Not many punters bet on draws in football.
Your typical footy fan today will use popular markets like Over/Under 2.5 Goals, Final Score, and First Goal Scorer, but will very rarely bet on a match ending in a draw.
However, one of the most underrated markets is betting on the draw, especially if you’re looking for great odds and more potential profit.
How to Bet on Football Draws
Betting on any football game to end as a draw, whether it’s a Premier League game or Champions League tie, is simple.
Whichever bookie you’re a member with, all you have to do is:
- Choose the game you want to bet on (e.g. Arsenal vs Crystal Palace)
- Select ‘Draw’
- Choose a wager amount
The upcoming Premier League face off between Arsenal and Palace currently has a draw down at 18/5 odds, so if you bet £10 and the game finished 0-0, you’d bag yourself £46.
Typically, when you’re looking at the different markets for any game, you’ll see ‘Draw’ just alongside the ‘Home’ and ‘Away’ options, so it’s easy to spot.
Tips for Betting on Draws in Football
Never bet on a draw before?
You’re not alone, as it’s not a popular market.
We’ve got some expert-backed advice for you, though, and you should find it helpful as you start betting on draws for the first time.
Choose Lower League Games
Statistically, games from lower leagues have more draws than higher leagues.
If you look at the 2025/26 Premier League season, 24% of the games ended as draws.
But if you drop down to the Championship for that same season, 35% of the games were draws, which is a big difference.
Whichever footballing nation you pick, the lower leagues tend to produce more draws on average, largely due to the fact that teams are more pragmatic and evenly matched (the season-long aim for most of these teams is to get promotion, so they prioritize defense and picking up as many points as possible).
So, if you’re looking to place your first football draw bet, a league like the Championship is perfect to start with, particularly when there’s a game between two bottom-half sides who tend to park the bus rather than play front foot football.
Avoid Cup Matches
When betting on draws, never do it on cup matches.
Why?
Because draw bets don’t include extra time or penalties and are fully settled within 90 minutes.
If it’s a tense FA Cup tie with both teams desperate to get through, there’s always a good chance it’ll go to extra time, so it’s never worth the risk.
Instead, stick with league games for your draw bets, as they’re the much safer option.
Always Check the Stats
Are two teams playing each other with poor scoring records and favoritism for playing low blocks?
These are the types of games you want to be backing for draws.
Generally, the best thing to do is always check the stats and look at both teams’ records over their past 5 games before betting on a draw.
If they’re not scoring many goals and have both been struggling to pick up wins, it’s a good indicator for a potential draw, which is why stats are one of the best guiding tools when it comes to betting on draws.
Focus on Midweek Fixtures
Midweek fixtures are also a safe bet (pun intended) when it comes to draws.
Players are often more fatigued due to fixture congestion and playing at the weekend, so midweek games are often tight affairs that often finish 0-0 or 1-1.
It’s not a given, as plenty of midweek games can be stacked with goals, but they’re a much safer bet than weekend matchups, where teams are usually more attacking and at their best.
Derby Games Have a Reputation for Ending as Draws
Next, take advantage of derby matches.
If you’re a longtime footy supporter, you’ll know by now that derby games often get overhyped only to finish as stalemates, with both teams failing to break each other down.
This is good for bettors, as they can take advantage of it (in the 2025/26 Premier League season alone, there will be 50 derbies).
Ideally, what you want to do is pick derby games from the Championship or below between defensive teams. But before you do this, make sure to check what the previous derby scores have been between your chosen sides. If they have a history of draws, they’re worth a punt.
Use Expected Goals (xG) to Guide You
Lastly, you can use expected goals to guide your draw bets.
This strategy is simple, as all you’re doing is looking for games where both teams have low xGs (there are plenty of stats sites you can use for this).
For example, with the festive season approaching in the Premier League, Burnley (0.88) and Brentford (1.02) have the lowest xGs in the entire league. They’re stuck in a relegation battle because of this, so you can expect the next game between these two to be extremely close and more likely than not finish as a draw.
It’s important to stress that xG predictions don’t guarantee any actual result, but they are a helpful little tool when it comes to this tricky betting market.
What is ‘Draw No Bet’?
There’s also a popular football betting market known as ‘Draw No Bet’.
This is a type of bet where you choose which team you think will win or lose. If the game then ends in a draw, you get refunded, so it’s essentially a safety net.
It’s an excellent option for the supporters out there, especially those from lower leagues, who are scared a game might finish as a draw and cost them their bet.
All of the major bookies, including bet365 and William Hill, offer this market. And if you’re someone who wants to protect your bets from potentially being ruined by draws, we recommend using it.
Betting on Draws Can Be a Good Strategy, But Only When You Understand the Market
If you’re a footy fan, betting on draws can be worth it.
It’s a difficult type of bet to get right consistently, so you need to bet carefully.
And when you do place these bets, make sure you check team stats, xGs, and prioritise focusing on lower league games, especially midweek ones.
This definitely shouldn’t be your go-to betting market moving forward — as there are much better markets out there, like Over/Under 2.5 Goals — but it’s definitely worth it when the odds are valuable and both teams look like they’re going to serve up a stalemate.
Pick carefully, bet with a budget, and always check for high value draw odds.
