Jun 22, 2026
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Read Article World Cup 2026 parlay: Is this the worst cash out ever?
Updated: | First published:
Written by Nick Slade, Chief Content Officer
Reviewed by Dave Garofolo
One World Cup bettor had a $2,100 masterclass in their hands on Monday, only to panic-sell after the very first leg and leave thousands on the table.
Every sports bettor has looked back at a bet and thought, "What if?" But for one unfortunate punter during the World Cup group stage, a massive lack of faith on Monday, June 22 will likely haunt them for the rest of their days.
In what is being labeled one of the most premature, agonizing panic-clicks in sports betting history, a user cashed out an incredible four-leg World Cup parlay for literal pocket change—only to watch four legendary goalscorers flawlessly deliver exactly what they had predicted.
The World Cup parlay hit that never was
The wager itself was a stroke of absolute genius. The bettor put down a modest $5.55 on a +29264 four-leg parlay, which boosted up to eye-watering +38045 odds courtesy of a 30% profit boost at FanDuel Sportsbook. The objective? Four of the greatest goalscorers in modern football history each needed to score 2 or more goals for their respective countries.
The World Cup parlay legs:
- Lionel Messi 2+ goals (+476) vs. Austria
- Kylian Mbappé 2+ goals (+204) vs. Iraq
- Erling Haaland 2+ goals (+465) vs. Senegal
- Cristiano Ronaldo 2+ goals (+284) vs. Uzbekistan
Had the bettor just closed the app and left it alone, that tiny $5.55 wager was mathematically destined to turn into a juicy $2,117.00 payout.
By using the World Cup player projections hub, Dimers Pros can construct their own goalscorer parlays for this summer's tournament.
The World Cup parlay cash out
The heartbreak of this ticket isn't down to a last-minute live-game choke. It’s the fact that the bettor bailed almost immediately.
After Lionel Messi successfully found the back of the net twice to secure Argentina's 2-0 win over Austria, the bettor looked at the tiny profit on the table. With three more legs still looming, panic set in. Rather than letting the ride continue, they hit the cash out button, locking in a meager $15.68.
They took a tiny $10 profit to completely walk away from the ticket.
Watching the Dominoes fall
The true torture of this cash-out came over the following 24 hours. The bettor was forced to sit back and watch their dead ticket flawlessly transform into a masterpiece:
Kylian Mbappé took care of business next, netting a brilliant brace to lead France to a comfortable 3-0 routing of Iraq.
Erling Haaland followed suit, bagging two clinical goals of his own as Norway narrowly edged past Senegal in a 3-2 thriller.
RELATED: How the data saw Messi, Mbappé, and Haaland’s 2+ goal World Cup performances coming
The ultimate twist of the knife is captured in the viral screenshot itself. Taken live in the 39th minute of the final game, Portugal is thrashing Uzbekistan 3-0, and Cristiano Ronaldo has already hit his 2-goal target. The green bars are entirely filled, the green checkmarks are lined up, and the ticket was officially a lock.
Instead of celebrating a nice $2,100 payout from a $5 bill, the bettor is left holding a measly fifteen bucks and change. Let it be a lesson to sports gamblers everywhere: if you're going to bet on the GOATs, you have to be willing to ride with them.
To give you the most accurate and helpful information, this article has been reviewed and edited by Dave Garofolo through our fact-checking process.
Nick Slade, with nearly two decades of experience, is the Chief Content Officer at Cipher Sports Technology Group, overseeing content for Dimers. He specializes in soccer, NBA, and NHL betting, leveraging predictive analytics and machine learning to provide accurate betting insights.
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