Anti-piracy coalition the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has applauded its US government partners, led by the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), for the success of ‘Operation Offsides’, where authorities seized over 1,000 websites and blocked 1,970 website domains that illegally streamed FIFA World Cup matches.

Operation Offsides was a government-led enforcement operation supported by intelligence and leads from public- and private-sector partners. Conducted over a 30-day period surrounding the FIFA World Cup, the effort demonstrated the value of connecting rightsholders, technical expertise, and law enforcement around shared, time-sensitive targets.

“The World Cup is the kind of global live event that piracy networks move quickly to exploit – a massive playing field where criminals seek to steal broadcasts, undermine legitimate distribution, turn a profit, and endanger fans,” said Charles Rivkin, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association and Chairman of ACE. “Operation Offsides showed us what’s possible when rightsholders and law enforcement move quickly against shared targets. ACE played a central role in delivering actionable intelligence to support this effort, and we thank the IPR Center and our US and international partners for their strong and decisive leadership.”

Operation Offsides was coordinated by the IPR Center with the investigation conducted by a total of 14 partners across 54 countries. It was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., with assistance from the Department of Justice (DOJ) Eastern District of Virginia Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DOJ Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.

“The unauthorised broadcast of World Cup matches violates intellectual property rights and fuels criminal organizations,” said Ivan J. Arvelo, Director of the IPR Center. “Through Operation Offsides and strong partnerships with law enforcement and the private sector, we identified and seized hundreds of domains, disrupting those who steal and distribute copyrighted content. Our ongoing efforts ensure that the excitement of the World Cup reaches fans through legitimate, secure channels.”

The seized domains were used by illegal streaming services to exploit global demand for FIFA World Cup coverage and profit from content they did not own or license. By diverting audiences from authorised broadcasters and platforms, these services undermine the value of legitimate media rights and generate revenue from stolen content through advertising, subscriptions, and other commercial relationships.

Piracy services are also high-risk gateways for consumers. Research commissioned by ACE has found that users of piracy sites face significantly greater exposure to malware, phishing, fraud, data theft, and other cyber threats than users of legitimate websites. Operation Offsides disrupted access to those illegal platforms during one of the world’s most valuable and widely viewed live sporting events.

The IPR Center received more than 3,000 leads for domains suspected of illegally streaming the FIFA World Cup from ACE and other private and public sector partners.

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Tags: ACE, piracy