New Delhi: Title-holders Argentina is all set to face challenger Spain in a star-studded 2026 FIFA World Cup final as the 39-day spectacle prepares for its closing showdown. Sunday’s finale in New Jersey will stage a unique battle, pitting the tournament’s best attack against the best defense—Argentina has scored the most goals (19); Spain has conceded the fewest (one).
What is the winner prediction for Spain vs Argentina?
As per the Opta supercomputer, Spain have a 59.46 percent chance of winning the 2026 World Cup, while Argentina have a 40.54 percent probability of retaining the title they won in 2022. The World Cup final will be played at MetLife Stadium, home to two National Football League (NFL) teams: the New York Giants and the New York Jets. For the FIFA World Cup, the venue has temporarily been rebadged as New York-New Jersey Stadium.
However, before the blockbuster final at MetLife Stadium, an off-field talking point has grabbed fans’ attention. Canadian rapper Drake has placed a massive USD 1.5 million (approximately Rs 14.5 crore) bet on Argentina to win the World Cup final. Instead of celebrating the vote of confidence, many Argentina fans are feeling uneasy due to the infamous “Drake Curse.”
What Is the ‘Drake Curse’?
- The Drake Curse is a sports superstition where fans have noticed a pattern where athletes, fighters, or teams publicly backed by Drake often gone on to lose crucial matches.
- In many occasions, teams have even suffered defeats after players were photographed with the Canadian rapper.
- Because of this long-standing superstition, many sports fans consider Drake’s support to be a bad omen.
- Now that he has placed his bet on Argentina, the move has sparked anxiety among the team’s supporters ahead of the World Cup final.
Will Argentina Break the Curse Again?
It is important to note that despite Drake’s massive wager, Argentina fans may not have much reason to worry, as Lionel Messi’s side has already defied the so-called curse once before. Drake had also placed a USD 1 million bet on Argentina to beat France in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final in Qatar. Argentina went on to win that thrilling final, proving Drake’s prediction right and seemingly breaking the “Drake Curse.”
Now, under Messi’s captaincy, Argentina will look to shatter the superstition once again when they take on Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final.
Argentina have already brushed aside several superstitions and predictions throughout this tournament. Earlier in the competition, a video of a Ghanaian spiritualist went viral in which he claimed Cape Verde would eliminate Argentina. However, Argentina comfortably advanced.
Another widely discussed superstition involved popular YouTuber IShowSpeed (Speed), who attended Argentina’s quarter-final against Switzerland wearing the team’s jersey. During the tournament, every team supported by Speed had been eliminated, leading fans to believe his backing was a bad omen. Yet Messi’s side defied that trend as well, defeating Switzerland to book their place in the semi-finals.
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