The analytical company Gaming Compliance International (GCI) has released a report detailing the share of advertising from unregulated iGaming operators in pirate broadcasts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The monitoring was conducted throughout the tournament, focusing on views lasting at least 90 seconds without regard to unique viewers. The geographical scope of the study and the list of tracked pirate sites remain undisclosed. Here are the key findings:
Views:
174.3 billion โ total analyzed views of pirate broadcasts during the tournament
1.68 billion โ average views per match
95% โ share of views featuring ads from unregulated iGaming operators
6.2 billion โ views for the final match between Spain and Argentina
2 billion โ views for the third-place match between England and France
Monetization:
25-50% of NGR โ payments to sites with illegal broadcasts under partnership agreements with operators
Advertisers include offshore operators, sweepstakes casinos, social casinos, and prediction market platforms outside the U.S.
According to the president of GCI, official streaming services lag behind pirate platforms, which broadcast matches in 4K resolution without delays and integrate odds directly into the player. The brand StreamEast, which was shut down in September 2025 following raids by the international anti-piracy coalition ACE and Egyptian authorities, managed to regain its previous traffic levels through mirrors and new domains by the start of the 2026 World Cup.