Nearly 3,000 websites have been shut or seized in a joint operation across the United States and several South American countries to stop the illegal broadcast of 2026 FIFA World Cup matches. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) said the operation against copyright infringement and digital piracy was carried out during the World Cup.
According to the DOJ, more than 1,000 domains were shut in the United States. An equal number of websites were shut in Colombia. In addition, another 830 websites were taken down in Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and the Dominican Republic.
The operation, carried out under the names “Operation Offsides” and “Operation Red Card,” involved US law-enforcement agencies alongside the authorities of various South American countries.
Evan J. Arvelo, director of the US National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (NIPRCC), said that broadcasting World Cup matches without permission was not only a violation of intellectual-property law but also financially strengthened criminal networks.
The DOJ said that by the end of last month, 400 web pages linked to illegal World Cup streaming had been shut. In the subsequent operation, hundreds more websites and domains were shut or seized.
A. Tyson Duva, an assistant attorney general at the DOJ, said: “Seizing more than a thousand domains used for the illegal broadcast of the World Cup proves that the administration is firmly committed to protecting intellectual property and ensuring the successful hosting of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”
Charles Rivkin, chairman of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), an organisation that works to prevent digital piracy, said piracy networks become active very quickly in targeting a globally live-broadcast event like the World Cup.
FIFA, BeIN Media Group, NBCUniversal, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Warner Bros. also cooperated in the operation. A large part of FIFA’s income comes from the sale of broadcasting rights.
The Colombian attorney general’s office said four members of a cybercrime gang known as “Los Ciberinfiltrados” had been arrested during the operation. They are accused of illegally gaining access to World Cup matches and distributing them through various channels.
In addition to illegal streaming, a nationwide search-and-seizure operation against counterfeit sportswear was also carried out in Colombia. The DOJ said 11 people had been arrested and convicted in the country on charges of producing and distributing counterfeit sports goods.
The authorities say such internationally coordinated operations against illegal streaming and counterfeit goods will continue in future, to protect the intellectual property and commercial interests of the sports-broadcasting industry.
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