The 2026 World Cup, one of the most watched sporting events in the world, has become a battleground not just for national teams but for sophisticated cybercriminals, according to a series of cybersecurity firms tracking a sharp rise in AI-driven fraud since the tournament began.
The security firm Revelum reported identifying at least 10,000 fraudulent advertisements generated using deepfake technology over the past year, with the bulk of the surge coinciding with the tournament's opening. The videos clone the faces and voices of leading players, falsely appearing to promote betting apps, questionable investment schemes, and cryptocurrency ventures with no actual connection to the athletes themselves. The rate of fake advertisements using Neymar's likeness jumped roughly 1,700 percent, while Luis Díaz saw an increase of more than 400 percent.
One especially prominent case involved a video of Cristiano Ronaldo in which the Portuguese star appeared to endorse an investment in a digital currency called USWR. Investigations found the video to be entirely fabricated, with the audio completely replaced; Ronaldo never promoted the project. Despite this, the video spread widely across social media and directed users to a website falsely claiming an official connection to the tournament, a claim that likewise proved baseless.
Separately, the cybersecurity firm Kaspersky uncovered more than 336 impersonation domains linked to the World Cup, including fake sites posing as official ticket sales platforms, live broadcast services, and merchandise stores. The FBI issued an unusual public warning of its own, flagging dozens of fraudulent web addresses, including fifa[.]cab and fifa-ticket[.]live, designed to steal personal information and money from unsuspecting users.
The security firm Confiant broke the fraud down into four main categories: fake ticket sales, counterfeit merchandise storefronts, impersonation of the Panini sticker album brand, and deepfake gambling advertisements. According to the firm, the combination of advanced artificial intelligence and the tournament's enormous global visibility has created what it called a perfect storm for scammers.
The phenomenon extends well beyond soccer. Earlier this year, during the Super Bowl, a deepfake of a well-known political figure circulated online urging viewers to transfer money in cryptocurrency, a scheme that led to real financial losses for numerous victims. Experts warn the underlying technology is becoming increasingly convincing, making it harder even for experienced users to distinguish real content from fabricated material.
Cybersecurity firms are urging heightened caution: access official websites only through verified addresses, avoid clicking on sponsored links, never share personal information without verification, and favor payment methods that allow for reversal. As the firms put it, if something looks too good to be true, it almost certainly is.
