Polymarket Bettor Wins $957,000 After Portugal Ties Congo 1-1 in World Cup

3 articles · Updated · Forbes · Jun 17

$300,000 staked against a Portugal win turned into a $1,249,918.80 payout when Democratic Republic of the Congo held the No. 5-ranked side to a 1-1 draw in Houston.
Polymarket had priced the wager at a 23% chance before kickoff, and the result landed after Portugal took an early lead before Yoane Wissa equalized just before halftime.
Wissa's strike was Congo's first-ever World Cup goal, ending a scoring drought that stretched back to the country's only previous tournament appearance in 1974.
Another Polymarket user moved the other way and lost nearly $1 million on a bet that the match would produce more than 2.5 total goals.
$4.4 billion is expected to be wagered in the U.S. on the World Cup, underscoring how a single upset can swing huge sums in the first tournament with broad legal sports-betting access.