccer match takes place over a period of 90 minutes and should the match be drawn at the end of 90 minutes, an additional 30 minutes of extra time will be played. Should the match still be drawn at the end of this additional time, there will be a penalty shootout where 5 kicks are taken. More often than not, a result is obtained by this time but should the match still remain in a drawn state, further penalties will be taken in a do-or-die format till an eventual winner is decided.
Top Betting Sports
Soccer Betting in Canada
Online sports betting websites that offer soccer betting in Canada cover soccer matches in different leagues giving Canadians a wide range of soccer matches to bet on. Online betting websites such as Paddy Power, Bet365, William Hill and 888sport allow bettors to wager on the eventual winner, score-line, half-time score and even the players who they think will score.
Bettors will be able to wager directly online or make use of the mobile apps that these online betting websites offer. This makes it easy for bettors to make wagers on the go and to also bet when they feel the odds are in their favour.
Match Fixing
There have always been rumours of match-fixing and corruption in soccer but during the last 3 years, the game of soccer has been tarnished as the authorities have released information stating that senior FIFA executives have also been involved in bribery and corruption charges. FIFA has vowed to clean up the game and restore the reputation of the sport and the faith that fans have in the ‘beautiful game’.
Illegal Betting
The underground betting market for soccer is a multi-billion dollar industry and one which the authorities are constantly looking to crack down upon. Some of these illegal operators run soccer betting rackets via online websites, mobile apps, WhatsApp and other social media platforms making a significant amount of money on every soccer match.
Soccer Betting Events
Each country in the world will, of course, have their own unique set of Soccer Leagues and Soccer Divisions and as such, you can find plenty of wagering opportunities every single day of the week if you have an interest in Soccer. Should you wish to place a Soccer bet on any up-and-coming fixture, the betting sites listed below are where you should be heading.
There is more to betting on Soccer matches than just picking which team is going to win any match played, and this is where it really will pay for you to study the plethora of additional betting opportunities on offer on all up-and-coming and about to start Soccer matches.
There are two types of competitions you can bet on:
- The ones involving national teams;
- The ones involving soccer clubs.
Soccer Tournaments With International Teams
The most popular international soccer competition is the FIFA World Cup. It takes place every four years, and a pre-selected country hosts it.
It’s a worldwide tournament featuring all national teams that qualified for it.
Betting on the FIFA World Cup is exciting, as many bettors like making outright wagers (guessing the winner of the tournament). However, single-match betting is also quite common.
There are official national tournaments for every continent, and they are:
- Africa Cup of Nations
- Confederations Cup
- Copa America
- UEFA European Championship
- AFC Asian Cup
Soccer Leagues and Tournaments Featuring Clubs
If you’re from Canada, the chances are you’ll focus on Major League Soccer (MLS), which is the most popular league in the North American continent, involving teams from the US and Canada.
You’re most likely to find MLS on most Canadian online betting sites, and we ensured that the ones on the list offer competitive odds for MLS fixtures.
However, MLS is not the most popular league in the world. If you’re into soccer, you’re probably familiar with other massive competitions:
- UEFA Champions League — A top-tier competition for European clubs;
- Copa Libertadores — Top-level club competition in South America;
- UEFA Europa League — The younger sibling of the Champions League, also featuring top European teams;
- FA Cup — Most popular domestic competition featuring all the soccer clubs in England.
Other popular national leagues that are very common in online sportsbooks are:
- Premier League
- English Football League
- Bundesliga
- Serie A
- La Liga
- France Ligue 1
- Eredivisie
- Russian Premier League
- Argentine Primera División
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
Types of Soccer Bets
There are dozens of ways to place a bet on soccer, and we’ll cover the ones that are popular among Canadian bettors.
We have several different betting guides in regards to betting on Soccer, and as such if you are more interested in placing more specific types of wagers and bets on the Football World Cup or the UEFA Football Champions League then do have a good look around our website as we have information and betting guides on these types of betting events and fixtures.
However, if you are just looking for an overview of the many different types of Soccer bets that you can place online or even on your mobile phone or tablet device.
The following section may come in handy for every soccer enthusiast with no prior experience in sports wagering, as many betting markets can be applied to other sports. Let’s check them out.
Futures (Outright Betting)
A futures bet involves placing a wager on the winner of an entire competition or league. For instance, if you think that Toronto will win in the next MLS season and wager your money on it, you’ll place a futures bet.
Three-Way Betting
There are three possible outcomes for a single soccer match — home win, away win and draw. When making a three-way bet, you’re predicting one of the three results.
Let’s say that Toronto FC plays against Montreal Impact in Toronto. If you think that Toronto will win, you’ll bet on it (home win or 1). However, if there’s a good reason to believe that Montreal will take the victory, then placing the away win (2) bet is the right choice.
A draw is a common sight in football games, so you can also pick a draw bet (x), which usually comes with decent odds.
Double Chance
If having three outcomes to choose from might be too bold for you, you can always make a double chance bet. They usually don’t have very lucrative odds, but the chances of getting your bet right are higher. There are three possible choices:
- 1x — Home win or a draw wins the bet
- 2x — Away win, or a draw wins the bet
- 12 — Home or Away win wins the bet (you’ll lose it only if the match ends in a tie)
For example, if you bet 1x on Toronto (home) against Montreal (away), and the match ends 1:1, you still win the bet.
Draw No Bet
Draw no bet is another less risky way to wager on soccer. You only get to choose home or away win. If a match ends in a draw, your original bet is returned to you.
Over/Under
A sportsbook may suggest a number of goals that are likely to be scored in an upcoming match, and you get to choose whether there will be more (over) or less (under) goals than that. In most cases, the suggested number is 2.5.
For example, if you bet over 2.5 for Toronto vs Montreal, and the match ends at 3:2 (five goals in total), you’ll win the bet. However, if the final score is 1:1, which is less than 2.5 goals, you’ll lose your wager.
Total Goals
A sportsbook may suggest the number of total goals to be scored in an upcoming match, and you get to pick one of the suggestions and place a wager. The total goals section may differ depending on the sportsbook you choose, but here’s a list of pretty common bets.
- 0 – 3 — there will be no more than three goals in the match
- 2 – 3 — there will be two or three goals in the match
- 3+ — there will be three or more goals in the match
- 4+ — there will be four or more goals in the match
- 5+ — there will be five or more goals in the match
- 6+ — there will be six or more goals in the match
- 7+ — there will be seven or more goals in the match
For example, if you make a 3+ wager and five goals are scored in a match between Toronto and Montreal, you’ll win the bet. However, if you make 0 – 3, you’ll lose the bet.
Half Time/Full Time
In these betting markets, bettors need to guess the outcome on both the half and full-time.
There are several options to choose from:
- 1 – 1 — Home team wins both half time and full time;
- 1 – X — The home team leads in the first half, but the match ends in a draw;
- 1 – 2 — The home team leads the first half, but the away team wins the game;
- X – 1 — The first half ends in a draw, but the home team wins the game;
- X – X — Both the first and the second half end in a draw;
- X – 2 — The first half ends in a draw, but the away team wins the match;
- 2 – 1 — Away team leads in the first half, but the home team wins the game;
- 2 – X — Away team leads in the first half, but the game ends in a draw;
- 2 – 2 — Away team wins both half time and full time.
Correct Score
Guessing the correct score is one of the most challenging bets you can make when wagering on soccer. However, it’s also the most rewarding one as it takes a lot of skill and luck to predict the correct score. If you feel brave enough, you can try to guess it.
Both Teams to Score
You can bet whether both teams will score. Other options are to bet that only one side will score (home or away) or that nobody will score (no goals).
For example, if you opt for the no-goals bet and the match ends 0:0, you’ll win the bet. If you bet that both teams will score, then the actual score is not important as long as both home and away teams put the ball in the net.
Asian Handicap
Handicapped betting or Asian handicap is commonly referred to as point spread or just spread betting in the US and Canada. Simply put, teams are handicapped with a certain number of goals.
For example, if you see Toronto -1.5 and place your bet on that selection, Toronto will have to win with a goal difference that’s two or higher. In other words, if Toronto wins 1:0, you’ll not win the bet.
Special Bets
All kinds of statistics are measured during soccer matches, and some of them are pretty interesting for bettors. Here are some of the special bets you can make:
- Scorers — Guess the first scorer or the next scorer in live soccer betting; Select the player to score the most goals or bet if someone would make a hat-trick (three goals on a single match).
- Corners — Predict the number of corners; Make exciting live betting wagers; Bet on the first team to reach X corners, and more;
- Cards — Bet on the number of yellow or red cards; Guess which team or player would get a card first;
- Penalty — Bet on whether there will be penalties in a match; Predict whether players would score them or not.
Please consider that many sportsbooks have unique special bets — we listed just the most popular ones and their common variations.
Combo Bets
You can place a bet that involves several betting markets.
For example, if you’re sure that Toronto will win in an upcoming match on the home court but that there won’t be many goals, you can combine a three-way with a total goal bet, increasing the possible payout. In that case, you’d bet 1 (home win) and 0-3 (total goals).
The beauty of soccer betting is that you have all the freedom to combine any type of bet, adding more excitement to the popular sport.
Types of Bonuses for Soccer Betting
Throughout this article, we mentioned that you could get hefty bonuses when joining an online sportsbook in Canada. There are also plenty of soccer betting promotions aimed at regular bettors that can help you improve your overall wagering experience.
Let’s explore the most popular types of bonuses.
Welcome Bonus
A welcome bonus is awarded to new customers who join a betting site and make a deposit. A typical bonus will give you rewards that match your deposit.
For instance, if the site offers a 100% welcome bonus, it means you’ll get $100 if you deposit $100. In other words, any amount you deposit will be matched.
No Deposit Bonus
To get a no-deposit bonus, all you have to do is open an account. No deposit bonuses are usually smaller than deposit bonuses, but you don’t have to make a deposit to get them. They’re free.
Free Bets Bonus
Make a bet up to a certain amount, and the betting site will make it free by loading your balance with that amount.
Risk-Free Bet
This bonus is similar to risk-free bets, except that you only get back your money if you lose the best. That way, you’re betting with no risk involved.
Reload Bonus
A reload bonus is similar to a welcome bonus, except that it’s aimed at regular customers and is usually not as lucrative as a welcome offer.
For instance, a reload bonus could add 50% on top of your deposit. Therefore, if you deposit $100, you’ll receive $50 in bonuses.
Cashback Bonus
A cashback bonus will give some of your lost money back to you. For example, if the bonus offers 10% cashback and you spend $1,000 on betting, you’ll receive $100 back.
Enhanced Odds
Sometimes, online sportsbooks enhance odds for specific soccer tournaments or individual matches to attract more bettors.
Others
We listed some of the most popular types of promotions, but they are certainly not all. Therefore, feel free to explore available promos once you choose an online betting site and learn more about the latest offers.
Soccer Betting Tips
If you’re new to soccer betting, here are some of the tips that might help you out:
- Always check the final playing squad of both teams
- Check whether they are playing at home or away
- Explore past results — When two teams meet, make sure to study the score in their previous duels to learn more about betting opportunities also the performance of the team during the last 5 games
- Don’t bet on your favourite team — Soccer bettors can sometimes be very passionate and make bets on the team they like even though it’s unlikely to win;
- Look for injuries — Favourites can sometimes underperform if some of their important players are injured, and that can give you an edge when making a bet;
- Always plan your finances upfront — Make sure to know how much you spend or win when placing bets on soccer, and try not to get carried away and cross the line;
- Bet on the competition you’re following — The best way to stay up to date with the latest news about players and teams and improve your overall success is to focus on just one league or tournament and follow it actively.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, betting on soccer is fun and exciting, and an increasing number of Canadian soccer lovers want to try it. However, not all online sportsbooks are good enough if you want to place wagers on the most popular sport globally, and that’s why we decided to make an ultimate list and help you out.
Hopefully, you’ll understand how soccer wagering works after reading this article and will be able to pick the sportsbook that meets your needs.
Soccer Betting Canada FAQ
Legal online betting options are minimal on Canadian soil. However, the Great White North residents are still free to join some of the offshore online sportsbooks and place bets on their favourite soccer matches and competitions.
The online sportsbooks listed on this page offer a wide range of bonuses for new and regular customers. Keep an eye on their respective Promotions pages, as some of them occasionally offer soccer-specific promos.
Canadians can use a wide array of payment options to make a deposit, including credit cards, e-wallets, and sometimes even cryptocurrencies. Feel free to compare the available sportsbooks and their banking methods. Worry not, however, as most of them cover all the major options. This also applies to withdrawals.
It’s either 18 or 19, depending on the province you’re from. If you’re not of legal gambling age, please don’t open an account on any online sportsbook platform.
Soccer is not the easiest sport to bet on, as there are many factors which have an effect on the outcome. But in general, staying updated about the form and play of your favourite teams is vital, rather than just looking at the overall season performance.
Injuries are another important factor, especially in the ranks of defence, but also any key players with a significant contribution to the team. Recent incidents and events are also good to keep track of, as teams often get demoralized after club incidents, loss of players/managers, or even long trips from overseas games.
Handicap bets are one of the most popular bets in soccer, mainly because they offer better odds than standard 1×2 bets. To put it simply, handicap bets are bets where the weaker team (the underdog) will be given an advantage by the bookmaker over the stronger team (the favourite). This advantage comes in the form of a positive handicap which is applied to the outcome of a game.
For example, in a handicap bet of Manchester United (-0.5) vs Liverpool FC (+0.5), Manchester United is having their advantage taken away by a minus handicap. This means that even if they win by 1:0, the result will still be considered a draw by the bookmaker, as the handicap takes away 0.5 points from the team’s final score and adds 0.5 points to Liverpool FC.
There is much debate over which is the perfect soccer betting system, with many different experiences coming from different players. However, if you want to keep it safe and steady, there are only two systems you can really trust.
The first one is fixed betting, which is when you always place the same amount on each bet. This system allows for slow, but safer profits. And the second one is proportional betting, which is when you bet a portion of your budget according to the edge. However, this is a more advanced method that involves using complex formulas like the Kelly Criterion, which is why it’s better left for more advanced bettors.
The Expected Value is one of the first things beginner and intermediate bettors become interested in and to no surprise. Expected value is basically a way to calculate how much you can expect to win if you were to repeat the bet over and over again. It’s also a way of figuring out how good are your bookmaker’s odds.
The formula is actually fairly simple, i.e. finding the expected value of a bet is a matter of calculating:
EV = (winning probability) x (the amount you win per bet) – (losing probability) x (the amount you lose per bet)
However, to truly understand how to apply this formula, you need a more advanced background in advantage betting.
The Home Field Advantage is yet another hot topic in soccer betting, especially when it’s time for the derbies. While there is some truth to this factor, especially with teams that have strong home support, whether it truly matters will be entirely up to you or the team in question.
To calculate the home-field advantage, all you have to do is to take the number of goals your team scored at home per season and subtract the number of goals they’ve conceded. Once you do, just divide the result by the number of games played at home in a season.
