The Sweet 16 Football Bet Explained

There are a multitude of bets out there available for punters to use, but one of the best of them is also one of the least known. This is the Sweet 16 bet, perfect for football and one that has faded away from significance, after being incredibly popular back in the 80s and 90s with punters.
What is a Sweet 16 Bet?
A Sweet 16 bet is a multiple bet, and as the name suggests there are a total of 16 bets inside the wager.
You have five selections in the bet, and it works best when you are wanting to do something a little different.
If you want to add an additional selection to a Yankee, the Sweet 16 is a good way to do that, if you want to cut down on the cost of your Canadian, the Sweet 16 can also help with that.
From the five selections, you need three or more winners to get any kind of return, which is what makes this bet perfect for football. If you are fed up of placing accas and falling short by one or two, you need to look at alternative bets, and this is one of them you can use.
What Bets Make Up a Sweet 16?
The 16 bets in a Sweet 16 are as follows:
10 x trebles (covering every combination of three teams)
5 x fourfold accas (covering every combination of four teams)
1 x fivefold acca (covering all teams)
If you get one or two right from your five selections, you will receive no return.
- Three right will give you one winning treble and 15 losing bets
- Four right will give you four winning trebles and one winning fourfold acca
- All five right will mean that all 16 bets win
If a Sweet 16 is not listed as a bet type by your bookmaker, you can place level stakes trebles, fourfolds and a fivefold on your five selections to replicate the bet.
The Best Way to Use a Sweet 16?
If you are betting on football teams that are odds against and you don’t want to risk an accumulator, this is where the Sweet 16 bet will really shine.
For example:
If you place a bet on five teams who are all priced up at 6/4 and three win, you will get enough back to return your stake. This means you can bet on five, get three out of five and not lose anything other than a few pennies.
However, it is with four and five winners when this really mounts up.
Using the 6/4 price example, here is what you can expect:
- Three winners from five at 6/4 = £15.62 back for £16 stake
- Four winners from five at 6/4 = £101.56 back for £16 stake
- Five winners from five at 6/4 = £449.22 for £16 stake
As you can see, this bet gives you the insurance that some people like of getting your money back if you only have three winners, but the potential for big returns if you are lucky enough to get all five correct.
It is a nice alternative to placing an accumulator, and hopefully, the bet gets the recognition it deserves once more.
Best 10 New Bookmakers
![]() |
£30 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
18+ New customers only. Place a £10+ bet at min odds 1/1 (2.0) within 14 days of sign-up. Get £30 in Free Bets, valid for 7 days on selected bets only. Free stake not returned with winnings. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org |
||
![]() |
£20 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
18+. New players only. Deposit £20 and bet £20 in one transaction at odds of 2.00+ to receive a £20 free bet after settlement. Use within 7 days; stake not returned. Affordability checks apply. Terms apply. Gamble responsibly. GambleAware.org. |
||
![]() |
£20 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
New verified customers only. Opt-in required. Deposit £20 and earn £1 of Free Bet value for every £1 staked on Bet Builders at combined odds of 2.0 (1/1) or greater. Min Reward: £1 Free Bet / Max Reward: £20 Free Bet. Cash in or claim within 48 hours of promo end. Free Bets expire 7 days after claim. 18+ GambleAware.org |
||
![]() |
10 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
100% Casino Bonus up to £100 (new players only), £10 min deposit, no max cash out, 40x wagering, £5 max bet with active bonus, eligibility restricted for suspected abuse, cashback unrestricted, Skrill & Neteller excluded, T&Cs apply. Free bet min odds 2.0; free bet value deducted from winnings. |
||
![]() |
£20 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
T&Cs apply. 18+ New customers only. You must place a £10+ single or multi bet. Min odds of 1/2 (1.50). Money back as £20 in free bets, 1 per account. Free bet applied by 5pm the day after your qualifying bet settles. Excludes specials, bet builders & cashed-out bets don’t count. Must use code B10G20 when creating an account. |
||
![]() |
£0 | SIGN UP HERE |
![]() |
£10 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
Place qualifying bet within 7 days of reg (Min £10 at odds of EVS+). 2 x £5 free bets awarded once qualifying bet settles (18+). Full T&C’s Apply |
||
![]() |
£30 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
*New members only. £10+ bet on sportsbook (ex. virtuals) at 1.5 min odds, settled within 14 days. Free Bets: accept in 7 days, valid 7 days on sportsbook only. 2x£5 Free Bets for Bet Builder only. Stake not returned. T&Cs + deposit exclusions apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware®. 18+ |
||
![]() |
£40 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
Deposit £10+ and place a sports bet within 7 days from registration. Get 4 x £10 Free Bets - 2 x Football Accas (4+) & 2 x Sports Multiples (2+), valid 7 days. Min odds apply. Excludes virtual sports, esports and non-UK/IE horse racing. Opt-in required. 18+. T&Cs apply. |
||
![]() |
10 | SIGN UP HERE |
|
18+ New customers only. Place a £10 bet on win or each-way Sportsbook or Racing markets to receive £10 free bet. Qualifying bet must be at min odds 1/1 (2.0). Credited to account with 24 hours of bet settlement. Max 1 free bet per customer. Cash out voids eligibility. See website for full T&C’s. |
||









