‘Drake curse’ continues with rapper losing £1.1m bet as Spain win World Cup

The musician backed the South American side in the final of the international football tournament, but lost it all after Spain’s 1-0 victory in extra time

Canadian rapper Drake has seen the infamous “curse” strike again after losing a staggering £1.1million by backing Argentina to win the World Cup final.

Superstitious sports fans have long joked that the chart-topper is a bad omen for any team or athlete he supports, with a string of high-profile bets ending in heartbreak.

This time, the 39-year-old put $1.5million (£1.12million) on Argentina to lift the trophy. Had Lionel Messi’s side won, Drake would have landed a whopping $5.1million (£3.8million) payout.

Before kick-off, the Hotline Bling star shared a screenshot of his eye-watering wager on social media.

For many football fans, that was all the proof they needed that Spain would come out on top. One joked on X: “Argentina’s toughest opponent isn’t Spain, it’s Drake’s $1.5M Stake bet.” Another quipped: “Damnit. Just when I went big on [Argentina]. Might have to cash out.”

They were proved right as Spain edged Argentina 1-0 after extra time to lift the World Cup. Ferran Torres grabbed the winner after Argentina were reduced to 10 men when Enzo Fernandez was sent off in the 93rd minute.

It isn’t the first time Drake has been left red-faced after a huge wager.

Earlier this month, he revealed he had staked $1million (£740,000) on Conor McGregor to win his UFC comeback fight. Instead, the Irish fighter suffered a first-round injury before losing by TKO.

The rapper’s remarkable run of betting misfortune has even inspired a website, TheDrakeCurse.com, which tracks his unsuccessful picks. According to the site, Drake has lost $1.56million (£1.16million) across 87 failed bets.

Drake wasn’t the only person to have money riding on the 2026 World Cup. Financial services firm Macquarie estimates the tournament is on course to become the biggest gambling event of all time, with around $50billion (£37.1billion) wagered across the competition.

That works out at roughly $500million (£371million) being staked on every match.

Macquarie analyst Chad Beynon told the BBC that live, in-play betting has transformed the way fans gamble.

He said: “Now it’s all about reacting to what you’re seeing on the field, adjusting your views. Whereas before it was kind of sit, watch, wait – you had to place your bet before the match.”

Born Aubrey Drake Graham, the Canadian superstar is behind hits including One Dance, Passionfruit and Hold On, We’re Going Home. The five-time Grammy winner released three new albums – Iceman, Maid Of Honour and Habibti – in May, giving him his seventh UK number one album with Iceman. He also recently made headlines over his long-running feud with Kendrick Lamar.