The US Justice Department has stripped the internet of almost 400 domains used to illegally stream the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The operation, dubbed “Operation Offsides,” targeted servers across seven countries simultaneously.
People hitting those sites now see a banner: “This website has been seized by law enforcement authorities as part of Operation Offsides, a coordinated global effort led by the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center.”
The seizures spanned Peru, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Poland, and Colombia. Leads came from US authorities, with help from FIFA, beIN Media Group, NBCUniversal, the Motion Picture Association, UFC, and Warner Bros. This wasn’t a one-agency job.
Eric Weindorf, Special Agent in Charge at ICE HSI’s Washington field office, pointed out that these pirate streams don’t just violate copyright: they push malware and unsecure connections that put viewers’ personal and financial data at risk.
It also follows a May FBI warning about fake FIFA websites selling counterfeit tickets and then stealing card details. And just last week, authorities shut down 44 domains tied to PirloTV, a major sports piracy ring generating over 950 million visits per year.
PirloTV’s survival strategy? Aggressively migrating to new domains after every takedown. Expect this cat-and-mouse game to continue through the tournament.
