World Cup 2026: Over 336 fake websites emerge as scammers target football fans

Scammers are taking advantage of the FIFA World Cup 2026, which kicked off on June 11 and runs until July 19. The tournament is the biggest in its history, with 48 teams playing 104 matches across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and the global attention it draws has also attracted fake websites designed to steal money and personal data from fans trying to follow the action.

Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky says it has identified more than 336 separate web domains built to look like official World Cup pages. The schemes operate in multiple languages, so they do not target any single country. Fans searching online for a free stream, a ticket, or a betting offer should be cautious, including Nigerian fans looking for ways to watch matches without paying for a subscription.

The first trap goes after people looking for free streams. A site promises live World Cup matches at no cost. You click “watch now,” and instead of a game, you get a sign-up form. After registering, the site asks for a small fee, often in cryptocurrency, for “lifetime access” to the tournament.

Two things go wrong here. First, you lose whatever you paid, and crypto payments are nearly impossible to reverse once sent. Second, you have handed over personal details, an email and a password that scammers can reuse against you elsewhere. If you used the same password for your email, bank, or mobile money app, you have effectively given away the keys to all of them in one click.

The second trap targets betting and prediction. Kaspersky found a fake site that asked new users for a long list of personal information, including full name, email, and phone number, just to “create an account.” The site never delivers anything real. Collecting your data is the entire point.

The third trap arrives by email. Fans receive messages advertising “football analytics” or guaranteed match-winner predictions, sometimes asking for a fee of around $200 to unlock the service. There is no service. The money disappears, and the email often carries a phishing link designed to harvest login details on top of it.

A common thread runs through all three. They push urgency, a limited slot, a closing offer, and a deal expiring soon. That pressure exists specifically to stop you from pausing to check whether any of it is real. A legitimate broadcaster does not operate this way.

How to actually watch the World Cup matches safely

There is no need to risk a sketchy site, because legitimate options already cover the tournament widely. Whether through pay-TV bundles, official streaming apps, or free-to-air broadcasts in various markets, the real channels for watching the World Cup are accessible and do not require crypto payments or random sign-up forms promising “lifetime access.”

A few habits limit most of the risk. Check the web address before typing anything in. Scam sites copy the look of official pages, but the URL is usually slightly off, with extra words or the wrong domain ending.

Never reuse the same password across multiple sites, so that if one account is compromised, the damage stays contained. Turn on two-factor authentication for your email, banking, and betting apps, so a stolen password alone is not enough for someone to get in.

Most importantly, treat urgency as a warning sign rather than a reason to hurry. Predictions, lifetime access deals, and closing offers are the bait, not the prize. If something asks you to act immediately or lose the opportunity forever, that is usually the clearest signal that it is fake.

Also read: FIFA revokes 60 free World Cup tickets issued due to website glitch