Argentina will face Spain in the 2026 Fifa World Cup final on Sunday – but betting fans are now convinced the European nation will win thanks to a bet placed by Canadian rap star Drake
Football fans have become convinced Argentina will lose the 2026 FIFA World Cup – after rap star Drake placed a bet they will win. On Sunday night, the South American nation will face off against Spain for a chance to win the golden trophy.
But superstitious sport fans think Argentina has been given the kiss of death after being backed by Canadian music sensation Drake. The 39-year-old chart-topping star has a track record for backing the wrong side and placing bets on teams or sporting personalities that then go on to lose.
Football fans are now sure that Spain will scoop the Fifa trophy after the Hotline Bling singer placed a $1.5 million (£1.12 million) bet that Lionel Messi’s team would win the cup. If Drake is correct, he stands to win a huge $5.1 million prize (£3.8 million).
Taking to social media ahead of the hotly anticipated World Cup final, Drake shared a screenshot showing he had placed a big-money bet on Argentina to win. The bet is proof enough for many that the Spanish team – captained by Rodrigo Hernández Cascante, known as Rodri or Rodrigo – will win instead.
Taking to social media, many sports fans have turned to mocking Drake over his betting choice – and highlighted the bad string of bets he has recently placed. One fan on X, formerly known as Twitter, typed: “Argentina’s toughest opponent isn’t Spain, it’s Drake’s $1.5M Stake bet.”
And another sports fan joked on X: “Damnit. Just when I went big on [Argentina]. Might have to cash out.” Earlier this month, Drake appeared to prove himself a bad source of betting advice.
He revealed on social media that he placed a $1 million (£740,000) bet on Conor McGregor winning his UFC comeback fight. However, the Irish fighter injured himself in the first round and then suffered a TKO loss.
Drake’s string of betting bad luck has even led to the creation of a website called TheDrakeCurse.com, which has been keeping track of his terrible betting choices. The website claims that the music star – who has also produced hit TV shows including Top Boy for Netflix and Euphoria for HBO – has lost $1.56 million (£1.16 million) thanks to 87 bad bets.
Drake is far from the only person to have a flutter on the 2026 World Cup – with financial services firm Macquarie claiming the sporting contest is on track to become the biggest gambling event of all time. They estimate that approximately $50 billion (£37.1 billion) has been placed on bets for the football event.
This averages to $500 million (£371 million) being bet on each match, with the contest set to conclude on Sunday night with the Argentina v Spain final.
Chad Beynon, an analyst at Macquarie, explained to the BBC that in-play betting had dramatically changed the way gambling fans were placing bets, which traditionally involved putting your money down ahead of a match. He told the outlet: “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.”
The 2026 World Cup final is set to take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, near New York City in the United States, on Sunday night, with kick-off expected at 8pm UK time. The finale is expected to be packed full of entertainment beyond the sport taking place on the pitch.
A closing ceremony will take place ahead of the first whistle, with performances by Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams, IShowSpeed, and Jennifer Hudson. And for the first time, there will be a half-time show spectacle, which is tipped to run for 18 minutes.
Music legend Madonna will take to the ceremony to belt out songs – with Shakira, BTS and Justin Bieber also expected to perform. The glitzy final is expected to raise $100 million (£740,000) for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.
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