The 'Drake curse' is alive and well after rapper's huge World Cup final bet backfires
The ‘Drake curse’ has struck again after the rapper lost a huge chunk of cash betting against Spain in the World Cup final.
The 2026 World Cup wrapped up tonight with Spain defeating rivals Argentina in extra time, thanks to a goal from Ferran Torres in the 109th minute.
And what a tournament it’s been, with more drama and controversial moments than you can shake a stick at, including Jude Bellingham’s post-match slap, President Donald Trump calling up FIFA asking for a red card ban to be overturned, and the first-ever World Cup half-time show that felt like a fever dream.
The drama didn't ease off for tonight's final, either, and post-match tensions boiled over at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with Argentina player Leandro Paredes spotted throwing 'haymakers’ at an opponent on the Spanish side.
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But it won’t just be Argentina’s team and fans that will be smarting after tonight’s loss, as Drake - real name Aubrey Drake Graham - has proved that he’s still as ‘cursed’ as ever when it comes to sports betting.
The 39-year-old put $1.5 million (£1.1 million) behind the South American team on Saturday through the betting site Stake, and could have landed himself a payout of more than $5.1 million (£3.8 million).
However, in keeping with his long-running form when it comes to gambling it wasn’t to be and he ended up losing the lot.
Over the years the so-called Drake curse has seen a series of defeats for sports teams and athletes photographed with or bet on by the artist.
His most recent loss comes just days after he lost a cool million dollars (£743,800) on Irish fighter Conor McGregor winning his UFC bout against Max Holloway.
Speaking ahead of the fight, Holloway acknowledged the ‘Drake curse’ and reckoned it could be a good omen.
When asked what he thought of Drake putting faith in his opponent, the American MMA star hilariously responded: "I think Drake actually is a Max Holloway fan, because we know what happens when he bets."
As we now know, McGregor lasted less than two minutes in his comeback bout, leaving Drake $1 million down.
Prior to that, Drake had also backed the New England Patriots in the 2026 Super Bowl, Kansas City Chiefs the year before, Toronto Maple Leafs in Ice Hockey, and Arsenal to win the Champions League to name just a few - all of which lost.
In fact, his losing streak has become so well-known that a website named TheDrakeCurse.com has even been created to log his full sports betting history.
The Canadian rapper is known for songs 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 – all at once in May.
They were his first releases since 2023, and secured Drake his seventh number one album on the UK album chart with Iceman.
He was previously at the centre of a headline-making feud with US rapper Kendrick Lamar, as the American musician insulted Drake in the diss track Not Like Us.
Claire Reid