Drake has lost a $1.5m sports bet after backing Argentina to defeat Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, adding another chapter to the long-running "Drake Curse" narrative.
The Canadian rapper shared his wager on Instagram a day before the final, revealing he had placed $1.5m on Lionel Scaloni's side to lift the trophy. Had Argentina won, the bet would have returned more than $5.1m to the ‘Hotline Bling’ singer.
Instead, Spain secured a 1-0 victory after extra time, with Ferran Torres scoring the decisive goal in the 106th minute to hand La Roja their second World Cup title.
Before the match had even kicked off, football fans had already begun joking that Drake's backing would hurt Argentina's chances. Following Spain's victory, social media was once again flooded with references to the so-called "Drake Curse," the belief that athletes and teams publicly supported by the rapper are unusually likely to lose.
Not even two weeks earlier, Drake reportedly lost another $1m after backing Conor McGregor, missing out on a potential $2.85m payout.
Argentina has also featured in the rapper's betting history before. During the 2024 Copa América, Drake wagered $300,000 on Canada to defeat Argentina in the semifinals, a bet that would have paid $2.88m.
One of the few exceptions came during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, when Drake backed Argentina to defeat France. Lionel Messi's side won on penalties to lift the trophy, though many fans dismissed the successful prediction as an anomaly.
Interestingly, betting trends ahead of this year's semifinal between Argentina and England reflected regional differences across the UK. According to Entain, 51% of bets placed by Scottish customers backed Argentina, compared with 34% supporting England.
Drake was named in a class action lawsuit filed in Missouri targeting the operator behind Stake.us, with Drake continuing to promote both Stake.us and Stake.com through sponsorship agreements
