Polymarket user bets $9.5M on DR Congo World Cup win at 0.1% odds
A Polymarket user wagered $9.5 million on DR Congo to win the 2026 World Cup at 0.1% implied odds on June 11, according to Phemex.com. The same trader also placed long-shot bets on presidential nominees including Kim Kardashian and Barack Obama. The trade comes as Polymarket has recorded $2 billion in trading volume on the outright winner market for the tournament, per Pokerstrategy.com. A March social media post by Polymarket Sports community lead @gusik4ever, cited in a June 9 Forbes report, highlighted a separate $4.5 million single bet and noted that 76% of surveyed fans would prefer Bitcoin over a World Cup victory.
The $9.5 million position is notional noise at 0.1% implied probability, but it spotlights retail spectacle flow at the same moment DRW, Wintermute and IMC are building institutional desks for Polymarket. The platform must convert viral single-bet headlines into repeatable block-size volume or cede serious liquidity to Kalshi and Rothera.
Joins the roughly $2 billion in combined World Cup volume already cleared by Kalshi and Polymarket as Robinhood begins splitting retail flow to Rothera and institutional market-makers DRW, Wintermute and IMC build dedicated desks.