Toronto rapper Drake placed a $1 bet on Morocco to defeat Canada in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, attempting to use a so-called 'reverse curse' to swing luck in Canada's favour. The strategy failed as Morocco won 3-0, eliminating the co-host nation from the tournament.
Drake's bet and the 'reverse curse' strategy
On Saturday, Drake—whose real name is Aubrey Graham—posted a picture of his bet slip on Instagram, showing a $1 wager on Morocco to advance past Canada at 1.40 odds. He captioned the post: 'Won the last time…gonna try reverse curse strategy.' The bet was an attempt to counteract the infamous 'Drake Curse,' a superstition that his public bets often lead to losses for the teams he supports.
According to the article, the 'reverse curse' did not work because pointing out the attempt to sway karma negates the intended effect, and a $1 wager is unlikely to influence cosmic scales. The article also notes that the entire concept is superstition with no tangible basis in reality.
Previous bet on Canada
Drake had previously placed a much larger wager on Canada's Round of 32 match against South Africa, betting $770,000 to win just over $1 million. Canada won that match in second-half injury time, making the bet successful.
Drake's World Cup activities
Drake was not just betting from home. He attended Portugal's match against Croatia at Toronto Stadium and later met Cristiano Ronaldo at a hotel. Drake posted a photo with Ronaldo, writing: 'We are the same height, I swear!' despite appearing slightly shorter. Ronaldo also gifted a signed Portugal jersey to Drake's son, Adonis.
Examples of the 'Drake Curse'
Drake, who has partnered with betting site Stake, has shared many large bets over the years, often resulting in six-figure losses. According to Drakecurse.com, a website tracking his public sports bets, Drake is down $555,000 all-time, winning only 32 out of 86 public bets—a winning percentage of 37.2%. He has wagered a total of more than $37.7 million, returning $37.17 million.
Some of his biggest losses include betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Finals, which they lost to the Indiana Pacers, and two large UFC bets: $500,000 on Aljamain Sterling against Sean O'Malley in 2023 and more than $1.5 million on Israel Adesanya against Alex Pereira in 2022.
