DOJ Seized Over 1,000 Illegal World Cup Streaming Domains During Operation Offsides

The Justice Department announced it seized more than 1,000 internet domains used to illegally stream the 2026 FIFA World Cup, wrapping up a month-long crackdown called Operation Offsides one day after Spain won the tournament, according to the DOJ and therecord.media.

Investigators blocked nearly 2,000 additional domains and said they received more than 3,000 leads over the course of the operation, according to the DOJ. The operation ran the length of the entire tournament.

Three Operations, Not One

The takedown happened in three successive waves led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, according to therecord.media. Back in June, HSI had already seized nearly 400 domains, with officials at the time pointing to server hubs in Bulgaria and Peru as major sources of the piracy.

Operation Offsides built directly on that earlier work, according to the Daily Wire. By the time the tournament ended, the total seizure count topped 1,000 domains, with almost double that number blocked outright.

The DOJ credited FIFA, beIN Media Group, NBC Universal, the Motion Picture Association's Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, UFC, and Warner Brothers with helping investigators identify the illegal sites. Seized domains were replaced with a federal seizure notice, a standard move meant to warn off future visitors.

It's Not Just About Stolen Broadcasts

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Criminal Division framed the operation as a statement of intent. "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," Duva said in the DOJ release.

But the bigger warning came from HSI. Deputy Executive Associate Director Matthew Millhollin said the danger goes well beyond copyright theft. "Criminals operating these unauthorized platforms are already willing to break the law when they stream copyrighted World Cup games, they might also be planning to inject malware or steal your payment information," Millhollin said, according to both the DOJ and therecord.media. "Protect your online presence and enjoy the finals with official streaming partners."

Anyone handing over a credit card number to an illegal IPTV service run out of a piracy ring has no idea who's actually on the other end of that transaction. Fraud rings don't publish privacy policies.

An International Piracy Network

The U.S. side of the investigation had international teeth. Hundreds of additional sites got taken down across Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Colombia, according to therecord.media.

Colombian authorities arrested four suspected members of a cyber gang called Los Ciberinfiltrados earlier this month. The group allegedly "illegally accessed telecommunication systems and sold pirated streaming content," including World Cup matches, dating back to 2024, according to the DOJ press release cited by therecord.media. Investigators said the hackers used fraudulent credentials, VPNs, and intercepted security codes to run the operation.

Separately, the DOJ's International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property program took part in "Operation Red Card," a broader international effort targeting digital piracy and counterfeiting tied to the World Cup and centered in Colombia, according to the Daily Wire.

The Money Behind the Piracy

Illegal sports streaming through Internet Protocol Television, or IPTV, is a real business. Law enforcement officials say it can generate millions of dollars in profit for operators, according to therecord.media.

When people shrug off "just watching the game for free," they're overlooking that somebody's making real money off stolen broadcasts. The customers footing the bill for that convenience are handing their payment data to people who've already proven they don't care about breaking the law.

What's Unresolved

The DOJ has not said how many of the more than 3,000 leads it received are still under investigation, or whether additional domain seizures or arrests are coming after the World Cup's conclusion. No sentencing details have been released for the four suspects arrested in Colombia, and it's unclear whether U.S. charges will follow against any operators identified through Operation Offsides. Whether Operation Red Card produces further arrests outside Colombia also remains an open question.