The successful staging of the 2026 Fifa World Cup has driven a sharp rise in the use of sports prediction and online gaming platforms in the UAE. According to newly released figures, 49 per cent of all predictions placed during the World Cup final were made live, during the match itself, signalling a shift away from pre-match predictions toward real-time engagement.
A key driver behind the surge was the record presence of eight Arab teams at the expanded 48-team 2026 tournament. Among them, Morocco's run to the quarter-finals produced the largest single jump in user engagement, underlining how strongly regional fans respond when an Arab team performs well on the world stage.
In the UAE, Play971 remains the only licensed online sports gaming platform permitted to operate. It is regulated by the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), the body established in 2023 to oversee the sector nationally. Under current rules, only users aged 21 and above, and physically present within the UAE, may access the platform's services.
Philippa Bowland, commercial director for iGaming at Play971, said the response during the World Cup validated everything the company had set out to achieve, calling football's biggest stage the first major proof point for the business. She noted that Morocco, as one of the tournament's most universally backed teams, saw the greatest swing in betting odds from the start of the competition to its end. Kylian Mbappé also emerged as the most-backed goalscorer among bettors on the platform.
Looking ahead, Play971 has identified cricket as its next natural area for growth, and has brought on former Australian cricket star Brett Lee as a brand ambassador to support that expansion.