The tension surrounding the biggest game in football has reached a boiling point, and music icon Drake has just raised the stakes to an unbelievable level. The Canadian superstar took to Instagram to reveal he has placed a staggering $1.5 million bet on Lionel Messi and Argentina to defeat Spain in Sunday’s highly anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup final. Wagered via the cryptocurrency platform Stake, Drake’s massive investment positions him to take home an eye-popping payout of over $5.1 million if the South American champions successfully defend their world title.
While a $5 million payout is enticing, the announcement has sent a wave of genuine panic through the Argentinian fanbase. The “Hotline Bling” rapper has famously developed an internet reputation for the “Drake Curse”—a long-running superstition where teams and athletes tend to lose immediately after he publicly backs them.
History also gives La Albiceleste supporters plenty of tactical reason to worry about his exact betting slip:
• In the 2022 World Cup Final, Drake famously wagered $1 million on Argentina to beat France.
• Even though Messi ultimately lifted the trophy after a dramatic penalty shootout, Drake lost every single cent of his bet.
• Because he bet on the standard 90-minute regulation market, the 2-2 tie at the final whistle meant his ticket was graded a total loss.
For his 2026 bet to hit, his ticket explicitly covers Argentina winning in either normal or extra time, giving him a much safer buffer than his 2022 blunder.
The massive 7-figure wager comes right on the heels of a rough summer stretch for the rapper’s gambling portfolio. Just last week, Drake lost a $1 million bet after backing Conor McGregor in his highly anticipated UFC comeback bout. Public tracking data from TheDrakeCurse.com notes that the artist is down roughly $1.56 million all-time across his public sports wagers, with soccer historically serving as his most expensive penalty box.
The sheer volume of these continuous multi-million dollar betting slips has naturally left a large portion of the internet highly skeptical. Critics routinely point out that Drake serves as an official global brand ambassador for Stake, leading many to assume he is simply gambling with house funds for digital marketing exposure.
This relationship is currently facing immense legal pressure, as Drake is named in an active federal class-action lawsuit alleging deceptive endorsement practices. The filings argue that high-profile influencers are misleading the public by presenting corporate-sponsored platform credits as personal, real-world cash risks.
Regardless of whether the cash is out of his own pocket, all eyes are locked directly on the pitch at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Spain enters the final showdown as the mathematical favorite, leaving Lionel Messi’s historic squad to fight from the underdog slot. As the clock ticks down to kickoff, the world will finally see if Argentina can conquer a dominant Spanish side and overcome the internet’s favorite sporting superstition.
