Safe Betting Sites World Cup Bracket

Safe Betting Sites World Cup Bracket Rating: 7,9/10 3562 votes

Bet on Twenty20, IPL, ODI tests, the Ashes, the ICC Cricket World Cup and more at these safe cricket betting sites. Rankings and reviews for you. The FIFA under-20 World Cup has reached the knockout stage, with 16 teams set to compete for 8 quarter-final spots. It’s already been a tournament filled with action and excitement, with plenty of high-scoring matches. Throughout the World Cup, bets like selecting the player with most goals, or team, to score, or picking a player to strike at some point during the game, are popular side prop bets. 2019 World Cup Bets At Online Betting Sites. There are all sorts of options for betting on the Women’s World Cup 2019. Round by Round 2021 World Cup Bracket Bracket and Draw on ESPN.com.

Cricket betting sites have seen a surge in popularity recently, largely due to the introduction of Twenty20 cricket and the emergence of the Indian Premier League (IPL). This traditional game has gained a whole new following among younger fans interested in these new, exciting formats.

Cricket betting websites have piggybacked on the growth of the sport and it’s now commonplace for most sports betting sites to host wagers on cricket. Operators often have a broad and deep variety of wagers on major matches and even lower-profile games.

Below is a list of a select few cricket betting sites we have rated top of class, with the best odds and offering punters the most value for their action.

Best Cricket Betting Sites

Betting Site
Rating

Of all the sports in the world, cricket is particularly well-suited for online wagering. The variety of possible wagers on any given match is almost endless. There are cricket wagers on what team will win, bets on the top run scorer, most wickets taken, points totals, and more. On top of all that, cricket is never really out of season.

Choosing a cricket betting site is the most important task you have as a punter, with the safety of your funds being the number one priority. Deposit bonuses and signup promotions are nice, but nothing ranks higher in importance than ensuring your money is kept safe and your winnings are paid.

Knowing where to play is a matter of experience. Once you’ve been involved in the industry for as long as we have, you start to collect experience.

The cricket betting websites recommended on this page are all very established in online sports betting. Most of these establishments are a decade old at the minimum. Some have been online since the 90s, while others have had land based shops open for many decades. This kind of staying power indicates financial stability and an ability to maintain good standing in the industry.

That’s our main requirement for any cricket bookmaker. Other considerations are how many events are covered, what types of wagers are offered, and the value of welcome promotions.

Formats and Variations of Cricket

Cricket is played in a variety of forms, both internationally and domestically. International test cricket is a traditional form of the game and remains very popular, largely considered the most challenging form of the sport. A test match is played over five days, with each of the two competing teams getting two innings. Most cricket test matches are played as part of a series of four of five matches, usually spread over a couple of months. Test match cricket provides plenty of betting opportunities throughout a series.

Domestically, most cricket-playing nations have leagues where club teams compete in a season of one day games. These games usually see the teams have one limited overs innings each. Betting on domestic matches is particularly common in nations such as England where there is a rich history of the game.

One Day Internationals (ODI) provide more opportunities for betting on cricket. An ODI match will see two competing international teams play one innings of fifty overs each. Like test cricket, these are often played as part of a series between two nations or as an international tournament – such as the ICC World Cup.

Twenty20 cricket is a relatively new form of cricket but has proved phenomenally popular, at both club level and internationally. Twenty20 cricket is a much faster paced game, which each team getting just one inning of 20 overs. The recently introduced Indian Premier League is played in this format and the IPL has gained a worldwide following as probably the world’s most glamorous cricket tournament.

Types of Cricket Bets And Wagers

Between the different formats of cricket, the complexity of the sport and worldwide interest in the game, cricket bookmakers have a lot of fodder for coming up with wagers. It’s not uncommon to find several dozen wagers offered on a single high-profile match. Let’s take a look at some of the wager-types that you’re most likely to see on cricket matches.

  • Cricket Match Betting (Fixed Odds) – Match betting can be done on any cricket match in any format. In short, you select the team you think will win and place your bet on them. If your selection is correct, you are paid according to the listed odds. The odds are usually presented in either a fraction format (for example 2/1, which means you would win $2.00 for every $1.00 bet, plus your stake back) or decimal format (for example 3.0, which means you would see a return of $3.00 for every $1.00 bet, including your stake).
  • Cricket Moneyline Bets – Cricket moneylines are basically the same thing as a match bet, except with a different odds format. Money line odds (also known as American odds) are used to show how much you are being asked to risk and how much you stand to win. For example, Team A vs. Team B might have the odds set at Team -600 and Team B at +400. In this example, Team A is a big favorite. The -600 means that you would have to risk $6.00 for every $1.00 in winnings whereas the +400 shows that a $1.00 wager on Team A would net you $400 in winnings.
  • Top Batsman / Run Scorer – The top run scorer is another particularly popular cricket bet due to its simplicity. You choose which batsman you think is going to score the most runs and make your selection. In an individual match, there will usually be a market for the highest run scorer in the match and a market for the highest run scorer on each team. In a series or tournament, you can bet on the highest run scorer throughout all the matches.
  • Top Bowling Figures – This is similar to the top run scorer bet except you are betting on which bowler will take the most wickets. Again, you can bet on individual matches or across a tournament or series.
  • Cricket Futures or Outright Bets – An example of a futures or outright bet in cricket would be betting on the winner of a particular tournament or series. For example, at the start of the ICC World Cup, you would choose which nation you believe will triumph in the tournament and make your selection accordingly.
  • Cricket Totals and Over/Under Bets – These sorts of bets are common in cricket and there are usually a number of markets open in most matches. In cricket an Over/Under bet might be on the combined number of runs both teams will score. A bookmaker will set an amount, for example 500 runs, and you must select whether the actual amount will be over or under that figure and place your bet accordingly. Over/Under bets can also be made on the number of wickets a specific bowler will take, the number of catches throughout the match, the total number of boundaries hit and many other outcomes.
  • Cricket Specials/Prop Bets – Specials, or prop bets, are not as common in cricket as some other sports, but most bookmakers offer some such bets on the major matches at least. Special bets could include markets such as whether the total number of runs is an odd or even number, who will score the most boundaries or who will hold the most catches.

Daily fantasy cricket is also growing in popularity as an alternative to traditional sports betting. If you like the idea of taking over as team manager and building your dream lineup to represent you in real money contests, you can read more here:

Major Cricket Betting Events, Leagues, and Markets

Some of the biggest cricket events in the world deserve their own dedicated page. If you have an interest in a specific competition, see the link below to read more and get a heads-up on the best places to bet on that particular event.

  • Betting on The Ashes: The Ashes is a test cricket series that is played every two years between England and Australia. The series has been contested since 1882 and is arguably one of the most famous international rivalries in world cricket. Each Ashes series consists of 5 separate test matches under standard test match cricket conditions. Most test match series offer plenty of online cricket betting opportunities, and the Ashes is one of the greatest cricket event of all.

The Ashes is one of the most famous test cricket series in the world. Even though it is only ever contested between two nations – England and Australia – it attracts international audiences and coverage at virtually all cricket betting sites. The first test match between the two nations was played in 1877, though it was not referred to as The Ashes until a few years later, in 1882. The name came about after England lost a test match to Australia on British soil for the first time. A British newspaper – the Sporting Times – declared that English cricket died and, to quote, “the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia”.

During the following English tour of Australia, a small urn was presented to the England captain – Ivo Bligh – which was rumoured to contain the ashes of a burned bail. Ever since then, the term “The Ashes” has been applied to the test series. Since the test series in 1998, a Waterford Crystal replica of the Ashes urn has been introduced as the official trophy to be presented to the winner of the series.

  • Betting on the Cricket World Cup: The ICC Cricket World Cup is the biggest tournament for men’s one day international (ODI) cricket. The ICC (International Cricket Council) views the ICC Cricket World Cup as the most important cricket tournament in the world.

The ICC Cricket World Cup is held once every four years and is contested by the ten major test and ODI playing cricket nations, plus additional teams who must earn their place through a qualifying process. The very first Cricket World Cup was held in England in 1975, and contested by just eight teams – with the West Indies beating Australia in the final. England went on to host the next two tournaments, before India and Pakistan held the 1987 tournament.

The most successful team in the history of the tournament has been Australia, who have taken an impressive four titles. As recently as 2011, India became the first team to win the ICC Cricket World Cup on home soil, when they were co-hosting the tournament with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

  • Betting on the Indian Premier League: The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a relatively new cricket competition, introduced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 2008. It is one of the most glamorous cricket competitions there is, and is based on the increasingly popular Twenty20 format of cricket. Some of the top cricket players from around the world take part in the tournament and it attracts a huge amount of interest from cricket fans.

The Indian Premier League was first played in 2008 and has been a huge success in a relatively short period of time. In just its fourth season, the brand value of the IPL was estimated to be nearly $4 billion. It is played using the fast paced, exciting format of Twenty20 and features some of the best known international cricket players, so it is perhaps not surprising that it has attracted large audiences already. Despite the fact that it has only nine teams competing for the league, it seems likely that the Indian Premier League will continue to go from strength to strength.

Given that cricket is such a popular sport to bet on, it is no surprise that most online bookmakers have betting markets for the IPL. There are only nine teams that take part in the IPL, so it is not too difficult to have a look at the players in each team and make an informed decision about which team you think is going to win the league.

There is an annual auction for international players and a period when teams can trade players, so it is advisable to wait until after then before placing any bet. Once you know which players are going to be turning out for the teams, it is much easier to predict which team you believe will be the strongest over the season.

Basic Online Cricket Betting Strategy

Cricket generates a plethora of statistics. Statistics such as bowling figures, batting averages, historic matchups, centuries, strike rate, and run rate are readily available, and provide a valuable insight into the form of both the individual players, and the teams. When betting on cricket markets such as top run-scorer, studying the form of the players involved is sometimes better than merely watching the game.

Many cricket matches see two teams of a similar standard competing, with no major favorite or big underdog. If you are placing a match bet or moneyline bet on such a game, knowing the form of the respective team gives you a greater chance of picking the winning team.

It is equally important that you use a reputable cricket betting site with competitive odds. Even better, sign up for an account at a few cricket sites and shop around for the best odds before you place each bet. Even small differences in the odds add up over time.

Bankroll management is another must-have skill for long term success. Take your time, wait for lines that make sense and only place wagers when you have a good reason to believe you have the advantage.

Check the Forecast

The weather in cricket plays a big role, especially in the longer formats. Cricket isn’t played in the rain or in bad light, mainly for player protection. Different weather conditions impact how any given game pans out. A dry, sunny, warm day will favor the batsmen due to the fact that the ball deviates less in those conditions. A damp, overcast and humid day will assist the deviation of the ball, in turn making batting harder and favoring the bowling side.

Establish the Standard of a Team for Each Discipline

Each format will favor some teams over others and it’s important to establish which teams are best at each format. A team that may lay number one in the world in test matches may be woeful when it comes to Twenty20 and vice versa. Establishing which teams are strongest with each discipline will put you in good stead for each variant of the game.

Note Head to Heads

Check historic matchups between teams before placing a bet. For whatever reason, some teams just seem to have the advantage over others. Poor matchups can kill teams that should otherwise be favored. The average person doesn’t do this type of research and the lines don’t always reflect the reality of the matchup.

Check Form of Teams on Specific Grounds

Similarly to having a bogey team, some teams have a bogey ground where no matter how many times they have played there they have failed to win or rarely been successful. This comes more into fruition when teams from other continents travel around the world. A quick example would be of England’s poor record at sub-continent countries such as India and Sri Lanka where wins over the past 20 years have been few and far between. This comes even when they have been, on paper at least, the far superior team.

Establish Strengths and Weaknesses of Both Sides

Before betting on any cricket match, it’s imperative that you work out which are the strengths and weaknesses for each team. Once you have established this you can then compare to see where one team may have the edge over the other team and see if the cricket betting odds yield any value from your research.

Apply Average Scores

Noting what the average first innings score at a ground is vitally important, especially in the shorter formats of the game such as one-day internationals and Twenty20. Each ground has different variables, such as size, condition of pitch, overhead conditions, and even atmosphere in the ground, all of which will contribute as to what’s a good score and what’s not. From this information, we can quickly determine how the team batting first has fared, and then look at the cricket betting odds to see if they favor our findings.

Select a Comprehensive Cricket Betting Platform

Safe Betting Sites World Cup Bracket

Cricket coverage can vary depending on where you wager. It’s important to first work out which sort of markets you want to target for your cricket betting and then find a bookmaker which can accommodate your specific needs.

It’s worth spending a little time to check out a few cricket betting sites before you sign up. Look at the wagering options and see what they have on offer. In our experience, the best cricket betting sites tend to be those with an international focus.

Take Advantage of Live “In Play” Cricket Betting

The live betting scene is one that is now in full flourish via an array of online sports betting sites. Cricket is a sport that hasn’t been left behind and you can find a host of live markets from a number of the larger cricket websites. Live cricket betting sites allow you to take advantage of your knowledge and apply it to each match.

You can react to changes in the game and more importantly spot times where the games may have a momentum shift and allow you to get in and out with a good price. Live cricket betting odds change quickly, so it’s important that you’re quick to take full advantage of these markets.

Expand your Markets

These days, many of the larger online cricket betting markets actually occur in India, with the likes of the IPL drawing large audiences. There are some serious opportunities to be had in emerging markets that don’t yet get the coverage they deserve.

Even the biggest cricket betting sites only have so many resources to expend on setting the lines for smaller, less popular leagues. Less time spent on setting the lines results in inefficiencies, and inefficiencies result in opportunities for the savvy handicapper. If you’re willing to put in the time to study those smaller cricket markets, you’ll find that there is some serious profit to be made.

Safe Betting Sites World Cup Bracket Odds

Cricket Spread Betting

Cricket spread betting markets are some of the most underused and undervalued. Due to the large variables in cricket (runs scored, wickets taken, batting partnerships, bowling spells etc.) the possibilities on spread betting are endless and massively disregarded by most bettors.

In cricket spread wagers, bookmakers pick a range of potential outcomes. You then can then place a wager that the actual outcome will be more than or less than the bookmaker’s predicted spread. The more right you are, the more you get paid.

For example, let’s say the cricket betting odds for runs scored was set at 280 to 300 for the first innings. If you think the total will be higher than the spread, you could wager an amount of money per run scored in excess of the spread.

An example from a historic matchup between the West Indies and England had the bookmaker set a line of 370-390 for the West Indies’ first innings. One anonymous punter took the over on 390 at £2 per point and the West Indies managed to amass a staggering 767, netting the bettor a cool £754 for his troubles.

If you think you know everything about betting on the Cricket World Cup, you might want to think again.

Sure, you may have placed some wagers on the sport’s biggest international tournament in the past. And maybe some of you are already genuine cricket betting experts who DO know everything there is to know.

Many of you will be looking to take your CWC gambling to the next level, though, and you should dive right into our Cricket World Cup betting guide.

We offer tips and advanced strategy for betting on the Cricket World Cup. You will learn about the best online betting sites for the Cricket World Cup, giving you a better understanding of exactly where to place your real money CWC bets and get the most value.

India will host the thirteenth edition of the Cricket World Cup, with the tournament scheduled to take place October through November, 2023.

Now, that might feel like a lifetime away. But if you are serious about betting on the Cricket World Cup, at least there is plenty of time to study the competition and get your CWC predictions just right.

After beating New Zealand by the smallest of margins in the 2019 final, England will be aiming to defend their crown in 2023.

However, five-time champions Australia will always be among the favorites with the top Cricket World Cup betting sites, along with former winners India, West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.

Qualifying for the 2023 Cricket World Cup

There are two qualification methods for the 2023 CWC – the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League and the Cricket World Cup Qualifier.

The top 13 nations in the world rankings will compete in the Super League, with eight teams qualifying via that route. The bottom five sides will then enter the Qualifier, where an additional two countries will advance to the 2023 CWC.

The 13 Super League teams are listed below.

  • Afghanistan
  • Australia
  • Bangladesh
  • England
  • India
  • Ireland
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Pakistan
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • West Indies
  • Zimbabwe

In total, there are 19 associate teams in contention for a Qualifier berth. Along with the bottom five sides from the Super League, five of the nations below will feature in the Qualifier.

It is worth noting that all of these countries will need to make it through preliminary rounds before getting the opportunity to qualify for the 2023 Cricket World Cup.

  • Bermuda
  • Canada
  • Denmark
  • Hong Kong
  • Italy
  • Jersey
  • Kenya
  • Malaysia
  • Namibia
  • Nepal
  • Oman
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Qatar
  • Scotland
  • Singapore
  • UAE
  • Uganda
  • USA
  • Vanuatu

For a more in-depth look at wagering on the Cricket World Cup in India, make sure you go through our early betting guide for the 2023 Cricket World Cup. The post features CWC odds, betting tips, team analysis, and much more.

Early Betting Guide for the 2023 Cricket World Cup

The 2023 Cricket World Cup might seem like an eternity away. But believe it or not, you can already bet on the tournament. After winning the 2019 World Cup in dramatic fashion, England will be the team to beat when the world’s best cricketing nations...

Read More

If you’re planning to gamble on the Cricket World Cup with real cash, you should place your wagers with the best Cricket World Cup betting sites.

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We all want to make the most of our money and maximize our CWC gambling experience, right? The top sites for betting on the Cricket World Cup help with that.

You could spend days deciding where to bet on the Cricket World Cup – and there is nothing wrong with that. Doing your own research is important, but you could save a lot of time and listen to our cricket betting experts when it comes to the top CWC online bookmakers.

They’ve already done the hard work for you and have selected the sportsbooks above based on the following criteria.

  • Safe and secure environment for real money cricket betting
  • Competitive Cricket World Cup odds
  • Good variety of Cricket World Cup betting markets
  • Attractive bonuses and promotions that can be used to bet on the CWC
  • Excellent betting apps for mobile cricket gambling
  • Secure banking methods and fast payouts
  • Reliable customer support service

Once you’re done with your CWC picks and predictions, you should be looking to get the best value by placing your wagers at the top-rated Cricket World Cup betting sites online.

In this section, we are going to go over some general CWC betting tips.

Even if you are familiar with betting on cricket, this advice is definitely worth taking into account.

Assess the Tournament’s History

Before you even think about gambling on the Cricket World Cup, you should familiarize yourself with the tournament’s history.

Taking a look at previous winners and runners-up is only going give you an advantage for making your CWC predictions. At the same time, finding out about countries that have underperformed over the years will help as well.

As you can see from the table below, Australia has dominated the tournament over the years.

CRICKET WORLD CUP WINNERS AND RUNNERS-UP
TeamTotal CWC TitlesRunners-Up
Australia52
India21
West Indies21
England13
Sri Lanka12
Pakistan11
New Zealand02

It is worth considering that South Africa reached four semi-finals between 1992 and 2015 without making it to the final, so make sure you study the groups and the knockout stages, too.

The previous performances don’t guarantee future success, but they are a good starting point for your preparation. We have included more useful stats and records that can help you later in this Cricket World Cup betting guide.

There are a number of relatively basic things that you can do to significantly enhance your chances of making money from betting on the Cricket World Cup.

We’ll get to some more advanced CWC betting tips later on. But before you delve into the more complicated factors, it is important that you learn everything there is to know about the teams and the players participating in the tournament.

Cricketing powerhouses like Australia, India, and England are blessed with countless world-class stars. However, up-and-coming nations such as Afghanistan may only have one or two household names in their squad.

Acquainting yourself with the lesser-known teams is only going to increase your chances of getting the better of the bookies and finding CWC odds that represent good value.

Conversely, if the tournament favorites are without one of their key players, this could have a negative impact on the team. Keeping an eye on the injury news is another way to strengthen your CWC gambling game.

There’s a good argument to be made that cricket is one of the sports in which the hosting team benefits the most from the home-field advantage.

The sport is popular in different parts of the world, so, naturally, cricket is played in varying conditions. Different teams are accustomed to playing in different climates, with temperature, humidity, and even the type of grass having a big say on the game.

Indian subcontinent pitches are known for being dry and dusty, meaning countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh tend to perform better in those conditions. On the other hand, teams such as England and New Zealand usually excel on greener pitches.

It is no coincidence that Sri Lanka’s sole CWC triumph came when Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka were co-hosting the tournament in 1996. Australia and New Zealand both reached the final when they were co-hosting in 2015, while England triumphed on home soil in 2019.

Cricket World Cup Betting Strategy

It is now time to dive into some more advanced betting tips for the Cricket World Cup.

All of these strategies can help you to gain the upper hand when it comes to wagering on cricket’s greatest 50-over tournament.

Statistics have become a huge part of modern-day sports – and cricket is no exception. In fact, in recent times, cricket has gained a reputation for its in-depth analytics.

It is important to remember that simply looking at past stats isn’t going to suddenly win you lots of money. But before placing your CWC bets, familiarizing yourself with team and player records could give you a significant edge.

Even if you’re completely new to betting on cricket, chances are that you would consider the head-to-head record between two teams before betting on the outcome of a game. That’s an obvious thing to do, right?

However, there is so much more to cricket statistics.

There are multiple different factors to consider when it comes to both bowling and batting. The following table delivers the bare minimum you should analyze when betting on the Cricket World Cup.

Batting StatsBowling Stats
FoursWickets
SixesMaidens
FiftiesDot Balls
CenturiesAverage
Strike RateEconomy
AverageStrike Rate

Some of the entries above are named the same way, so make sure to check out if they apply to bowling or batting while working the numbers.

Ultimately, the more you know about individual player statistics, the higher chance you have of succeeding with your CWC bets.

Some people like betting on the outright winner of the Cricket World Cup, while others prefer gambling on individual games from the competition. Both approaches could be successful, but there’s one that many ignore.

If you want to make the most of your Cricket World Cup betting opportunities, placing in-game wagers can be hugely profitable.

For example, there are ten different ways to get a batsman out in cricket – five are very common, while the other five are pretty rare. The best CWC betting sites offer dismissal markets, where you can bet on the method of the next wicket.

If a fast bowler is known for hitting batsmen’s pads, why not bet on the next dismissal being an LBW? Likewise, if you know that a spinner is adept at turning the ball, there is a high chance that the next wicket to fall will come via a stumping.

You can look at the batsmen, too. If there is a noticeably slow player at the crease, the chances of a run out will be higher.

There are also in-play markets relating to runs. If a batsman has racked up 30 runs without any problems and looks in good form, why not back them to score a half-century?

Live Cricket World Cup betting odds often produce higher prices than pre-game markets. So, if you watch matches carefully and assess the individual performances of the players, you could make a nice profit.

Check the Weather

Much like the conditions of the pitch, weather often plays an important role in cricket. But while pitch conditions are easy to gauge depending on where the tournament is being held, the weather is far less predictable.

That’s why keeping an eye on the forecast can help you to make extra cash when betting on the Cricket World Cup.

Of course, a heavy downpour is likely to put an end to a game. But matches are often contested in light rain. Wet conditions usually favor the batting team, so that is something to bear in mind.

With the ball skidding onto the bat, the batsmen are able to generate more power on their shots. The ball also travels quicker on a wet outfield, meaning fieldsman find it more difficult to prevent boundaries.

Checking the weather forecast can be hugely beneficial when it comes to betting on CWC games, especially in-play.

Bet on Post-Tournament Awards

Remember – you don’t just have to bet on CWC games individually. The top sites for betting on the Cricket World Cup online offer markets for the post-tournament awards, among other things, and there is money to be made there.

Not only can you predict the Player of the Tournament, but you can also bet on who will win the Golden Bat and the Golden Ball, handed to the top run-scorer and the leading wicket-taker, respectively.

The latter is a good example of an award that could bring you some nice profits. Let’s check the recent winners, so you can understand what we mean.

RECENT CRICKET WORLD CUP GOLDEN BALL WINNERS
YearPlayerWickets
2003Chaminda Vaas23
2007Glen McGrath26
2011Zaheer Khan & Shahid Afridi21
2015Mitchell Starc & Trent Boult22
2019Mitchell Starc27

As you can see, the Golden Ball has been dominated by fast bowlers in recent years. In fact, only one spinner – Shahid Afridi – has finished as the top wicket-taker since 2003, and even then, he shared the prize with Indian paceman Zaheer Khan.

Given that fast bowlers tend to pick up the most wickets at the Cricket World Cup, backing one of the pre-tournament favorites’ pacemen to win the Golden Ball is always a good idea.

With our main CWC betting strategy out of the way, let’s check some important facts about the history and the format of the competition. They can help you understand the big picture better and make better cricket betting decisions.

Cricket World Cup Qualification

The Cricket World Cup (CWC) has been around since 1975 and has gone through various qualifying formats that lead to the finals.

In the past, some teams would automatically qualify for the Cup based on their rankings in various test matches. Others would have had to participate in a qualifier contest in the year before the World Cup was held.

However, as of 2023, all teams—except for the host nation of the Cup —will need to participate in qualifying tournaments. The new qualifiers will be played over two to three years and will consist of 372 total matches.

The ICC hopes that the new format (and the elimination of the team entry fee) will make the CWC more accessible to marginalized teams.

The qualifying tournaments will be ODI (One Day International) cricket played in a round-robin knockout format. This may offer new and interesting ways to bet on the World Cup and perhaps even on the qualifiers.

A total of ten teams competes for the title at the CWC, but the number has changed in the past, and may do so again.

Twenty teams have participated in the Cricket World Cup through the years, but only these seven have played in all of them.

  • Australia
  • England
  • India
  • New Zealand
  • Pakistan
  • Sri Lanka
  • West Indies

Other nations that have played in the Cricket World Cup at least once include East Africa, Canada, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Netherlands, UAE, Bangladesh, Scotland, Namibia, Bermuda, Ireland, and Afghanistan.

Let’s take a closer look at the Cricket World Cup Finals, as well as the distribution of the honors and the prize pool.

Tournament Format

Under the current format, established in 1992, all ten teams that have qualified for the CWC play each other once in a round-robin system in the first stage of the competition’s finals.

This means nine games per team, resulting in 45 total matches played in the group stage.

The top four teams then progress to the semi-finals, and those two winners will meet in the final match. It’s a simple system that works well and combines consistency with the ability to perform in clutch moments.

Rugby World Cup Betting

From a CWC betting perspective, it’s good to know that the teams can afford a couple of mistakes in the group stages and still go on to win the Cup.

In addition to that all-important Cup itself (which takes two months to create in London by silver workers and goldsmiths), there are four individual awards given upon conclusion of the World Cup.

AwardWinner
Golden BallTop-wicket taker
Golden BatTop scorer
Player of the TournamentBest Player
Player of the Match in the CWC FinalTop performer in the final match

They are designed to honor the best individual performers during the tournament and most of the top Cricket World Cup betting sites offer odds on the winners before and during the CWC.

In order to keep each team playing full out, the ICC gives awards not only to the winner of the Cup and to the runner-up, but also to the victor of each league stage match, and to teams that pass the league stage.

The total awarded purse is $10,000,000 USD, with the winner of the CWC awarded $4,000,000.

Considering that this is more than the annual income of the West Indies Cricket Team, and ten times more than the budget of some less-successful nations, it is clear that the awards format inspires cricketers to play at their highest level.

Here’s how the prize pool is split when it’s all said and done.

AchievementReward
CWC Champion$4,000,000
Runner-Up$2,000,000
Semi-finalist$800,000
Passing the first stage$100,000
Any victory in the first stage$40,000

The biggest nations are mostly motivated by the glory that comes from winning the Cricket World Cup, but every victory counts for the smaller nations.

There were various attempts at creating a cricket tournament tradition since the late 1800s. However, it was not until 1975 that the World Cup was established.

The CWC made its debut in England, and it was decided that this tournament to determine the strongest cricket team in the world would be held every four years.

England hosted the first three World Cups since they had the infrastructure to host numerous teams and matches, as well as the hordes of spectators who gathered to witness history.

In 1987, India and Pakistan jointly hosted the first World Cup to be held outside of England. Although the Cup had initially consisted of competition among eight teams, by 1987 the format had shifted to allow 16 teams to participate in the CWC.

The World Cup has since been hosted by several different nations, including Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand jointly, Bangladesh, and South Africa.

Considering how many nations vie for the privilege of taking part in the World Cup, it is astonishing that the title has only been won by a handful of teams.

TeamTitlesSecond Place
Australia 52
West Indies21
India21
Pakistan11
Sri Lanka12
England13
New Zealand02

The West Indies, or “Windies” as the team is called, won the first two titles, back when they were the dominant nation with the famed “Master Blaster” Vivian Richards on the team.

Since 1999, however, Australia has been the dominant force in the CWC. Interestingly, although England hosted the first three World Cups, they didn’t take their first title until 2019, 44 years after the tournament was initiated.

Amid all the competition, successive wins are notably impressive and there haven’t been many of them , as you can see from the table below.

NationBack-to-Back TitlesBack-to-Back 2nd Place
West Indies20
Australia30
New Zealand02
England02
Sri Lanka02

Only the West Indies in the early days of the competition and Australia have managed to win back-to-back titles and that’s something to consider when you’re looking for the best Cricket World Cup bets.

Hosting the Cricket World Cup is not only about getting an advantage, it’s a great honor to be the home of the tournament.

Here are the countries that have hosted the CWC the most times. Some have hosted alone, others as a consortium of neighboring nations.

Country# of Times Hosting
England5
India4 (incl. 2023)
New Zealand2
Pakistan2
Australia2
Sri Lanka2
Wales2
West Indies1
Bangladesh1
South Africa1

And to understand how big of an advantage playing on home soil delivers, let’s check the times that the host nation won the Cricket World Cup.

YearCountry
1996Sri Lanka
2011India
2015Australia
2019England

On the surface, four titles from thirteen editions is not that much. A closer look shows that the last three Cricket World Cups were all won by one of the host nations and that’s something you should be aware of when betting on the CWC.

Our cricket gambling experts are convinced that there are good Cricket World Cup bets up for grabs for the people who know how to find them. We hope our strategy tips can help you make money with your CWC wagers and we want to remind you that sticking to the top cricket betting sites is crucial.

World cup betting site

Here are our suggestions once again for those of you who would like to give it a try.

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