A friendly match is a game that does not involve points, rewards or trophies. Friendly matches are often played for testing purposes. They are therefore often called test matches.
These matches are played in all sports and in all leagues. They often take place in preparation for a new season or a major tournament.
As a rule, international matches, i.e. comparisons between two nations, receive the most attention. Especially on the way to the World Cup in Qatar, many nations will play each other in friendly matches. We take a look at the international matches in particular.
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The first official friendly international match took place in 1872 between England and Scotland. Other countries followed much later with their first international matches: Argentina played its neighbour Uruguay in 1902. Germany played Switzerland in 1917, and Spain against Belgium in 1921 – but the Spanish began their international history with an official international against Denmark at the Olympic Games in Brussels in 1920. Brazil played its first friendly international in 1914 against long-time rival Argentina.
Many other nations followed. Especially in the countries that were part of the British Commonwealth, the first international matches took place much earlier than in other regions.
As a rule, all friendly matches are also offered by sports betting providers. Depending on the notoriety of the participating teams, there is also varying coverage in the media or live broadcasts on television.
Since nothing is at stake in friendly matches, the motivation of the favoured team is often low. This can result in bets on the underdog having low value. In general, however, it is difficult to determine the outcome of friendly matches. Many teams hold back and do not give 100%, players do not want to risk injuries, and coaches try out new formations, tactics or players. This makes it difficult to make an accurate forecast and must be assessed individually by our experienced editors.
It can be observed that in international matches the home team wins more often: In 2022 through April, 51% of matches were won by the hosts, which is reflected in a difference of 0.56 goals on goal difference. Moreover, with little at stake, there are on average many more goals than in official international matches. In 2022 (as of April 2022), 55% of all international friendlies ended with more than 2.5 goals. A big difference from regular matches can be seen in the number of yellow cards. In 2022, there was an average of only 2.4 cards per match.
Our experienced authors know exactly which match predictions are worthwhile and which are not.
