FBI Warns World Cup Fans About Fake FIFA Ticket Websites

The FBI is warning U.S. fans that criminals are impersonating FIFA websites to steal personal and banking information and sell fake tickets and hospitality packages connected to the 2026 World Cup.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center issued the warning on May 27, 2026. It does not describe a confirmed breach of FIFA’s systems. Instead, it concerns spoofed websites designed to look like official FIFA pages and trick visitors into sharing information or sending money.

How the fake websites work

According to the FBI, criminals create look-alike domains by making minor changes to legitimate web addresses. The sites may use misspellings, unusual top-level domains or names that imitate FIFA subdomains.

The FBI gave examples including altered spellings, domains ending in something other than .com and addresses that place words such as “tickets,” “jobs” or “careers” next to the FIFA name. The bureau said it had identified dozens of suspicious domains and expected additional fake sites to appear before and throughout the tournament.

The listed domains should not be assumed to remain active. The alert also does not establish a final number of victims or total financial losses.

Visitors to a spoofed site may be asked for names, home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses or banking information. A site may also request payment for tickets or hospitality products that are never delivered or are not valid for entry.

Why search results and social media can be risky

A scam can begin with a search, a sponsored advertisement or an unsolicited social-media message. Fans looking for last-minute seats, resale tickets or hospitality packages may be redirected to a copycat site where urgency and limited availability are used to pressure a quick payment.

Associated Press reporting published June 17, 2026, described fake ticket sites, social-media offers and fraudulent streaming pages as ongoing risks during the tournament period. AP also reported that many previously identified sites had stopped working or had been flagged as malware, but the FBI warned that new look-alike domains could continue to appear.

How to check an offer

The FBI recommends typing Fifa directly into the browser instead of relying on a search result or advertisement. Fans should inspect the complete domain carefully and avoid pages with misspellings, unusual endings or questionable subdomains.

For ticket information, start with FIFA’s official ticketing page and follow links from the official FIFA website. The Federal Trade Commission has separately advised World Cup consumers to use official FIFA channels and to be wary of copycat websites and social-media promotions. General third-party resale offers should be evaluated separately from official FIFA sales, and buyers should understand the seller’s delivery, replacement-ticket and refund policies before paying.

Paper tickets, screenshots and unusually cheap offers deserve extra caution. FIFA has warned that buying outside official channels can carry risks including fake or invalid tickets and inflated prices. HTTPS, FIFA branding or a professional-looking design alone does not prove that a site is legitimate.

What to do if you entered information

Do not send additional money or provide more passwords, identity details, banking information or cryptocurrency to an unfamiliar seller. Contact your bank or card issuer promptly if you paid or shared financial information, and ask what steps may be available to stop or reverse the transaction.

Save the fake site’s domain, messages, receipts, payment details and screenshots of the interaction. Report suspected cyber fraud or data theft to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center and report consumer scams to the FTC. Continue monitoring bank, card and other accounts for unauthorized activity, and change any reused password.

Fans should continue to expect impersonation attempts tied to high-demand matches, resale tickets, hospitality packages and tournament streaming. Starting with FIFA’s official website and checking every web address before entering information can reduce the chance of paying a scammer or handing over data that may be used for later fraud.

Sources

• Internet Crime Complaint Center: FIFA website spoofing alert
• Federal Trade Commission: World Cup scam guidance
• Associated Press: World Cup ticket scam explainer
• FIFA: Official 2026 World Cup ticket information