FanDuel Bettor Wins a $557k Seven-Leg Parlay if France Wins the World Cup

Grant Mitchell
By:
Grant Mitchell
12/19/2022
News
USA Legal Betting

Highlights

  • Daniel Forte will win $557k from a $26 parlay if France wins the World Cup
  • The parlay was built with seven legs with combined odds of +2145172
  • France will face Lionel Messi and Argentina in the final Sunday, where there is no clear favorite

A FanDuel sportsbook soccer bettor is one France World Cup win away from cashing in a $26 seven-leg parlay worth more than $557k.

Daniel Forte placed his bet many months ago. His parlay was filled with all futures bets, including winners of the English Premier League, Serie A, MLS, March Madness, NBA Finals, Stanley Cup, and the World Cup.

Six of his seven predictions have already hit—the last remaining pick is France to win the World Cup, which will be decided in the final match versus Argentina this Sunday. FanDuel has both teams at exactly -108 odds to win at the time of writing.

Making headlines

Forte’s parlay has been monitored by major news outlets over the past couple of months as its payout has come closer. Bleacher Report’s betting arm and Winners Only Wednesday host Greg Ivory were the latest to show their support for Forte after the two linked up Wednesday in Circa Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Forte’s parlay had +2145172 odds, which translates to a $21,452.72 payout for a $1 bet. Included in his picks was France at +650, which was second in the list of future champion odds behind Brazil and level with England.

Only Argentina and Lionel Messi now stand in the way of Forte landing one of the most improbable parlays in sports betting history.

France has looked like one of the best teams at the World Cup since the opening round. They were made to sweat by England in the quarter-final but ultimately escaped with a 2-1 victory, thanks to a missed penalty by Harry Kane late in regulation. They then defeated Morocco 2-0 in the semi-final on the back of a fifth-minute opener from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani’s 79th-minute strike.

Argentina, meanwhile, has statistically been the best team at the World Cup. They also have a player (Messi) widely considered the greatest of all time who is desperately pursuing the only piece of hardware missing from his overflowing trophy cabinet.

If France can win the final, just like they did in 2018, they will become the first nation to win consecutive World Cups since Brazil in the 1960s en route to pushing a life-changing deposit into Forte’s account.

Standing firm

Forte has already said that he will not cash out and is riding Les Bleus to the finish line.

According to Action Network, a FanDuel source revealed that Forte has the option to cash out for $283,538.82. He declined opportunities to secure payouts of $80,000 before the tournament and $83,000 after France beat Poland in the Round of 16.

The defending tournament champions have been doing all of their damage without several key figures in their squad. N’Golo Kante, Karim Benzema, Christopher Nkunku, and Paul Pogba were all declared unavailable for the once-every-four-year competition with various injuries.

It was also reported that Adrien Rabiot and others were struck by violent illness the night before the semi-final against Morocco. Rabiot did not even make the match-day squad after appearing in every tournament game prior.

The final leg in Forte’s parlay was statistically the joint-least likely to hit, alongside his pick of the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA Finals—don’t tell FanDuel that, though, as they could be on the hook for a quarter of a million dollars in just a few days.

There have been several other high-profile bets thrown down at sportsbooks lately. The most notable is a $1 million wager from legendary gambler Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, who inaugurated Horseshoe Casino in Westlake, Louisiana with a huge prediction that the Houston Cougars will win March Madness in 2023.

McIngvale recently landed the largest payout in sports betting history to the tune of a cool $75 million after the Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.

Grant is a sports and sports betting journalist who prides himself in his up-to-the-minute reporting on the latest events in the industry. A member of Virginia Tech’s 2021 graduating class, he has quickly put together an impressive portfolio since moving to the professional world full-time. Grant’s favorite sports to cover are basketball and both types of football (American and soccer), and he is pushing written, audio, and video content. He has been employed by companies as highly regarded as Forbes and continues on a great trajectory in the industry. When he’s not on the clock, you can find Grant at the gym, looking for adventures, or hanging out with his family.