Sports gambling has become one of the biggest industries in the world. Nearly every major league now has official sportsbook partners, broadcasts routinely flash live odds across the screen, and placing a wager has become just as much a part of the viewing experience as watching the game itself. For many fans, throwing a few dollars on their favorite team has become tradition. For celebrities with much deeper pockets, those bets can reach eye-popping numbers.
Very few people embody that more than Drake. Thanks in large part to his high-profile partnership with Stake, the Toronto superstar has turned his betting slips into events of their own. Whether it’s the Super Bowl, UFC, Formula 1, soccer, basketball, or boxing, it feels like there’s rarely a major sporting event that passes without Champagne Papi publicly putting hundreds of thousands — or even millions — of dollars on the line.
His latest wager only added more fuel to one of sports’ favorite internet conspiracies. Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final, Drake revealed he had placed a $1.5 million Stake bet on Argentina to defeat Spain in regulation. Instead, Spain lifted the trophy, social media erupted almost instantly, and “The Drake Curse” began trending yet again as fans joked that Argentina never stood a chance the moment Drake posted his slip.
Of course nobody actually knows whether Drake is a curse. But after years of high-profile bets, celebrity cosigns and championship predictions seemingly ending in heartbreak, the internet has built an impressive case file. Coincidence? Probably. Hilarious? Absolutely. Here are 10 moments that kept one of sports’ funniest running jokes alive.
Argentina Falls In The 2026 FIFA World Cup Final
Fresh off another deep World Cup run, Argentina entered the final looking to defend its place atop international soccer. Drake clearly believed Lionel Messi and company would finish the job, posting a $1.5 million Stake wager backing Argentina in regulation. Spain ultimately prevailed, immediately adding another chapter to the “Drake Curse” lore as fans flooded social media with jokes that the outcome became inevitable the second Drake shared his ticket.
Israel Adesanya Loses To Alex Pereira
Drake publicly backed longtime UFC champion Israel Adesanya before his middleweight title defense against rival Alex Pereira. Adesanya controlled much of the fight before Pereira stormed back with a dramatic fifth-round TKO, shocking the MMA world. The upset instantly became one of the most-cited examples whenever fans debate whether Drake’s support somehow spells disaster.
Charles Leclerc’s Nightmare At The Spanish Grand Prix
Ferrari star Charles Leclerc looked poised to cruise to victory before Drake publicly showed support for him. During the race, Leclerc’s engine failed while comfortably leading, handing the win away in devastating fashion. Formula 1 fans immediately welcomed another sport into the ever-growing Drake Curse conversation.
Barcelona Gets Embarrassed After Drake Partnership
Barcelona famously wore Drake’s OVO owl logo across the front of its jerseys after the rapper became Spotify’s first artist to surpass 50 billion streams. Rather than celebrating the milestone with a statement win, Barcelona suffered a 3-1 loss to rival Real Madrid. Fans jokingly declared the Drake Curse had expanded beyond betting slips and onto soccer jerseys.
Conor McGregor Comes Up Short Against Dustin Poirier
Drake reportedly placed a massive wager backing Conor McGregor before the trilogy with Dustin Poirier. Instead, McGregor suffered a gruesome broken leg at the end of the opening round, ending the bout via doctor’s stoppage and costing Drake another highly publicized bet. It wasn’t long before memes claiming Drake had “struck again” flooded every corner of the internet.
Kamaru Usman Loses His Title In Stunning Fashion
Heading into UFC 278, Drake publicly backed then-welterweight champion Kamaru Usman to successfully defend his title against Leon Edwards. For nearly five rounds, that prediction looked like a safe one. Then Edwards landed one of the most iconic head kicks in UFC history, knocking Usman unconscious with less than a minute remaining to capture the championship. The dramatic upset became another exhibit in the internet’s ever-growing “Drake Curse” case file.
Canada Couldn’t Pull Off The Impossible At Copa America
Canada’s Cinderella run captured the attention of the soccer world, and Drake proudly backed his home country before its semifinal showdown against Argentina. Unfortunately for Canadian fans, Lionel Messi and the defending world champions proved to be too much, eliminating Canada with a convincing victory. Social media wasted no time adding another international soccer loss to Drake’s résumé of unfortunate predictions.
Carlos Alcaraz Couldn’t Complete The Three-Peat
When Drake publicly showed love to Jannik Sinner heading into another major showdown with Carlos Alcaraz, tennis fans immediately joked that it was bad news for the Italian star. Alcaraz ultimately came out on top, and “The Drake Curse” quickly found its way into tennis conversations once again. At this point, it doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s soccer, basketball, UFC or tennis — fans are ready to connect every upset back to Drake.
Tyson Fury Falls To Oleksandr Usyk
One of the biggest fights in recent boxing history also became one of the biggest “Drake Curse” talking points. Before Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk squared off to crown the sport’s first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era, Drake publicly revealed he had placed a massive Stake wager backing Fury. Usyk ultimately won via split decision, handing Fury the first loss of his professional career and sending social media into another frenzy. As soon as the final scorecards were announced, fans flooded X with memes claiming Drake had done it again.
Kentucky’s Perfect Season Comes Crashing Down
Before million-dollar Stake bets became part of Drake’s public persona, many fans point to Kentucky’s shocking Final Four loss as one of the first true chapters in the “Drake Curse” saga. Drake had become one of the Wildcats’ most visible celebrity supporters, regularly spending time with the program, publicly backing head coach John Calipari and even placing a friendly $6,000 wager on Kentucky ahead of its showdown with Wisconsin. The Wildcats entered the game a perfect 38-0 and were widely expected to continue their march toward an undefeated national championship season. Instead, Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker and the Badgers stunned Kentucky 71-64, ending one of the greatest seasons in college basketball history — and giving internet detectives another piece of “evidence” that Drake’s support might come with a little bad luck.
Whether you believe the Drake Curse is real or chalk it up to nothing more than a hilarious coincidence, one thing is undeniable: Every time Drake shares another betting slip or publicly throws his support behind a team or athlete, the internet pays attention. Opposing fan bases celebrate, social media fills with memes, and the jokes practically write themselves before the game even begins. With his partnership with Stake ensuring his biggest wagers remain front and center, don’t expect the “Drake Curse” conversation to disappear anytime soon. If history is any indication, fans will be refreshing Drake’s Instagram just as closely as they’re watching the scoreboard.
