Exploring Differences Between American & European Soccer Odds

It’s time to look at the differences between American & European soccer odds. One of the best sports to bet on in terms of volume and accessibility is soccer. With domestic leagues all over the world, there are games every day that bettors can take advantage of.

Plus, there are tournaments and cups in each league. Also, there are continental competitions like the Champions League, Europa League and CONCACAF Champions League. Not to mention the international competitions like friendlies, the World Cup, Euro 2021, Asian Cup, etc.

Soccer betting also provides numerous options for each game. Some of these are first scorer, last scorer, number of goals, exact final score, and card betting. There are those and many other opportunities to beat the market and win money.

The key to betting soccer, no matter where the games are, is to understand the odds. Two of the most famous odd options that you will see are the American odds and the European odds.

If you’re having trouble figuring out soccer odds, don’t discount using a sports pick service.

American Odds

American odds for soccer look the same as odds you see on other sports. The favorite is displayed with a minus sign in front of the odds (-150). The underdog is displayed with a plus sign (+250).

You will also see a third option with a draw, usually in the plus odds category.

For example, in an English Premier League game with American odds, you’ll see something like this: 

Manchester United -110 Draw +220 Chelsea +275

To win $100 on Manchester United, you have to wager $110. If you wager $100 on the draw line, you will win $220. If you bet $100 on Chelsea, you will win $275.

A parlay with American odds at top soccer sportsbooks will depend on the number of teams you select and their odds.

European Odds

European odds are displayed in decimals. You take your stake and multiply it by the odds to get your profit.

The break-even point is 2.0, so any team listed under 2.0 is the favorite. Any team over 2.0 is the underdog.

Showing that same example in European odds would look like this:

Manchester United 1.90 Draw 3.20 Chelsea 3.75

So if you bet $100 on Manchester United, you win $190 and profit $90. If you bet $100 on a draw and it hits, you win $320 and profit $220. If you bet the same $100 on Chelsea and it wins, you take home $375 for a $275 profit. 

A parlay in European odds gives you true odds as you simply multiply the decimals in the parlay for your parlay odds. If you take Manchester United at 2.0, Liverpool at 2.5 and Tottenham at 2.5, your parlay odds would be 12.50 (2 X 2.5 X 2.5). So a $100 bet on this parlay would win $1,350 with a profit of $1,250.

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Differences Between American & European Soccer Odds

When looking at the differences between American & European soccer odds, overall the odds are the same. You win or lose the same amount of money. The European odds, or decimal odds, are more intuitive and straightforward, especially for parlay purposes. 

There are numerous websites that will calculate your parlay odds for you if you don’t want to convert them yourself.