Canadian rap superstar Drake is celebrating a major payday after Canada’s 1-0 victory over South Africa in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 helped him cash in on a high-stakes sports bet.
Before the knockout clash, the Grammy Award-winning rapper revealed on Instagram that he had wagered $770,000 (approximately R13.8 million) through online betting platform Stake on his home country to defeat Bafana Bafana. The bet offered a total payout of $1,001,000 (around R18 million) if Canada secured a place in the Round of 16.
Canada’s narrow victory meant Drake walked away with the seven-figure payout, earning an estimated profit of $231,000 (roughly R4.1 million) after deducting his original stake. The successful wager marked one of the rapper’s latest headline-grabbing betting wins, adding another chapter to his well-publicised partnership with Stake.
Adding a playful twist to the story, Drake revealed that internationally acclaimed South African DJ Black Coffee had inspired the wager following friendly banter between the pair.
“@realblackcoffee was chirping in the DM. I had to raise the STAKES,” Drake wrote while sharing a screenshot of his betting slip on Instagram.
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The post quickly gained traction online, with football fans from both Canada and South Africa flooding social media with reactions. Many South Africans joked that Drake’s support for Canada would activate the infamous “Drake Curse”—a long-running internet theory suggesting that athletes and teams backed by the rapper often end up losing.
However, the superstition failed to materialise as Canada edged past Bafana Bafana to advance to the Round of 16, leaving Drake celebrating both his country’s progress and a substantial betting win.
Drake has become almost as well known for his extravagant sports wagers as he is for his music. Over the years, he has placed multimillion-dollar bets on major sporting events, including NBA playoff games, UFC title fights, championship boxing bouts, NFL contests and international football tournaments. While some of those wagers have resulted in significant losses, others have delivered eye-catching payouts that regularly dominate headlines.
His latest World Cup win has once again sparked debate among fans about the “Drake Curse,” with many pointing out that the rapper’s betting fortunes continue to be as unpredictable as the sporting events themselves. This time, though, both Drake and Team Canada came out on top, turning a friendly exchange with Black Coffee into one of the tournament’s most talked-about off-field moments.
