Canadian hip-hop star Drake has made a bold wager on his home country’s soccer team, betting $300,000 million) on Canada to defeat Argentina in the 2024 Copa América semifinal.
The high-stakes bet could potentially net Drake a hefty $2.88 million if Canada pulls off the upset against Lionel Messi and the favored Argentine squad.
Drake shared news of his bet on social media on Tuesday with a playful caption, “This could get Messi,” accompanied by a Canadian flag emoji.
Canada’s journey to the semifinal has been a surprising success story in this year’s tournament. Under the guidance of head coach Jesse Marsch, the team entered the Copa América ranked 11th out of 16 teams based on FIFA rankings. This marks Canada’s debut appearance in the prestigious South American tournament, with the national team aiming for its first major title since the 1990 North American Nations Cup.
The upcoming match will be only the second time Canada and Argentina have met in Copa América play, with Argentina winning their group stage encounter 2-0 on June 20. Historically, the two nations have faced each other just once before, in a 2010 friendly that saw Argentina triumph 5-0.
Argentina’s head coach Lionel Scaloni has confirmed that Messi, who recently recovered from a thigh injury, will be playing in the semifinal. The 37-year-old superstar sat out Argentina’s final group game against Peru but returned to play the full 90 minutes in their quarterfinal victory over Ecuador.