Drake loses $1.5 million betting on Lionel Messi and Argentina in World Cup

Drake lost $1.5 million betting on Argentina to beat Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, continuing his documented pattern of high-profile betting losses.

Objective Facts

Drake lost a $1.5 million bet on Argentina to beat Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on July 19, 2026, after Argentina fell 1-0, costing him a projected $5.1 million payout. The Canadian rapper made the wager through crypto casino Stake and publicly shared the bet slip with his 140 million Instagram followers ahead of the match. Drake has now wagered $38.72 million across 87 tracked public bets since February 2022, collecting only $37.17 million in returns for a net loss of $1.56 million at a 36.8% win rate. The loss reinforces the 'Drake Curse'—a widely recognized superstition suggesting that teams or athletes receiving his public support are destined for disappointing results.

Deep Dive

Drake's World Cup loss represents one of the most documented losing streaks in celebrity gambling, with the rapper having placed 87 tracked public bets since February 2022 and losing $1.56 million overall at a 36.8% win rate. Since April 30, 2024, his public betting has hemorrhaged $5.7 million, with soccer accounting for $1.67 million of those losses. The pattern has achieved a level of cultural notoriety: when Argentina fans discovered Drake's World Cup wager, their concern amplified because of his recent string of betting disasters. Drake has maintained a partnership with Stake since 2022, continuing to promote his bets on social media, with Stake co-founder Ed Craven stating they share "the same love for crypto, gambling and community." The 2026 World Cup final itself registered $5.5 billion in wagering across crypto betting venues, with the match drawing $4.28 billion in volume on Polymarket's World Cup winner contract alone. A mysterious whale created a fresh wallet ten hours before the final and bet $1.95 million on Spain at 59.1% odds, earning a $1.35 million profit, while another gambler staked $1.23 million on Argentina at 10% odds chasing a potential $12.35 million payout. Drake's loss stands as the highest-profile outcome of the tournament's betting frenzy, though it follows a broader pattern rather than an anomaly—Argentina and Lionel Messi, who rated among the final's poorest performers, became the latest victims of the curse. The betting announcement itself became part of the story's narrative arc. Drake shared a picture of his Stake bet slip on Instagram and captioned it sarcastically: "What's that saying??? Better luck next time… say less," a acknowledgment of his documented losing streak that framed the wager as self-aware rather than confident. Notably, Drake had won a $1 million bet on Argentina during the 2022 World Cup final against France, accurately predicting its triumph with penalties required, but that earlier win came despite Argentina ultimately triumphing, because Drake had bet on the 1×2 market where only the score after 90 minutes plus stoppage time counted, and the official betting result was a draw, meaning his wager lost. The 2026 loss thus completes a cycle of thematic irony across consecutive World Cup cycles.

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Drake loses $1.5 million betting on Lionel Messi and Argentina in World Cup

Drake lost $1.5 million betting on Argentina to beat Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, continuing his documented pattern of high-profile betting losses.

Jul 20, 2026
What's Going On
  • Canadian rapper Drake placed a $1.5 million bet on Argentina to win the 2026 World Cup final on July 19, 2026, but Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain, costing Drake a projected $5.1 million payout.
  • Drake made the wager through crypto casino Stake at +245 odds and publicly shared the bet slip with his 140 million Instagram followers ahead of kickoff.
  • Drake has dropped $5.7 million on public bets since April 2024, with a 36.8% win rate across 87 tracked wagers and a net loss of $1.56 million since February 2022.
  • The superstition known as the 'Drake Curse' suggests that any athlete or team receiving public support from the rapper is destined for a disappointing result.
  • The loss came when Spain's Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in extra time, after Drake had bet on Argentina to win within 90 minutes plus stoppage time.
Objective Deep Dive

Drake's World Cup loss represents one of the most documented losing streaks in celebrity gambling, with the rapper having placed 87 tracked public bets since February 2022 and losing $1.56 million overall at a 36.8% win rate. Since April 30, 2024, his public betting has hemorrhaged $5.7 million, with soccer accounting for $1.67 million of those losses. The pattern has achieved a level of cultural notoriety: when Argentina fans discovered Drake's World Cup wager, their concern amplified because of his recent string of betting disasters. Drake has maintained a partnership with Stake since 2022, continuing to promote his bets on social media, with Stake co-founder Ed Craven stating they share "the same love for crypto, gambling and community."

The 2026 World Cup final itself registered $5.5 billion in wagering across crypto betting venues, with the match drawing $4.28 billion in volume on Polymarket's World Cup winner contract alone. A mysterious whale created a fresh wallet ten hours before the final and bet $1.95 million on Spain at 59.1% odds, earning a $1.35 million profit, while another gambler staked $1.23 million on Argentina at 10% odds chasing a potential $12.35 million payout. Drake's loss stands as the highest-profile outcome of the tournament's betting frenzy, though it follows a broader pattern rather than an anomaly—Argentina and Lionel Messi, who rated among the final's poorest performers, became the latest victims of the curse.

The betting announcement itself became part of the story's narrative arc. Drake shared a picture of his Stake bet slip on Instagram and captioned it sarcastically: "What's that saying??? Better luck next time… say less," a acknowledgment of his documented losing streak that framed the wager as self-aware rather than confident. Notably, Drake had won a $1 million bet on Argentina during the 2022 World Cup final against France, accurately predicting its triumph with penalties required, but that earlier win came despite Argentina ultimately triumphing, because Drake had bet on the 1×2 market where only the score after 90 minutes plus stoppage time counted, and the official betting result was a draw, meaning his wager lost. The 2026 loss thus completes a cycle of thematic irony across consecutive World Cup cycles.