2026 FIFA World Cup hype leads to fraud, fake apps and ransomware targeting fans and businesses

Scammers get ahead of FIFA World Cup infrastructure
Fraud covers the finance, travel and gambling sectors
Businesses urged to prepare before tournament begins

Scams related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup will peak, unsurprisingly, just before and during the world cup. However, to maximize the efficiency of these scams, scammers need much more time.

This is according to cybersecurity researchers Check Point Research who, in a new blog post, said scammers have been positioning themselves for months, focusing on three key pillars: finance, travel and hospitality, and gambling. Now that the World Cup is about to begin, the infrastructure for scams is “already built” and most scam sites are already active.

“The financial ecosystem surrounding any mega-event is exactly the type of environment that threat actors prefer,” CPR explains. “Increasing transaction volumes, unknown merchants, reduced purchasing windows and international flows reduce the scrutiny that normally deters fraud.”

Lack of DMARC enforcement complicates matters

Tickets to games may be scarce, but scams will be plentiful. Shady cryptocurrency tokens are already circulating, with no affiliation with FIFA, with a completely anonymous team and no use case.

There are fake hotels, ticketing sites and even merchandise sellers everywhere. To make matters worse, legitimate trading partners don’t help either: a third of them lack sufficient DMARC enforcement, meaning they can be easily spoofed by cybercriminals.

For CPR, this means one thing: to protect their good name, as well as the well-being of their customers, companies must do what criminals do: prepare well in advance.

“Threat actors are already positioning infrastructure, testing entry points, and activating campaigns at times of maximum visibility and operational pressure. By the time the tournament is live, the preparation window will have largely closed,” they said. “For organizations, this means that preparation must be done before the tournament begins.”

Now the key question is: is your business ready for the next 30 days?