US shuts down almost 2,000 websites, most of them Colombian, that illegally broadcast the World Cup

U.S. authorities have shut down nearly 2,000 websites that illegally broadcast the 2026 World Cup, marking a significant crackdown on intellectual property theft. The operation, named "Operation Red Card," targeted sites that streamed matches in real-time without proper licensing.

More than half of the blocked domains were based in Colombia, with a substantial number also originating from Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Argentina. The closure of these sites underscores the U.S. government's commitment to protecting intellectual property rights and ensuring the success of major sporting events like the FIFA World Cup.

"The sustained effort to seize over a thousand domains dedicated to the illegal transmission of the World Cup confirms the government's commitment to intellectual property rights and the success of the FIFA World Cup 2026," stated Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva. The investigation was led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center.

In addition to the website takedowns, "Operation Red Card" also involved search and seizure operations in Colombia aimed at combating the sale of counterfeit sports apparel. These efforts resulted in the arrest of eleven individuals. The operation highlights the global nature of intellectual property crime and the coordinated efforts required to combat it.

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The sustained effort to seize over a thousand domains dedicated to the illegal transmission of the World Cup confirms the government's commitment to intellectual property rights and the success of the FIFA World Cup 2026.