2026 World Cup/piracy: 400 illegal websites blocked by the US Department of Justice

Nearly 400 websites that were illegally streaming 2026 World Cup group-stage matches have been seized in the United States, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on 26 June 2026.

"The seized domains were identified with the assistance of FIFA, with further supporting information provided by beIN Media Group, NBC Universal, Motion Picture Association’s Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and Warner Bros.," the department stated.

The operation was carried out as part of Operation “Offsides”, led by the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Centre in collaboration with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), HSI attaché offices, as well as "private sector and law enforcement partners globally."

As a result, "servers and domains linked to illegal streaming of World Cup games were targeted in Peru and Bulgaria. Additional disruptions took place in Croatia, Romania, Poland and Colombia."

• "Since 2020, CCIPS (Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section) has secured the conviction of over 180 cybercriminals and IP…