Canadian rapper, Drake, has suffered another high-profile betting loss after Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The music superstar had staked $1.5 million on Argentina to beat Spain within the regulation 90 minutes plus stoppage time, sharing a screenshot of the wager on Instagram ahead of the match.
“What’s that saying??? Better luck next time…say less,” Drake wrote in the caption accompanying the betting slip.
Had Argentina won the final within normal time, the rapper, popularly known as “Champagne Papi,” would have collected an estimated payout of about $5.1 million. Instead, Spain prevailed through Ferran Torres’ extra-time winner in the 106th minute, ensuring Drake’s latest prediction failed to materialise.
The result has once again fuelled discussion around the so-called “Drake Curse,” a long-running superstition among sports fans claiming that teams and athletes publicly backed by the rapper often fail to win. Although the theory has produced mixed results over the years, Drake has endured several costly betting defeats across major sporting events.
This is not the first time Argentina have been involved in one of Drake’s unsuccessful World Cup wagers. During the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, he placed a $1 million bet on Lionel Messi’s side to defeat France within regulation time. Argentina eventually lifted the trophy after extra time and a penalty shootout, but because the match did not end within 90 minutes plus stoppage time, the bet was ruled a loss.
According to reports, football remains one of Drake’s least successful betting markets, with Marca estimating his losses on the sport at more than $1.9 million. The website, TheDrakeCurse.com, which tracks his publicly known wagers, currently lists him as “cursed” and says he is down “$1.56 all-time from his public sports bets.”
Statistics published by the site show Drake has made 87 public sports bets over the past decade, winning 32 for a success rate of 36.8 percent. While the UFC accounts for his largest betting volume, cricket is reportedly his most profitable sport, generating gains of nearly $997,500.
Spain’s victory not only denied Argentina the chance to retain the World Cup title but also added another chapter to Drake’s growing list of unsuccessful sports bets.
