ACI Worldwide, a global payments technology provider, has identified a resurgence of fraud patterns previously associated with major football tournaments, indicating heightened risks for fans and ticket sellers leading up to and during the 2026 FIFA World Cup across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Analysis from ACI Worldwide, based on 24.5 million transactions across 61 live-event merchants serving global fan audiences, reveals warning signs mirroring those observed before fraud surges during Copa America 2024 and the 2022 World Cup. Fraud pressure is expected to remain elevated through the initial stages of the 2026 tournament.
The data shows that fraud typically escalates before and continues after kick-off. In the lead-up to Copa America 2024, attempted card-not-present fraud reached 4% of transaction value, averaging 3.6 times the 2023 baseline. This fraud window commenced weeks before the first match and extended beyond the final whistle.
Alternative payment methods (APMs) demonstrated significantly lower attempted fraud rates, recording 0.57% compared to 3.97% for traditional cards, a sevenfold difference. APM adoption has also increased, climbing from 7% of transactions in 2022 to 24.8% year-to-date in 2026.
Fraudsters frequently target high-value purchases. During the pre-tournament period, fraudulent orders averaged $405, which is 1.5 times the $270 average for legitimate transactions. This pattern suggests that average fraudulent transaction values could again approach $400 during the 2026 World Cup, raising the risk of false declines for genuine fans purchasing higher-priced tickets.
Domestic cards presented higher risk, with a 3.2% attempted fraud rate compared to 1.4% for cross-border cards during the pre-tournament phase, indicating fraudsters’ preference for locally issued credentials. Conversely, international card traffic serves as an early warning indicator; cross-border card share rose from an average of 7.53% to 11.47% during the Copa America 2024 build-up. In May 2026, ahead of the World Cup, it already stood at 10.83%, above the annual average of 7.16%.
Various cybersecurity firms and law enforcement agencies have issued warnings regarding World Cup-related scams. Silent Push, a U.
S.-based threat intelligence firm, has identified over 300 pixel-perfect replica ticketing websites. Check Point Research, the research arm of Check Point Software, recorded 9,741 fraudulent World Cup-related domains registered in April 2026 alone, nearly four times the peak observed during the 2022 tournament. Separately, cybersecurity company Fortinet counted more than 13,000 tournament-themed domains registered between January and May 2026.
Law enforcement has also taken action. The FBI, in a public service announcement issued May 27, 2026, advised fans to navigate directly to fifa.com to avoid fake ticketing, hospitality, and VIP offers, with reported losses ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars per incident. In Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre warned in March 2026 about fraudulent ticket portals and merchandise scams. Mexico’s federal consumer protection agency, Profeco, launched an anti-fraud campaign and pursued legal action against resale platforms. Civic organization Consejo Ciudadano para la Seguridad y Justicia in Mexico estimates ticket scam losses between 1,000 to 100,000 pesos (approximately $55 to $5,500) per victim. A 2025 Mastercard study found nearly 80% of Mexican consumers experienced scam attempts in the preceding year.
Jackie Barwell, director of fraud product management at ACI Worldwide, stated, “The clearest warning sign isn’t match day itself. It’s the days and weeks before kick-off, when attempted fraud rises, cross-border card activity increases and fans start hunting for tickets, often under pressure. Because we see these patterns across our global network, we can tell the difference between genuine fan demand, risky behavior driven by urgency, and outright fraud, helping merchants approve legitimate purchases while reducing the impact of scams as the tournament unfolds.”
ACI Worldwide advises fans to mitigate risk by purchasing tickets only from official sellers or authorized resale platforms, directly typing known web addresses into their browser rather than clicking on ads or social media links, being cautious of offers that appear too favorable, using payment methods with dispute or chargeback protection, and treating unsolicited offers for tickets or VIP packages with skepticism, especially those pressuring quick action.
