The U.S. government has seized more than 1,000 internet domains accused of illegally streaming matches from the 2026 FIFA World Cup without authorisation.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Monday that the seizures were carried out in three separate operations during the tournament. One of the actions, reported in June, involved the confiscation of nearly 400 websites.
“The Department of Justice announced today the successful seizure of more than 1,000 domains that were engaged in the unauthorised streaming of matches in the FIFA World Cup Finals in violation of U.S. copyright law,” the department said.
According to court documents filed at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, the seized websites were allegedly used to distribute live streams of World Cup matches and related content without permission from copyright holders.
The DOJ said the domains were identified after FIFA and broadcasting partners, including beIN Media Group and NBC Universal, provided evidence of unauthorised streaming activities. Federal agents later confirmed that the websites were actively broadcasting tournament matches without approval.
“According to an affidavit in support of a seizure warrant, the seized domains were used to illegally offer users copyright-protected content in the form of real-time streams of 2026 World Cup matches as they are being played and first broadcast,” the department stated.
The operation, known as “Operation Offsides,” was described by Assistant Attorney General Andrew Tysen Duva of the DOJ’s Criminal Division as part of wider efforts to enforce copyright protections and limit risks associated with illegal streaming platforms, including exposure to malicious software.
“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.
