Argentina and captain Lionel Messi are once again at the centre of football superstition as they prepare to face Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.
The reigning champions head into Sunday’s showdown carrying the weight of another viral omen after Canadian rapper Drake placed a $1.5 million bet on them to win.
The latest superstition comes just a week after Argentina appeared to shake off the widely discussed “IShowSpeed Curse.” Now, attention has shifted to the internet-famous “Drake Curse,” with fans speculating whether the South American giants can overcome another off-field narrative as they chase back-to-back World Cup titles.
Drake revealed on Friday (US time) that he is backing Argentina by posting a screenshot of his betting slip on Instagram. The wager, valued at $1.5 million, is on Argentina defeating Spain within the regulation 90 minutes plus stoppage time.
“What’s that saying??? Better luck next time…say less,” Drake wrote in the caption accompanying the post.
Should Argentina secure victory within normal time, the rapper, popularly known as “Champagne Papi,” stands to receive a payout of approximately $5.1 million.
Despite his success in the music industry, Drake’s public sports wagers have repeatedly attracted attention because of the so-called “Drake Curse,” a superstition suggesting that teams or athletes he publicly supports often fail to deliver.
The rapper found himself in a similar situation during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, when he staked $1 million on Argentina to beat France within regulation time through his partnership with Stake. Although Argentina eventually lifted the trophy, the match extended into extra time before penalties, meaning Drake’s prediction did not come through and the wager was lost.
Like the “IShowSpeed Curse,” the “Drake Curse” has become a recurring topic among sports fans, even though it has not always proved accurate. Nevertheless, the rapper has recorded several high-profile betting losses across different sporting events over the years.
According to reports, football has been among Drake’s least successful betting ventures, with Marca estimating his net losses in the sport at more than $1.9 million.
The website, TheDrakeCurse.com, which tracks the rapper’s publicly known sports bets, currently labels him as “cursed,” reporting that he is down “$1.56 all-time from his public sports bets.”
Data published by the site indicates that Drake has placed 87 public sports bets over the past decade, winning 32 of them for a success rate of 36.8%. While the UFC remains the sport on which he has wagered the most money, with $14.45 million spread across 26 bets, cricket is reportedly his most profitable betting market, generating gains of nearly $997,500.
Among his recent betting setbacks are a reported $1 million loss after the Patriots were beaten by the Seahawks in the Super Bowl in February, as well as a $300,000 wager on Jannik Sinner to defeat Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open.
Whether Drake can finally shake off the “curse” may ultimately depend on Sunday’s much-anticipated World Cup final, which will also feature the headline clash between Lionel Messi and Spain’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal. The encounter has drawn added attention because it comes nearly two decades after a now-famous photograph showed a young Messi bathing baby Yamal during a charity photoshoot.
