World Cup Upset: Canada Knocks Out South Africa, Drake Bags $1M Win

Canadian rapper Drake celebrated a significant financial win of over $1 million after Canada secured a dramatic 1-0 victory against South Africa in their FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match. Drake had placed a $770,000 bet backing Canada to qualify, which returned a payout of $1,001,000. He shared a screenshot of his wager on Instagram, attributing the high-stakes bet to an exchange with South African DJ Black Coffee, stating, "@realblackcoffee was chirping in the DM I had to raise the STAKES."

The decisive match, held at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (also identified as Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California), saw Canada book their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 for the first time in their history. The breakthrough came deep into stoppage time when Stephen Eustáquio struck the only goal of the game. The goal was subsequently reviewed and confirmed by VAR, igniting celebrations for the co-hosts.

Throughout the tightly contested encounter, South Africa controlled much of the possession but struggled to convert their opportunities, managing only six attempts with two on target. Canada, conversely, displayed a more incisive attack, registering 14 shots, seven of which were on target. South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams made several crucial saves to keep his team in contention until Canada's late breakthrough.

For South Africa, known as Bafana Bafana, the defeat marked the end of a memorable World Cup campaign. They had reached the knockout stage for the first time after finishing second in their group, notably qualifying for the expanded 2026 tournament ahead of Nigeria. The team, coached by Hugo Broos, had impressed during the group stage, including a 1-0 win over South Korea that secured their spot in the last 32.

Canada's historic advancement sets them up to face the winner between Netherlands and Morocco in the Round of 16, continuing their bid for a memorable run on home soil as co-hosts. Drake's recurring practice of placing high-value bets on major sporting events once again paid off with Canada's triumph.