Lionel Messi will play in his second consecutive World Cup final, yet that wasn’t good news for one trader.
The FIFA World Cup is arguably the most watched sporting event across the globe, and its high-stakes matches often attract gamblers willing to place substantial wagers.
The recent semi-finals, Argentina vs. England and Spain vs. France was no exception, and some people walked away with huge profits, while others suffered heavy losses.
The Crazy Bets
Argentina and England – two of football’s traditional superpowers – faced each other on July 15 to determine which nation would play against Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final. The match promised to be a heated derby due to the historic rivalry between the two countries, and it certainly delivered, with the first half offering more clashes and tension than actual football.
At the start of the second half, though, England scored the opening goal, only to concede two in the final minutes and watch their hopes of bringing the title “home” disappear.
Argentina’s late comeback upset not only the entire English team but also one trader who wagered $1.5 million on Polymarket on the nation to eliminate its opponent. The mysterious person did that on Polymarket, which runs on the Polygon blockchain and where every bet is a crypto transaction. However, not all were unlucky, as another trader path $770,000 on Argentina to advance to the final, thus winning over $1.6 million.
The wildest story involves a gambler who placed and a staggering $11.3 million on the other semi-final, France vs. Spain, predicting that the Spanish side would play for the gold medals. Before making that massive wager, the trader was sitting on a brutal loss of nearly $11 million, but the bet completely flipped his fortunes, leaving him up by roughly $8 million. The miracle turnaround became possible after Spain’s decisive 2-0 victory over France.
Did Drake Take Part?
Several X users claimed that the popular Canadian musician Drake placed a $450,000 bet on England to defeat Argentina, with an additional $150,000 wager on Harry Kane to score. There are rumors that he may have also wagered the same amount on France to knock out Spain in the other semi-final.
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These bets (assuming they actually happened) were unsuccessful, but that’s hardly unusual for the rapper, who has become infamous for his misfortune in gambling. His streak of wrong predictions is so well known that it inspired the phrase “Drake’s curse,” a meme suggesting that any athlete or team he supports often loses.
Earlier this month, he wagered $1 million in Bitcoin (BTC) on Conor McGregor, who faced Max Holloway at UFC 329 in Las Vegas after a five-year absence from the octagon. Needless to say, “The Notorious” lost the fight in the very first round.
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