The U.S. Department of Justice has announced the seizure and blocking of approximately 400 domain names used to illegally stream matches from the FIFA World Cup, currently being held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Dubbed Operation Offsides, the crackdown is one of the largest law enforcement operations ever conducted against online sports piracy.
According to Domain Gang, the domains were linked to websites that streamed football matches without authorization and generated revenue through advertising and other monetization schemes. In addition to U.S. federal authorities, the operation involved FIFA and several private-sector partners, including NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. Discovery, and other companies. The success of Operation Offsides also relied on extensive international cooperation, as the pirate network operated well beyond the United States. Authorities dismantled server infrastructure in Peru and Bulgaria, while enforcement actions were also carried out in Croatia, Romania, Poland, and Colombia.
Assistant Attorney General Andrew Tysen Duva stressed that, as the host nation of the tournament, the United States is committed to preventing criminals from exploiting its popularity for financial gain. All domains associated with the pirate network now display a standard law enforcement seizure notice. The Department of Justice also warned that consumers who access pirated streams not only support copyright infringement but may also put themselves at significant risk. Websites offering illegal streams are frequently used to distribute malware, launch phishing campaigns, and carry out other forms of cybercrime. In addition, unsecured connections on such platforms can expose users’ personal and financial information to theft.
