Canadian rap superstar Drake successfully pocketed more than $1 million over the weekend after his high-stakes wager on Canada’s national football team paid off in dramatic fashion. The Toronto native risked $770,000 (approximately ₦1 billion) backing his home country to defeat South Africa in their highly anticipated FIFA World Cup Round of 32 knockout match on Sunday.
Following Canada’s tense 1-0 victory, the winning ticket yielded a total payout of $1,001,000, earning the Grammy-winning artist a tidy profit of $231,000 and breaking the internet across global sports betting communities.
The chart-topping artist later took to his Instagram account to share a screenshot of the official wager, revealing a humorous backstory behind the massive bet. According to Drake, renowned South African DJ Black Coffee was actively direct-messaging him and playfully bragging about his home country’s chances. The playful banter prompted the rapper to “raise the stakes” and place the multi-million Naira equivalent bet on the digital platform Stake.
The match itself concluded in heartbreaking fashion for South Africa at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, effectively ending Bafana Bafana’s most historic World Cup campaign to date. Under the tactical guidance of head coach Hugo Broos, the South African squad had achieved a monumental milestone by making it out of the group stage for the very first time, securing a stunning 1-0 group-stage win over South Korea and advancing from a difficult pool that featured tournament co-hosts Mexico and Czechia.
The tight defensive battle looked destined for extra time until second-half stoppage time, when Canadian midfielder Stephen Eustáquio scored a spectacular, clinical volley to seal the 1-0 win. While Eustáquio’s last-gasp winner broke the hearts of South African fans worldwide, it safely guided the tournament co-hosts into the coveted Round of 16 and secured a massive financial windfall for the hip-hop icon.
