Illegal Streaming – Global: World Cup 2026

The 2026 FIFA World Cup had two audiences: one paid to watch; the other watched for “free” on illegal streams. GCI monitored those streams across the whole tournament and counted 174.3 billion illegal stream views of 90 seconds or more — an average of 1.68 billion per match. The final between Spain and Argentina drew 6.2 billion on its own.

95 percent of all those views carried ads for unregulated gambling. That advertising keeps illegal streaming in business: streamers earn 25 to 50 percent of the gambling losses of the viewers they refer.

The money at stake is vast. GCI estimates $593 billion was wagered online on the World Cup, and 69 percent of it flowed through unregulated channels. This report shows how piracy and unregulated gambling became one self-funding economy — and where regulators, rights holders, and platforms can break it.

Download the Report: English