A World Cup 2026 punter watched $1 million vanish in an instant after Cape Verde's shock draw with Spain. The small African nation held the European champions to a 0-0 stalemate in their tournament opener on Monday evening.
Spain dominated possession but failed to score, thanks to wasteful finishing and an outstanding performance from Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha. One supporter was so confident Spain would win comfortably that they placed a $1 million (£745,405) bet on that outcome, which would have returned a profit of £85,943.48. Instead, the result left them with nothing.
However, another user who wagered $400,000 (£298,000) on Spain not winning cashed in, earning a staggering $4.7 million (£3.5 million). Both bets were placed on Polymarket, a US cryptocurrency-based platform that counts Donald Trump Jr among its advisors and investors. The site has already been banned in Brazil and France.
Spain boss Luis de la Fuente said after the match: "We lacked freshness and finesse. We need to keep working on our approach, improving our finishing, being more clinical. These are the kinds of matches where you create a lot of chances, but we lacked the necessary sharpness." He added: "They are a very organized team. From the first moment, we saw that they sat deep, with all 10 players practically in front of the penalty area. It's very difficult to create space like that."
Manchester City midfielder Rodri criticised Cape Verde's tactics, stating: "It wasn't meant to be. There's little to complain about. We knew it was a game that required patience. They sat back and dropped back very quickly. We couldn't put it in. We created chances, but couldn't finish." He added: "That's how they play. They don't get past midfield. It's a matter of improving our finishing."
