Nearly 3,000 websites have been blocked or seized for illegally streaming World Cup matches, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced — a sweeping enforcement action that spanned the Americas and triggered arrests in Colombia.
More than 1,000 domains were shut down in the US alone during the tournament, with a similar number blocked in Colombia, the DOJ said. Enforcement agencies in America and across South America carried out the action under investigations named “operation offsides” and “operation red card”.
“Nearly 3,000 websites blocked or seized for illegally streaming World Cup matches, say US authorities.”
“The sustained effort to seize more than a thousand domains dedicated to illegally streaming the World Cup confirms the administration's commitment to intellectual property rights and to the success of the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” said the DOJ’s assistant attorney general, A. Tysen Duva.
Ivan J. Arvelo, director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (NIPRCC), said unauthorised broadcasting of World Cup matches violated intellectual property rights and “fuels criminal organizations”. The NIPRCC is part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which largely oversaw the enforcement.
The crackdown extended beyond domain seizures. The Colombian Attorney General’s Office said it had made several arrests, including four members of what was referred to as the “cybercriminal group” Los Ciberinfiltrados. They were arrested for allegedly gaining and distributing access to World Cup games illegally.
Another 830 websites in Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and the Dominican Republic were also blocked, the DOJ said.
Illegal streaming of sports often occurs through webpages or websites created specifically for the event, costing broadcasters and companies billions of dollars a year, according to industry estimates. Analysts have found that football, due to its global popularity, is pirated at an “industrial scale”. The rising cost of broadcasting rights deals has pushed up prices for fans at home, prompting some to turn to illegal streams to avoid such costs.
The enforcement was supported by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), a coalition that combats digital piracy. Its chairman, Charles Rivkin, said the World Cup was the “kind of global live event that piracy networks move quickly to exploit”. Also backing the operation were Fifa, which organises the World Cup, beIN Media Group, NBC Universal, Ultimate Fighting Championship, and Warner Brothers. Much of Fifa’s revenue comes from selling broadcasting rights to global media networks.
Fifa and the other media entities did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
