Goal timing markets move beyond the final scoreline and ask different questions: who scores next, who scores last, who scores a specific-numbered goal, or does any goal arrive in a particular time window. These markets are available pre-match on some bookmakers and in-play on most, and they settle on individual goal events rather than the full-time result.
What is Next Goal in betting?
Next Goal is an in-play market asking which team will score the next goal from the current moment in the match. Three selections are typically available:
- Home Team — the home team scores the next goal
- Away Team — the away team scores the next goal
- No More Goals — no further goal is scored before full time
The market resets and is updated after each goal — it always refers to the very next goal from the point you place the bet, not the first goal of the game. If you place a Next Goal bet when the score is 1-0, you are betting on who scores the second goal.
What is First Goal in betting?
First Goal is the pre-match version of Next Goal. Placed before kick-off, it asks which team scores the first goal of the entire match. Three outcomes:
- Home — the home team scores first
- Away — the away team scores first
- No Goal — the match ends 0-0 and no goal is scored by either team
If the match ends without a goal, "No Goal" wins. This is identical in settlement to a Next Goal bet placed before kick-off — because before kick-off, the next goal is also the first goal.
What is Last Goal in betting?
Last Goal asks which team scores the final goal of the match. Settlement is determined at full time: whichever team scored the last goal in the 90 minutes (plus stoppage time) is the winner.
Example: Arsenal vs Chelsea. Arsenal score in the 30th minute (1-0). Chelsea score in the 60th minute (1-1) and 85th minute (1-2). The final goal belongs to Chelsea (85th minute). Last Goal: Away wins. The fact that Arsenal scored first and Chelsea scored twice in the second half is irrelevant — only the final goal matters.
If the match ends 0-0, there is no last goal. The market is typically voided and stakes are returned.
What is Nth Goal in betting?
Nth Goal asks which team scores a specific-numbered goal. The "N" is a specific number — you might see "1st Goal," "2nd Goal," "3rd Goal," and so on.
Example — "3rd Goal": The goals in a match arrive in this order: Arsenal score (1st goal), Arsenal score again (2nd goal), Chelsea score (3rd goal). "Home 3rd Goal" loses (Arsenal did not score the 3rd goal). "Away 3rd Goal" wins (Chelsea scored it).
The Nth Goal market does not care about the overall scoreline or who is winning — it tracks only the sequence of goals and which team contributes each one.
What happens if the match doesn't reach the Nth goal?
If the predicted goal number is never reached — for example, you back "5th Goal: Home" and the match ends 2-1 with only 3 goals scored — the market is typically voided and the stake is returned. There is no result to settle against. Always check the specific bookmaker's terms, as some may have alternative rules.
When will the Nth goal be scored? (Interval markets)
Some bookmakers offer a variant asking when a specific goal will arrive rather than who scores it. Instead of picking the team, you pick the time window.
The match is divided into intervals and you predict which window contains the Nth goal. Common formats:
- 5-minute intervals: 1-5 min, 6-10 min, 11-15 min... 86-90+ min
- 10-minute intervals: 1-10 min, 11-20 min, 21-30 min... 81-90+ min
The "90+" window typically covers all stoppage time goals as well.
5-minute and 10-minute goal window markets
A related set of markets asks a simpler Yes/No question: will any goal be scored during a specific time window?
Example: "Goal Between 76-80 Min: Yes" wins if any goal — by either team — is scored between the 76th and 80th minute. If no goal arrives in that exact window, "No" wins.
These markets are entirely independent of each other. Whether there was a goal in the 71-75 window has no bearing on the 76-80 window market.
For the full overview of football markets, see Football Betting Markets Explained.
Frequently asked questions
Does an own goal count in Next Goal or Last Goal? Yes — own goals count as goals for the team that conceded them in most goal-timing markets. An own goal by the home team's defender is recorded as a goal for the away team. Note that some bookmakers exclude own goals from goalscorer markets (like anytime goalscorer) while still counting them in timing and sequence markets — check the bookmaker's specific terms.
If the match is 0-0 at full time, what happens to Last Goal? There is no last goal to settle against. The market is typically voided and stakes are returned to your account. A 0-0 draw produces no goal events, so there is no winning selection.
Are interval markets in-play only? Not necessarily — some bookmakers offer goal interval markets pre-match, particularly for matches with high-profile fixtures. However, they are more commonly available in-play as the match progresses, where the remaining time windows make the market more focused. Check your bookmaker's pre-match and in-play listings separately.