The reasons and data behind the preference for Over 2.5

According to Altenar's analysis, the vast majority of football bettors prefer the Over side in the total goals market. Altenar's football monitoring director Anestis Grazdanis said that between 65 and 80 percent of bettors generally choose the Over market. He noted that Over 2.5 is so appealing for two main reasons: it is psychologically attractive and fun. Grazdanis added that a strong tendency toward Under could point to more professional money flow.

The review How Rational Is Gambling?, published in the Journal of Economic Surveys, reports that about 81% of bets on football matches are on the Over side. The review is based on a study published in 2016. Altenar looked at more recent data to examine whether this picture still holds today.

Altenar's data for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final points to a result with more goals scored. The most chosen option in the total goals market was Over 1.5 (two or more goals). Over 2.5 ranked second with 18.77%, followed by Over 0.5 with 13.81%.