Cybercriminals are cashing in on the World Cup by selling stolen streaming accounts

The 2026 World Cup is being hosted jointly by the U.S., Canada and Mexico (first North American host since 1994), expanded to 48 teams across 16 cities, and has been breaking TV viewership records into the semifinals.
Researchers found more than 12 million compromised streaming accounts tied to World Cup broadcasts on the dark web—about $220 million in potential black‑market value—with sellers even offering access for as little as ~$5.
Broadcasters are stepping up monitoring around matches and urging protections like two‑factor authentication and bot prevention, and viewers are being encouraged to enable extra security to avoid account theft.