DOJ Seizes Over 1,000 Domains in World Cup Piracy Crackdown

The DOJ has seized over 1,000 domains for unauthorized World Cup broadcasts, marking a significant sports-piracy enforcement action.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has seized more than 1,000 internet domains that were illegally streaming 2026 FIFA World Cup matches. This significant enforcement action, dubbed Operation Offsides, represents the most extensive crackdown on sports piracy by the department to date.

Announced on July 20, the seizures unfolded in three distinct waves, with the first round beginning on June 26 when nearly 400 domains were shut down. Two subsequent rounds increased the total to beyond 1,000 domains involved in unauthorized broadcasts of the sporting event.

Leading the domestic effort were agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) based in the Washington Field Office, alongside support from the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center. Warrant applications had been submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, confirming that the domains in question were actively streaming World Cup matches without authorization.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva commented, “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.” The operation highlights the DOJ’s ongoing dedication to protecting copyrighted materials while also safeguarding American consumers from potential risks associated with illicit streaming services.

HSI Deputy Executive Associate Director Matthew Millhollin cautioned that those operating unauthorized streaming platforms might pose not only copyright infringement issues but also risks to consumers through malware and data theft. “They might also be planning to inject malware or steal your payment information,” Millhollin stated.

In collaboration with the DOJ, several prominent organizations including FIFA, NBCUniversal, beIN Media Group, UFC, and the Motion Picture Association’s Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment assisted by providing information that led to the identification of the illegal domains.

Operation Offsides extends its reach beyond U.S. borders. An initiative known as Operation Red Card, coordinated through the DOJ’s International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property program, has been undertaken across numerous countries in Latin America, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru.

Colombian authorities took further action, executing a Phase II operation that began on July 10, which involved simultaneous raids in several cities. This resulted in the arrest of four members from the cybercriminal group Los Ciberinfiltrados, blamed for penetrating telecom systems to sell pirated streams of World Cup matches through various deceptive tactics.

Since 2020, the DOJ’s Criminal Division Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section has achieved more than 180 convictions related to cybercrime and intellectual property, securing court orders for the return of upwards of $350 million in funds victimized by these criminal schemes.

This significant crackdown by the DOJ sends a clear message about the seriousness of intellectual property protection, reinforcing the notion that such illegal acts will be met with substantial enforcement efforts.