Quick answer
An anytime goalscorer bet wins if your chosen player scores at any moment in the match, first goal, equalizer, or stoppage-time winner, it all counts. The timing and the final result do not matter. You back a name to find the net once, and the same player can be backed across multiple matches in a sequence.
New to the markets? Our complete guide to betting on football walks you through odds, value, and staking before you back a scorer.
Last updated June 2026.
How does an anytime goalscorer bet work?
You pick a player, and you win if that player scores during the 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Own goals do not count for the scorer, and most books settle goalscorer markets at the end of normal time, so extra time and penalty shootouts are excluded. If your player gets a brace or a hat-trick, an anytime bet still pays the same single price, because one goal already settled it.
Three related scorer markets sit next to it:
- First goalscorer: your player must score the opening goal, higher odds, harder to land.
- Last goalscorer: your player scores the final goal of the match.
- To score 2 or more: a brace or better, the longest price of the group.
Anytime is the forgiving option. It cares only that the name appears on the scoresheet once. That is why it carries the shortest odds of the scorer family for any given player, and why it is the most popular leg in a same-game build.
When does an anytime goalscorer bet hold value?
Value lives where a player's true scoring chance beats the price. Penalty takers, central strikers on a heavy favorite, and players in a team projected for a high goal total are the obvious starting points. A forward whose side is expected to score three is in a very different spot from one whose team is projected for under one goal.
That is the cleanest read our model gives you. We project a team goal expectation for every fixture, and a high number lifts the odds that any one of its attackers scores. Convert any quoted price with the rule that implied probability equals one divided by the decimal odds: a 2.00 scorer price implies a 50 percent chance, so you only want it if you think the player beats that. We do not publish individual player prices, so treat the team goal projection as your guide, not a named-player guarantee.
Worked example: Argentina's goal expectation, Jordan vs Argentina (Jun 28)
Take Jordan vs Argentina on June 28 at the World Cup. Our model projects Argentina at roughly 3.0 goals and reads the match as a 1-3 away win, with the pick landing at about 62 percent confidence. When a team is expected to score three, the odds that one of its forwards gets on the sheet are strong, even though we never name a player or quote a player price.
| Model read for Jordan vs Argentina | Value |
|---|---|
| Projected away goals (Argentina) | about 3.0 |
| Predicted scoreline | 1-3 away win |
| Pick confidence | about 62% |
| Model best bet | Over 1.5 goals at 1.20 |
The honest move is to treat that 3.0 projection as a tailwind for the team's scorers, then check the player price your book offers against it. We surface the deeper player reads inside our premium prediction membership, where the goal model drives every market call.
Pro tip: pair the scorer read with the goals market
A team projected for three goals usually lines up with a high total, so a scorer pick often agrees with an Over 2.5 goals selection. If you like a forward to score, sanity-check it against the total and against both teams to score. When the goal model points one way and your scorer pick points the other, trust the data and pass.
Frequently asked questions
Does anytime goalscorer include extra time?
No. Almost every bookmaker settles anytime goalscorer on the 90 minutes plus stoppage time only. Goals in extra time or a penalty shootout do not count toward the market. If your player scores only in extra time of a knockout tie, the anytime bet loses, so always check the rules before you stake.
What happens if my anytime goalscorer player does not start?
Rules vary by book. Many void the bet and refund your stake if your named player takes no part in the match. Others keep it live if the player comes off the bench. A substitute who scores still wins an anytime bet, so a benched striker is not automatically a dead pick, but read the terms first.
Is anytime goalscorer better than first goalscorer?
For most bettors, yes. Anytime carries shorter odds but lands far more often, because your player can score at any point rather than having to open the scoring. First goalscorer pays more but asks for exact timing you cannot control. Anytime is the higher-strike-rate choice for steady staking.
Can I add an anytime goalscorer to an accumulator?
Yes, and it is a common acca leg. You can also fold it into a same-game build alongside the result and the total. Just remember each added leg lowers your overall chance of a clean sweep, so a scorer pick on a shaky favorite can quietly sink an otherwise strong slip.
Related guides
- How correct score betting works
- Both teams to score, explained
- Reading the over 2.5 goals line
- The best AI football prediction sites
Ready to back a scorer on a high-goal favorite? Megapari prices the goalscorer markets we have covered here.
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