Ryan Weinstock, Chief Commercial Officer at OpticOdds, and Nikos Zygouris, Head of Sportsbook Product at Altenar,discuss how suppliers are shaping sportsbook engagement ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as operators across the US and Latin America prepare for increased demand, evolving player behaviours and the challenge of delivering scalable, localised and personalised betting experiences.
From a supplier perspective, how is the build-up to World Cup 2026 already influencing sportsbook engagement trends across the US and Latin America?
Nikos Zygouris: As we ramp-up to FIFA World Cup 2026, our focus is on supporting pre-tournament engagement through outright markets, player props and personalised content experiences.
Anticipation is driving users to interact with stats, team content and personalised recommendations ahead of kick-off. Even people who do not usually follow football join in, which leads to higher pre-match traffic.
In LatAm, we see strong home-nation support and country-driven betting interest, while US audiences appear to be engaging through same-game parlay-style bets and player-based markets. Pre-tournament content hubs and curated event views, such as our World Cup lobby, are proving especially effective in concentrating attention.
Overall, engaging is becoming more personalised and increasingly mobile-driven, with bettors expecting faster navigation and more contextual prompts as the tournament approaches.
Ryan Weinstock: The build-up to the FIFA World Cup is already reshaping sportsbook engagement across the US and Latin America. In the US, operators are treating soccer as a priority far earlier than usual.
Historically a tier-two betting sport, it’s now seeing real investment in market depth well ahead of kickoff, driven largely by player props. Bettors expect the same level of detail they get in NFL or NBA markets, pushing suppliers to expand prop coverage early.
In LatAm, where football is already dominant, the trend is different. Growth is coming from maturing markets where operators are racing to secure sharper data and trading tools before demand spikes.
With the tournament spanning the US, Mexico, and Canada, suppliers are having to think regionally, aligning products across diverse yet synchronised markets.
What key differences do you see between US and Latin American football betting audiences, and how should sportsbook technology and content be tailored to meet those distinct expectations?
NZ: US and Latin American audience differ in both betting culture and product expectations. In the US, same-game parlays and stats-driven bets are already booming, so bettors expect deeper market coverage, advanced player props and intuitive multi-leg creation tools.
The move from complex data grids to contextual modules, grouped player markets and promotional mechanics such as insurance on one losing leg, boosted odds and 0% margins, resonate strongly.
Latin American audiences tend to have a heavier focus on national teams, supporting their home country regardless of the opposition. Content localisation is critical. Prioritising relevant teams, competitions and language, while surfacing relevant team and competition content engages this demographic.
Technology should enable flexible front-end configuration so operators can regionalise lobby layouts, featured markets and recommendations quickly. Personalisation engines must also adapt to behavioural signals, content modules and navigation paths aligned with how they naturally engage.
RW: US and LatAm football audiences behave very differently, and suppliers need to tailor both technology and content accordingly. In the US, bettors are highly analytics-driven. They expect granular player props, same-game parlays, and data integrated throughout the UX.
If soccer looks thinner than an average NBA or MLB product, they will disengage. LatAm audiences, by contrast, already understand football deeply. Their priority is speed. Mobile-first UX that works on lower-spec devices, deep in-play markets, and odds that react to what’s happening on the pitch.
How are suppliers preparing their platforms, trading capabilities and engagement tools to help operators scale effectively during a tournament of this magnitude?
RW: A World Cup stress-tests every part of a sportsbook, so suppliers are scaling infrastructure and trading systems early. When a goal is scored in a knockout match, millions of bettors hit in-play markets instantly, and if your data lags or your odds engine can’t reprice fast enough, you lose margin or customers.
That’s why we have designed our platform to process over a million odds per second across 200+ feeds to keep pricing stable when activity spikes.
Automation is non-negotiable. Copilot handles odds generation, risk, and settlement so traders aren’t manually managing hundreds of live markets. Our bet builder has been expanded for the complexity of a 48-team tournament, delivering instant same-game and cross-game combinations at scale.
And with Odds Screen V2, sub-second visibility, automated alerts, and customisable dashboards, traders stay focused on decisions that actually matter.
NZ: Our preparations centre on scalability, resilience and user experience under extreme traffic conditions. With this World Cup being the biggest ever, with a record number of matches, infrastructure must be stress-tested, with stronger cross-team coordination and trading tools designed to support in-play demand and risk management during volatile match moments. Suppliers must prepare to face volume at levels only seen every four years.
We are enhancing our in-play coverage, particularly fast markets, while improving risk segmentation through advanced analytics and trading tools.
Engagement-wise, we have launched a dedicated World Cup event hub that centralises markets, stats, standings and curated content in a single, easy-to-navigate interface that reduces friction. Personalisation layers surface trending bets, recommended events and popular bet builder combinations based on behaviour and jurisdiction.
Mobile optimisation is another priority given usage patterns during major tournaments. The focus is on creating intuitive, all-in-one environments where players can seamlessly explore everything around the competition.
Beyond the tournament itself, how can suppliers help operators turn World Cup traffic spikes into sustainable, long-term growth across regulated markets in the Americas?
RW: Turning World Cup traffic into long-term growth depends on what happens after the final whistle. The worst outcome is acquiring millions of bettors and losing them as soon as tournament markets disappear. Continuity is key. If operators offer deep World Cup coverage but scale it back for domestic leagues, new users won’t stick.
In the US, the play is cross-sell, introducing bettors through soccer and moving them into NFL, NBA, and other sports via a unified platform – or turning your big four bettors into soccer wagerers. In LatAm, retention is built on trust, with a focus on quick settlement, uptime, and good odds.
NZ: The key is converting short-term excitement into long-term product engagement. Suppliers can help operators retain users by extending personalisation frameworks developed for the tournament into everyday sportsbook journeys.
Recommendation engines, behavioural segmentation and curated content feeds keep experiences relevant after the event ends.
Multi-leg tools such as bet builder, player props and fast in-play markets can be expanded across other sports to maintain engagement continuity. Promotional capabilities, such as boosts, insurance mechanics and flexible bonus tools, also support CRM and retention strategies.
Data captured during the tournament is especially valuable for understanding preferences and refining CRM targeting. The objective is preparing for sustained user experience quality, not just handling peak volume, ensuring operators build lasting value.
