Cybercriminals are already setting up schemes tied to FIFA World Cup 2026—and they’re doing it long before the first whistle blows. According to BforeAI’s PreCrime Labs, nearly 500 suspicious domains have been registered, all designed to look like they’re connected to FIFA, official tickets, or fan activities. On the surface, they may appear legitimate, but many are traps meant to steal money, collect personal data, or spread malware.

The timing is especially concerning. Researchers observed a major spike between August 8 and August 12, 2025, when attackers registered nearly 300 domains in just a few days. These early setups suggest scammers are carefully preparing their infrastructure well ahead of the tournament, hoping to catch fans and businesses off guard as excitement builds.

TL;DR

Threat actors have registered nearly 500 malicious domains linked to FIFA World Cup 2026. These sites mimic official branding to push ticket scams, counterfeit merchandise, fake streams, betting traps, and phishing attacks. Host cities like Dallas and Atlanta are also being used as lures. The surge of domain activity, especially in August 2025, shows that scams are being staged well ahead of the event. Fans and businesses must stay alert.

Key Points

• 498 domains flagged as suspicious, with heavy use of FIFA, “worldcup,” and “football.”
• Peak registration between August 8–12, 2025, with 299 domains created.
• Common scam angles: fake ticketing, counterfeit merchandise, phishing, betting, and streaming.
  
• Domains tied to host cities like Dallas, Atlanta, Kansas City, and Philadelphia.
• Risky TLDs include .com, .online, .football, .xyz, and .shop.
• Cybercriminals also register domains years in advance to look legitimate.

How Cybercriminals Are Exploiting FIFA World Cup 2026

• Domain Surge and Patterns

The FIFA World Cup is one of the most watched sporting events in the world, which makes it a natural magnet for cybercrime. Scammers know that when excitement builds, people let their guard down. By registering domains months or even years in advance, they create the illusion of legitimacy. A domain that has been “aged” for several months is far less likely to be flagged as suspicious compared to one created overnight.

Researchers found 498 domains tied to FIFA-related keywords, with the majority using “FIFA,” “worldcup,” or “football.” These are strategically chosen terms that fans, businesses, and even search engines are likely to trust. The choice of extensions is equally deliberate. While .com still dominates, attackers are diversifying with .online, .football, .shop, and .xyz, which often cost less to register and can appear trendy or event-specific.

The most alarming part was the sudden spike. Between August 8 and August 12, 2025, nearly 300 new domains appeared—about 53 per day. This kind of surge is not random. It suggests coordinated campaigns, possibly by groups preparing to launch large-scale scams in sync with FIFA announcements, ticket releases, or sponsor promotions.

• Why Scammers Use Multiple Angles

Unlike older campaigns that focused on just one method, these scams are multipronged. Attackers are building ecosystems of fraud. For example, a fake merchandise store might redirect visitors to a phishing login page, while a betting site could also advertise counterfeit streaming links. The overlap makes it harder for victims to spot a scam and for defenders to track them.

These domains also mimic the way legitimate businesses promote World Cup-related services. From ticketing and hospitality to visa support and local city events, scammers piggyback on the same ecosystem—except their intent is theft. By blending into normal online traffic, they avoid detection and maximize impact.

• Timing Is Key

The early setup matters. By planting domains a year in advance, attackers ensure that by the time fans search for tickets, accommodations, or live streams, these sites are already indexed by search engines. Some may even gain backlinks from careless blogs, forums, or social media shares, which boosts their visibility and credibility.

This means that by 2026, many of these domains will look seasoned, not newly created. For fans, that makes the scams much harder to distinguish from genuine sites. And for defenders, it narrows the window to detect and block them before they are weaponized at scale.

• Scam Types in Play

The domains are being set up to support multiple types of fraud:

• Ticketing scams: Fake portals pretending to sell official match passes.
• Merchandise fraud: 56 sites selling counterfeit jerseys, scarves, or memorabilia.
• Streaming traps: 55 websites offering “live” match streams that either steal credentials or spread malware.
• Betting scams: 32 domains mimicking betting and casino platforms tied to football.
• Phishing: Login-related domains collecting user details.
• City-specific lures: 23 domains targeting Dallas, Atlanta, Kansas City, and Philadelphia.
• Other ruses: Fake visa services, hotel booking portals, even activist-style donation pages.

Real-World Examples

Several examples highlight the sophistication of these scams:

• A Mandarin-language site titled “FIFA World Cup Schedule” redirects unsuspecting visitors to a betting platform.
• A Spanish-language page uses VISA-style branding and “official-looking ticket layouts” to steal payment details.
• Another domain offered an “EV Map for World Cup 2026”—but instead of showing listings, it harvested data from local businesses.
• Some sites even impersonate volunteer or activist groups, using emotional hooks to “solicit donations or redirect fans to scam platforms.”

Registrar Breakdown of Suspicious Domains

The analysis also reveals which registrars are hosting these malicious domains. Some stand out:

• GoDaddy.com, LLC (16.6%) – the single largest registrar used by scammers.
• NameCheap, Inc. (6.6%) and Porkbun LLC (6.6%) – also heavily exploited.
• OVH SAS (6.2%) and Dynadot Inc (6.2%) – among the top five registrars.
• TUCOWS, Inc. (5.2%) and DomiNet (HK) Limited (3.8%) – notable shares.
• Others include GMO Internet (4.3%), InterNetX GmbH (3.3%), IONOS SE (3.3%), Metaregistrar BV (3.6%).
  
• Smaller contributions from Squarespace, Wix, Hostinger, Gname.com, PDR Ltd, Spaceship, Ligne Web Services (each 1–2%).
  

What This Tells Us

1. Attackers spread risk across registrars
   By distributing domains across dozens of registrars, scammers reduce the chance of a coordinated takedown. If one registrar suspends fraudulent domains, many others will still remain active. This scattershot approach ensures continuity of their operations.

2. Mainstream registrars are not immune
   The fact that big names like GoDaddy, NameCheap, and Porkbun dominate the list shows that attackers don’t always need shady providers. They exploit well-known registrars because of their global reach, low costs, and ease of setup. Many of these registrars also offer bulk registration tools, which attackers use to create dozens of domains at once.

3. Cost and accessibility drive choice
   Registrars offering cheaper pricing, discounts, or fast onboarding attract scammers. For cybercriminals, it’s about scaling quickly with minimal investment. Extensions like .shop, .xyz, or .online are inexpensive and available, making them appealing for short-lived scams.

4. Regulation gaps create opportunities
   While some registrars enforce strict verification, others rely on automated systems with limited checks. This uneven enforcement creates a patchwork where attackers can move easily between providers. Once a registrar tightens controls, scammers migrate to another.

5. Global diversity complicates enforcement
   With registrars based across North America, Europe, and Asia, shutting down malicious domains requires international coordination. Laws, policies, and response times differ widely between countries. This global spread of registrars makes it harder to achieve fast takedowns.

6. Reputation laundering through legitimate providers
   Domains hosted on big-name registrars benefit from implicit trust. A site registered via GoDaddy or NameCheap is less likely to raise suspicion with users than one registered through an obscure or unknown registrar. Attackers leverage this reputation to increase the chance of fooling their victims.
   

The chart highlights how GoDaddy alone accounts for nearly 1 in 6 malicious domains, while the long tail of smaller registrars ensures the threat stays widespread and harder to control.

Why This Matters

The wave of malicious domains tied to the FIFA World Cup 2026 isn’t just a nuisance—it’s a direct threat to fans, businesses, and even host cities. The scale and timing of these scams reveal how cybercriminals think and why this campaign could become one of the most disruptive seen around a sporting event.

1. Fans are the easiest targets
   Millions of fans will go online to buy tickets, book hotels, stream matches, or order merchandise. Attackers are setting traps in advance, knowing that even cautious users might get caught in the frenzy of excitement. A single fake ticket purchase can mean lost money, stolen credit card details, and ruined travel plans.

2. Businesses and sponsors risk brand damage
   Hospitality providers, airlines, payment companies, and sponsors linked to FIFA may find themselves impersonated by scam sites. If fans get defrauded by a fake “official” partner, it damages trust in legitimate businesses. In worst cases, businesses might even be held responsible if they fail to warn customers.

3. Host cities face reputational risks
   Dallas, Atlanta, Kansas City, and Philadelphia are already being targeted with city-specific scams. Fake hotel booking sites, bogus fan promotions, or counterfeit local guides could tarnish a city’s reputation as a safe destination for visitors.

4. Phishing campaigns will escalate
   These domains are more than static websites. They’re infrastructure for future attacks—like smishing texts with fake Fan IDs or phishing emails with counterfeit ticket confirmations. Once the event nears, these domains will fuel large-scale campaigns designed to overwhelm fans’ inboxes and devices.

5. Traditional defenses won’t be enough
   Experts warn that “the short lifespan of these domains, combined with cheap hosting and CDN proxies, makes blacklisting nearly impossible unless you anticipate patterns early.” In other words, once a scam is live, it might disappear before authorities can shut it down—only to reappear elsewhere.

6. Trust in the World Cup itself is at stake
   Beyond the financial and technical risks, there’s a cultural cost. The World Cup is supposed to be a unifying global event. If too many fans associate it with fraud, scams, and bad online experiences, it undermines FIFA’s brand and the excitement of the tournament.
   

Experts warn: “The short lifespan of these domains, combined with cheap hosting and CDN proxies, makes blacklisting nearly impossible unless you anticipate patterns early.”

How Fans and Businesses Can Stay Safe

Cybercriminals are betting on the World Cup frenzy to make their scams look real. Fans and businesses can reduce risks by paying attention to these targeted precautions:

For Fans

• Stick to official FIFA channels
  Buy tickets, merchandise, and streaming passes only through FIFA’s official website or verified partners. Bookmark the legitimate FIFA domain (fifa.com) to avoid mistyping and landing on a fraudulent lookalike.
• Double-check URLs before clicking
  Many scam sites use small variations of the official name, such as fifaworldcup2026.shop or fifatickets2026.org. Always look for HTTPS and validate the domain against FIFA’s official announcements.
• Be skeptical of free or cheap streaming
  Offers of “free live match streams” are one of the most common lures. These often hide malware or phishing traps. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Avoid fan promotions from unknown sources
  Social media, Telegram, or WhatsApp groups may advertise giveaways, fake betting offers, or fan passes. Verify any promotion with FIFA or trusted partners before engaging.
• Use secure payment methods
  Avoid bank transfers or prepaid cards for tickets or merchandise. Stick to credit cards with fraud protection so you can dispute unauthorized charges.

For Businesses and Sponsors

• Register defensive domains early
  If you’re a sponsor, partner, or local service provider, secure variations of your brand name across common TLDs (.com, .shop, .xyz, .football). This prevents scammers from hijacking your brand.
• Monitor for impersonation
  Set up alerts to track domain registrations that include your company name, event keywords, or host city references. Early detection makes takedown requests more effective.
• Verify promotions with city partners
  Local hotels, restaurants, and travel providers should confirm any “World Cup” themed promotion is legitimate before using the branding. Criminals are already creating fake city-specific sites.
• Educate staff and customers
  Train employees to recognize phishing attempts related to the World Cup. Provide customers with official guidance on how to safely access your services during the event.
• Work with cybersecurity teams
  Businesses should coordinate with FIFA’s security partners and firms like BforeAI PreCrime Labs to proactively block malicious sites targeting fans.

Shared Precautions

• Keep devices updated with the latest patches and antivirus software.
• Report suspicious websites to FIFA or national cybersecurity centers.
• Use multi-factor authentication for accounts tied to ticketing, banking, or travel.

By applying these targeted steps, both fans and businesses can enjoy the World Cup without falling victim to the scams that are already being staged.

Quick FAQs 

Q1. How many malicious FIFA World Cup 2026 domains were flagged?
Nearly 500 suspicious domains have been identified.

Q2. What scams are tied to these domains?
Ticket fraud, fake merchandise, phishing sites, streaming traps, betting scams, and city-specific lures.

Q3. When did domain activity peak?
Between August 8–12, 2025, with 299 domains registered in just four days.

Q4. Which cities are being targeted?
Dallas, Atlanta, Kansas City, and Philadelphia are among the most targeted host cities.

Q5. How can fans avoid scams?
Stick to FIFA’s official ticketing and streaming channels, avoid suspicious URLs, and ignore “too good to be true” offers.

To Sum Up

The FIFA World Cup is more than just a sports event—it’s a massive opportunity for cybercriminals. The sheer volume of malicious domains, from fake tickets to counterfeit merchandise, shows that attackers are preparing well ahead of 2026.

As one report put it: “Fans should expect smishing, phishing, and social engineering attempts to escalate as the event gets closer.”

The excitement of the World Cup should be about football, not fraud. Staying vigilant is the best defense.