Vietnam is facing a renewed wave of illegal streaming websites broadcasting 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, many of which are using the tournament’s popularity to promote unlicensed gambling platforms.
During the live broadcasts of the FIFA World Cup on the VTV many of these piracy websites were found to be streaming games played in the FIFA World Cup series.
Using various domain names, many of these websites provide access to live games using the previously recognized name of “XoilacTV”, which has been associated with illegal streaming of sporting events in Vietnam for several years, creating a user experience very similar to that of the original site.
Piracy websites take advantage of this user familiarity, as well as their high use and global adoption, to monetize their sites through advertising for their – primarily offshore – sports gambling operations. Gambling ads are typically placed directly on the page with streaming video, and thus provide these networks with added incentive to continue their illegal activity by converting pirated sporting video content into a vehicle to entice users to place bets.
To evade copyright detection, these piracy networks are increasingly using social media and encrypted messaging platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and Telegram to connect with their users and to distribute their video streams. These networks are also using numerous different techniques to circumvent automated Copyright protection systems including, but not limited to, mirrored feeds, changed audio tracks, and graphic overlays.
The rapid growth of the number of World Cup piracy websites is a significant challenge for enforcement agencies as illegal streaming networks combine high demand sporting content with gambling advertising, along with increasingly decentralized distribution techniques.
