The 2026 FIFA World Cup triggered a sharp rise in domain registrations linked to betting and streaming activity, raising concerns over illegal gambling, fraud and consumer protection during the tournament.
A report by WhoisXMLAPI identified more than 17,000 recently registered domains containing terms such as worldcup, fifa, wc2026 and world-cup, with over 10,000 of these registrations recorded during June 2026.
The report says the domains do not appear to have been registered by FIFA. Instead, a small number of registrants appear to account for a significant share of the activity, with 10 email addresses linked to more than half of the registrations. Nearly 13,000 of the domains were registered in China’s .com.cn namespace, while around 3,000 were registered as .com domains. Almost half were registered through Beijing Xinnet, a Chinese domain registrar.
WhoisXMLAPI says the largest category of domains appear to be linked to betting websites. Streaming-related domains are also common, reflecting the wider overlap between illegal sports streaming and offshore betting activity. The findings came as regulators and licensed operators warned that the World Cup is creating a major opportunity for unlicensed gambling platforms, scam sites and illegal streaming networks to acquire customers.
Major sporting events routinely lead to a surge in opportunistic domain registrations. Some may be used for affiliate marketing or search traffic capture, while others can support phishing, illegal betting, malware distribution or unauthorised streaming.
The issue is particularly sensitive during the 2026 World Cup because of the scale of the tournament. The expanded event features 48 teams and 104 matches across the US, Canada and Mexico, creating one of the largest betting and media rights opportunities in global sport.
For licensed operators, this domain surge adds another layer to the black-market challenge. Unlicensed sites can use World Cup branding, search visibility and streaming traffic to reach consumers in markets where they do not hold local gambling licences.
For regulators and sports bodies, the findings underline the need for closer coordination between gambling authorities, domain registrars, payment providers, search platforms and rights holders. During major tournaments, enforcement is no longer only about betting licences; it also depends on identifying the digital infrastructure that allows illegal gambling and fraudulent sites to reach consumers.
