Home Team to Win to Nil: What Does it Mean in Football Betting?

In football betting, when you select the Home Team to Win to Nil option, you are betting on the home team winning the match without conceding a goal. In other words, you are backing the home team to score at least 1 goal and the away team scoring zero (0). That means that the scoreline will be; 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 4-0, 5-0, and so on.

The odds for this are usually higher than the 1×2 market (straight win) because, with the Home Team to Win to Nil market, two things must happen for you to win the bet. Higher risk means higher reward.

The two things that must happen are:

• The Home team wins: You are betting on the home team to win the game. Any other outcome will result in a lost bet.
• The away team scores zero (0) goals: You are betting on the away team to NOT score in the game.

This is what separates it from the regular straight win option, which typically has lower odds. If you are betting on the Home Team to Win to Nil, it means you expect the home side to dominate the game while the away side is unlikely to score due to having few attacking options to trouble the home team’s defence.

Usually, such games have really small odds for a straight win for the home side, because they are clear favourites. This option allows you to boost your winnings.

This football betting market falls under the market called “Win to Nil” meaning you are betting on any team to win the game and keep a clean sheet (or vice versa). For this guide, we will focus on the “home team to win to nil” bet.

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How Does a Home Team to Win to Nil Bet Work?

The Home Team to Win to Nil bet gives you a chance to make extra money, especially when backing big teams who are playing at home against minnows. Since those teams typically have low odds to win, due to them being overwhelming favourites, you can make more than you would have made from a straight win bet.

This market can only have two outcomes. It either happens or it doesn't, so bookmakers offer only ‘Yes‘ and ‘No‘ options.

If you say ‘Yes’ to both things happening, your bet cannot win if only one happens. For instance, if the home team wins the game but concedes, your bet is lost. If the away team fails to score, but the home team doesn't score either, your bet is lost.

Both things must happen for you to win this bet: the home team must win, and the away team must not score.

Scenarios, Examples and Outcomes

Here are all the possible scenarios and outcomes for the Home Team to Win to Nil bet:

Home Team to Win to Nil – Yes:

• Home team wins but they concede (2-1 score) – Bet Lost
• Home team wins without conceding (1-0 score) – Bet Won
• Home team loses and concedes (0-1 score) – Bet Lost
• Game ends in a draw (0-0 score) – Bet Lost

Home Team to Win to Nil – No:

• Home team wins but they concede (2-1 score) – Bet Won
• Home team wins without conceding (1-0 score) – Bet Lost
• Home team loses and concedes (0-1 score) – Bet Won
• Game ends in a draw (0-0 score) – Bet Won

What Does a Home Team to Win To Nil Bet Look Like?

I will illustrate how this market works with a real-match example from the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

Manchester City face Al Hilal in the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup. On Sportybet, City’s straight win odds are 1.37, while Al Hilal’s are 8.49. The odds for a draw are 5.84.

This means Manchester City are overwhelming favourites to win, based on the difference in odds for the two teams.

If you back Manchester City but feel their odds are too low, you can go for the higher risk option of Home Team Win to Nil. “Yes” is 2.45 odds while “No” is 1.55 odds.

Whether you choose to bet ‘Yes' or ‘No', you will get better value than a straight win bet gives you. If your research suggests Al Hilal will score, you can go for the option of Home Team to Win to Nil “No”, meaning the bet is also won if Manchester City fail to win. The “No” option gives you more flexibility for games with any uncertainty.

Example:

The image above shows an accumulator bet with one Home Team to Win to Nil ‘No' selection on Real Madrid vs Barcelona on Sportybet. As you can see, since Real, who are the home team, lost, the bet was won. The bet was won as soon as Real Madrid conceded, as the bet was that they wouldn't keep a clean sheet, and even if they did, they wouldn't win. So, a goalless draw would also have settled this bet as a winner.

In scenarios like the one above, where two evenly matched teams face off, this market can offer some added security, especially if both sides have equally strong attacks.

Advantages of Home Team to Win to Nil Bets

This market offers some advantages that should make you consider incorporating it into your betting strategy:

• You get better odds than in the straight win market. From the screenshots above, you can see the significant difference in odds the Home Team to Win to Nil bet offers.
• It is also ideal for heavy favourites. Imagine Arsenal hosting newly-promoted Sunderland. The Gunners will be overwhelming favourites to win, so you can go for this market, as Sunderland are unlikely to attack or get shots on target.
• It is also great when:
  • The home team has a strong defence: Using the same example, you already know that Arsenal are strong defensively, especially at home.
  • The away team is a weak opponent that rarely scores: Against a newly promoted side at home, it’s hard to see Arsenal conceding a goal. In such a game, it makes sense to go for this market.
• This bet also has good payout potential. Depending on your strategy for selecting games, this market can give you good profit.

Tips for Winning Win to Nil Bets

You should never make betting selections at random. Always ensure that a strategy guides your picks. These are some of my tried-and-trusted tips to help you get value from this market:

• Check the stats: Make sure you are using data to predict outcomes. Analyse the home team’s defence and clean sheet record. Also, check the head-to-head record between both teams, especially at that venue. Sites like WhoScored and Sofascore are good resources for analysing teams’ stats.
• Consider the away team’s scoring record: Some teams you wouldn't expect are good on the road. Make sure you take this into consideration so you know whether to go “Yes” or “No”.
• Analyse team’s tactics: Who will be more attacking or more pragmatic? Will it be an open, end-to-end game, or will it be heavy possession vs a low block? Knowing how teams typically set up for games will guide you in making smart home to win to nil picks.
• Check for team news: Notable absences can impact a game. Key players, designated set-piece takers, can be the difference between a won and lost bet.
• Consider match context and conditions: Make sure you know what the stakes are for both teams before betting on a game. For example, a game in which both sides only need a draw will likely not see much goalmouth action or a winner. Also consider weather conditions as they can impact performances on either side of the pitch.

Best Nigerian Betting Sites for Win to Nil Bets

If you find this market exciting, you can start exploring it. These are three betting sites I strongly recommend because they usually offer big odds and cashout options for this market.

• BetKing: Win to Nil odds are usually high, so you get more value.
• Betway: Great Home Team to Win to Nil odds.
• 1xBet: Highest number of markets, including Any Team to Win to Nil. You can easily search for the Home Team to Win to Nil market in the search bar.

You’ll also find this market on most of the top betting sites in Nigeria we've reviewed. If you found this guide helpful, check out our other betting guides for more tips that can help you make better picks and win more often.

FAQs About Home Team to Win to Nil Bets