Superior research
BTTS Statistics: What 68,010 Football Matches Show
Both teams scored slightly more often than they did not across this sample. That near-even split hides a large gap between qualified leagues. A league average can give you context. It cannot price the next fixture on its own.
The five findings that matter
The headline rate is only the start. League, scoreline and favorite-price splits change the picture.
- BTTS Yes landed 35,596 times. That is 52.34% of the full sample.
- One or both teams failed to score in 47.66%. This includes 5,146 goalless draws.
- 1-1 was the most common scoreline. It occurred 7,566 times, equal to 11.12%.
- Qualified league rates spanned 28.34 percentage points. The comparison uses a 300-match floor.
- Ultra-short favorites changed the goal pattern. BTTS fell to 41.01% below a 1.20 favorite price, while those matches averaged 3.82 goals.
How often do both teams score in football?
BTTS Yes occurred slightly more often than BTTS No. The difference was 3,182 matches.
| Measure | Matches | Share |
|---|---|---|
| BTTS Yes | 35,596 | 52.34% |
| BTTS No | 32,414 | 47.66% |
| 0-0 draw | 5,146 | 7.57% |
| At least one clean sheet | 32,414 | 47.66% |
| BTTS Yes 95% Wilson interval | n/a | 51.96% to 52.71% |
| Average goals per match | n/a | 2.75 |
| Over 2.5 goals | n/a | 51.77% |
The narrow Wilson interval shows that the sample estimate is precise. It does not turn the overall rate into the probability for a particular match.
BTTS and Over 2.5 describe different events:
- BTTS without Over 2.5: A 1-1 result lands BTTS Yes and stays under the goal line.
- Over 2.5 without BTTS: A 3-0 result clears the goal line while one team fails to score.
Which leagues had the highest BTTS rates?
China and Switzerland led the qualified competitions. Argentina's two largest samples sat at the other end. Only leagues with at least 300 recorded matches appear below.
| League | Country | Matches | BTTS Yes | Goals | 0-0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super League | China | 362 | 64.36% | 3.19 | 3.87% |
| Super League | Switzerland | 346 | 64.16% | 3.17 | 4.62% |
| 3. Liga | Germany | 554 | 61.37% | 3.08 | 5.60% |
| National League North | England | 479 | 60.96% | 3.07 | 4.18% |
| Major League Soccer | United States | 679 | 60.68% | 3.11 | 5.60% |
| Eredivisie | Netherlands | 447 | 60.63% | 3.09 | 3.80% |
| Primera Nacional | Argentina | 397 | 36.02% | 1.84 | 16.37% |
| Primera Division | Argentina | 733 | 39.84% | 1.98 | 15.01% |
| Premier Soccer League | South Africa | 343 | 41.69% | 2.05 | 12.83% |
| Premier League | Ukraine | 339 | 43.36% | 2.42 | 10.62% |
| First League | Bulgaria | 414 | 45.41% | 2.37 | 10.87% |
| 1. Division | Cyprus | 342 | 45.61% | 2.62 | 5.85% |
China's Super League: 64.36%, with a 95% Wilson interval from 59.30% to 69.12%.
Argentina's Primera Nacional: 36.02%, with an interval from 31.45% to 40.86%.
Those intervals do not overlap. League identity still cannot settle a bet. Team selection, venue splits, injuries, lineup strength and the offered price all matter at fixture level.
The shortest favorites produced fewer BTTS results
Ultra-short favorites produced the most goals and the lowest BTTS rate outside the small longest-price band.
| Shortest 1X2 price | Matches | BTTS Yes | Goals | Favorite won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.01 to 1.19 | 1,902 | 41.01% | 3.82 | 87.91% |
| 1.20 to 1.49 | 8,994 | 51.10% | 3.13 | 71.58% |
| 1.50 to 1.79 | 14,729 | 52.71% | 2.82 | 57.95% |
| 1.80 to 2.09 | 16,443 | 53.35% | 2.68 | 48.96% |
| 2.10 to 2.49 | 21,386 | 53.55% | 2.60 | 41.12% |
| 2.50 or higher | 4,556 | 48.97% | 2.31 | 36.22% |
A match can look open because one side is expected to score several goals while the other contributes nothing. High expected total goals and a strong BTTS Yes case are different ideas.
The price split is descriptive. The source file contains 1X2 odds and does not contain BTTS market prices, so this analysis cannot establish value or profit.
The most common scorelines explain the split
Three of the six most frequent scorelines landed BTTS Yes and three landed BTTS No. Together, those six results covered 52.39% of the study.
| Rank | Score | Matches | Share | BTTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1-1 | 7,566 | 11.12% | Yes |
| 2 | 1-0 | 6,813 | 10.02% | No |
| 3 | 2-1 | 5,934 | 8.73% | Yes |
| 4 | 0-1 | 5,302 | 7.80% | No |
| 5 | 0-0 | 5,146 | 7.57% | No |
| 6 | 1-2 | 4,871 | 7.16% | Yes |
| 7 | 2-0 | 4,764 | 7.00% | No |
| 8 | 2-2 | 3,336 | 4.91% | Yes |
| 9 | 0-2 | 3,211 | 4.72% | No |
| 10 | 3-1 | 2,746 | 4.04% | Yes |
The most common exact result still appeared in only about one match out of nine. Historical frequency can narrow a score distribution, but it does not make an exact-score prediction reliable.
How to use a BTTS league rate
A useful read starts with the base rate and then moves closer to the teams and market price.
- Start with the league baseline. A 60% competition and a 40% competition create different starting points.
- Split each team's record by venue. Home scoring and away concession rates are more relevant than one blended season number.
- Check whether one attack may dominate alone. Very short favorites produced fewer BTTS results despite high goal averages.
- Convert the offered odds into implied probability. Decimal odds of 1.80 imply 55.56% before adjusting for market margin.
- Read current team news. Missing forwards, goalkeepers and deliberate rotation can change both sides of the equation.
Recent head-to-head results deserve limited weight. Coaches, players and game states change, so current home and away scoring data usually gives a cleaner comparison.
Methodology and limitations
This is a descriptive study of completed results and prematch 1X2 odds. It measures how often an event occurred in a fixed dataset. It does not test a BTTS betting system.
- Matches
- 68,010
- Leagues
- 649
- Countries
- 130
- Window
- 16 January 2025 to 15 July 2026
Each row records the date, competition, country, prematch home-draw-away prices, regulation-time score and derived favorite result. BTTS Yes means both recorded goal totals are greater than zero.
- The overall result is match-weighted. Leagues with more recorded fixtures contribute more to the total.
- The 18-month window cannot prove a permanent league trait or long-term trend.
- Friendlies, youth, reserve and women's competitions were excluded by the source quality policy.
- The league table uses a threshold of 300 completed matches, declared before ranking.
- The public file has 1X2 prices, but no BTTS Yes or No prices. It cannot establish betting value.
Download the complete source CSV to inspect the match rows. Betfair's football rules settle standard markets over regulation time plus stoppage time. Extra time and penalty shootouts are excluded unless a market states otherwise, matching the score treatment used here.
BTTS statistics FAQ
What percentage of football matches have both teams scoring?
Both teams scored in 52.34% of the matches in this study. The figure describes this fixed sample, rather than every football match worldwide.
Which league had the highest BTTS rate?
China's Super League recorded the highest qualified rate at 64.36%. It led the competitions that cleared the predeclared sample threshold.
Does 0-0 count as both teams to score?
No. A 0-0 result settles BTTS No because neither team scored. Goalless draws made up 7.57% of the sample.
Does BTTS include extra time?
This study counts regulation time plus stoppage time. It excludes extra time and penalty shootouts, matching Betfair's general soccer settlement rule.
Is BTTS the same as Over 2.5 goals?
No. A 1-1 score lands BTTS Yes and Under 2.5, while a 3-0 score lands BTTS No and Over 2.5.
Does a short-priced favorite make BTTS No a good bet?
The dataset does not contain BTTS prices, so this study cannot establish value. Use the historical split as context for checking the teams and market price.
Apply the baseline
Price the actual match
Treat the league rate as a starting point, then demand team-level evidence and a price that pays for the risk.
See today's BTTS predictions