Dramatic World Cup Ending Reportedly Cost Drake $1M, Even Though He Bet On Champs Argentina

There are very things that could’ve made the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final between Argentina and France more exciting to watch. Between Lionel Messi fulfilling his destiny, Kylian Mbappé’s dominant, hat trick-notching second-half performance and, of course, the penalty kicks. Oh, the penalty kicks. Such vindication, such heartbreak. Sure, it would have been awesome to see both Les Bleus and the Albicelestes field teams with their nations’ full arsenal of talent – one can only imagine what the dizzying action would’ve been like with injured stars Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Christopher Nkunku, Giovani Lo Celso, Joaquin Correa and Nicolas Gonzalez all battling it out on the pitch – but, all in all, the World Cup Final in Qatar was about as thrilling an end as a one could want. So, how do you spice up what will arguably go down as one of the most incredible World Cup finishes? Well, as Drake learned the hard way, put your money on the line. … A whole hell of a lot of money.

While throwing down a bet of 100 smackeroos is enough to give most of us heart palpitations, the Canadian rapper of “Nice for What” swung for the fences by placing a whopping $1 million bet on Messi’s squad to dethrone the reigning 2018 champs, according to a report by Vulture. Must be a huge payday for the "God's Plan" rapper, right? Not quite. His particular bet was for Argentina to be victorious at the end of regulation play – 90 minutes. The game was knotted at 2-2 at that point, however, sending the match into extra time, where both teams would notch goals in dramatic fashion before ultimately settling the contest with penalty kicks. All that meant Drake’s cheddar melted away faster than you can say Velveeta.

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In a since-deleted Instagram post, the Toronto-born rapper showed his followers the receipt of his bet he made through the Stakes service that included what his payout would’ve been had Argentina won in regulation – a staggering $2.75 million, Vulture reported.

Drake's no stranger to playing the odds, at times sharing screenshots of his bets on Instagram, though he's suffered some rough losses. In October, he wagered around $650,000 on both Premier League club Arsenal and La Liga side Barcelona winning their respective league matches. Arsenal upheld their end of the bargain against Leeds, but Barca fell 3-1 to Real Madrid, turning what would have been a roughly $3 million payout into a significant loss, according to UK sports outlet TalkSport. Others have dubbed his habit of supporting teams only to see then crash and burn as the "Drake Curse."

Besides his pockets being a tad lighter – emphasis on tad – Drake also incurred the wrath of his fellow Canadian sports fans who ripped him on Twitter for spreading the “curse” to Team Canada after the squad up north was eliminated from the World Cup. Some Argentina fans even worried that Drake had vexed their shot at glory by betting on them.

Thankfully for them, the curse only extended to his own wallet and didn't wreck Argentina and Messi's glorious day. Still, bleeding chips never feels good, even if your nickname is Champagne Papi, but that’s the risk you take every morning when you get out of the bed, and “YOLO” is “The Motto”.  

Can't get enough soccer action? After the World Cup is over, be sure to watch Premier League coverage on USA Network, featuring Premier League Mornings, select matches, and Premier League Goal Zone (check listings for games/schedule). And catch up on all the action on Peacock.