Drake Wins Over $1 Million World Cup Bet as Canada End South Africa’s Historic Run

Canadian rap superstar Drake has won more than $1 million after successfully betting on Canada's victory over South Africa in the FIFA World Cup, marking a dramatic turnaround from the costly World Cup wager he lost four years ago.

The Toronto-born musician staked $770,000 on Canada to defeat South Africa in their Round of 32 clash, a wager that returned $1,001,000, earning him an estimated $231,000 profit after Canada's narrow victory.

Drake revealed the bet to his millions of followers on Instagram shortly before kick-off, saying the wager was inspired by a friendly exchange with renowned South African DJ Black Coffee.

"@realblackcoffee was chirping in the DM. I had to raise the STAKES," Drake wrote while posting a screenshot of the bet.

The celebrity wager added another layer of intrigue to one of the biggest matches in South Africa's football history as Bafana Bafana sought to continue their remarkable World Cup campaign.

Canada's Historic Victory

Canada secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over South Africa at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, with midfielder Stephen Eustaquio scoring the decisive goal deep into second-half stoppage time.

The dramatic winner propelled the tournament co-hosts into the Round of 16 for the first time in the nation's World Cup history.

For South Africa, however, the defeat brought an emotional end to a memorable campaign that had captured the imagination of supporters across Africa.

Coached by Hugo Broos, Bafana Bafana exceeded expectations during the tournament, progressing from the group stage after defeating South Korea 1-0 and recording what had already become one of the country's finest World Cup performances.

Although their dream run ended against Canada, South Africa's performances throughout the competition earned widespread praise and significantly raised the team's international profile.

A Redemption Story for Drake

The successful wager represents a measure of redemption for Drake, whose high-profile betting history has become almost as famous as his music career.

In the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Grammy-winning artist reportedly staked £837,000 on Argentina to defeat France in the final within regulation time.

While Argentina eventually lifted the trophy, Kylian Mbappe's dramatic late equaliser forced the match into extra time and penalties, causing Drake's wagerwhich depended on a 90-minute victory to fail.

That bet would have returned more than £2.26 million had Argentina secured victory before extra time.

Drake has become one of the world's most recognisable celebrity sports bettors, regularly placing high-value wagers through crypto betting platform Stake, with which he has maintained a commercial relationship since 2021 under the online identity DeepPockets6.

His betting portfolio spans some of the biggest sporting events globally, including the FIFA World Cup, the Super Bowl, NBA playoffs, UFC title fights, Formula One races and major European football fixtures.

Canada's victory over South Africa now joins the list of his most successful public wagers, turning a $770,000 gamble into a seven-figure payout while simultaneously ending one of Africa's most inspiring World Cup stories.