The 2026 World Cup group stages have generated a wave of betting activity, with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe And Erling Haaland emerged as a central figure behind some of the tournament’s biggest payouts.
Sportsbooks felt the impact after all three forwards scored multiple goals in the same match day, triggering a flood of successful parlays linked to the tournament’s most prolific goalscorer. The results rewarded bettors across a variety of platforms and highlighted the growing popularity of goalscorer betting during this year’s competition.
“This heavyweight trio have scored at least two goals in each of their six combined group meetings, and the latest goal from them is a great credit to many of our players who have put together a fine looking treble ahead of the second group meeting of Argentina, France and Norway.” the bet365 announcement quoted by Covers read before confirming a parlay with all three legs carrying odds of +12,000.
One Hard Rock Bet customer turned a $1,578.94 bet into nearly $150,000 after Haaland finished the final leg by scoring his second goal against Senegal. Caesars Sportsbook reported that an Arizona bettor collected $53,270 on a $1,000 bet on the same trio.
Data from betting tracking platform Pikkit shows that around 5,300 users successfully backed Messi, Mbappé and Haaland to score at least two goals. Combined winnings totaled approximately $5.1 million.
Viral Parlay Attracts Attention
Among the most talked about betting slips in the tournament was a three-leg parlay that wagered $285 on Messi, Mbappé and Haaland each scoring two or more goals. The ticket had odds of +8827 and returned $25,156.59 after all three players submitted it.
Winning bets spread quickly on social media after Haaland secured the final leg. Analysts note that the bet links three outcomes that are generally difficult to achieve, as scoring two goals in a World Cup match is still relatively rare even for elite strikers.
Mbappé’s legs are considered the shortest priced component at +170, while Messi and Haaland are both listed at +475 for two or more goals. The combination resulted in one of the tournament’s most shared betting stories.
The attention generated by winning tickets is encouraging more recreational bettors to explore multi-leg scorer bets, although analysts warn that high-variance parlays may be difficult to replicate consistently.
Massive Betting and Prediction Market Action
While scoring tools dominate sportsbook discussions, big individual bets and prediction market positions also make headlines throughout the tournament.
A bettor at Red Rock Resorts placed $777,000 on Argentina to beat Austria. The bet looked vulnerable after Messi missed an early penalty, but Argentina ultimately secured a 2-0 win. Bettors made a profit of $361,395 and received a total payout of $1,138,395.
Elsewhere, prediction markets recorded multiple seven-figure positions. A Polymarket trader bet $2.9 million on Brazil and Haiti on a finish of less than 3.5 goals. Although Brazil scored three goals before halftime, no additional goals occurred, resulting in a profit of around $3 million.
Another trader invested almost $4.2 million in Türkiye to avoid a win against Paraguay. Türkiye’s 1-0 loss resulted in an estimated profit of around $3.71 million.
Huge losses occurred. A trader who put $3 million on Belgium to beat Iran saw his bet fail after a goalless draw, while another prediction market participant lost almost $1 million when Canada beat Qatar 6-0.
The tournament also produced some other impressive betting stories. A Hard Rock Bet customer turned a $50 correct score parlay into $74,250 by correctly predicting wins for Argentina, France and Norway. Another bettor turned a $40 bet on Messi, Mbappé and Haaland each scoring at least twice to $6,544.
As the group stage continues, goal scoring props remain one of the most active betting markets. With Messi, Mbappé, Haaland and Kane vying near the top of the Golden Boot race, bettors are constantly looking for the next ticket capable of producing headline-grabbing payouts.
