Operation Offsides: DOJ Seizes Nearly 400 Pirate Sports Streaming Domains in Massive Global Anti-Piracy Crackdown

The U.S. government's fight against digital piracy reached a new milestone in June 2026 when federal authorities announced the seizure of nearly 400 domain names allegedly used to illegally stream FIFA World Cup matches. Dubbed Operation Offsides, the enforcement action represents one of the largest coordinated anti-piracy initiatives ever directed at illegal sports streaming websites and reflects a growing trend toward targeting the infrastructure behind online piracy rather than merely pursuing individual infringers. (Tom's Hardware)

For copyright owners, broadcasters, streaming platforms, and sports leagues, Operation Offsides sends a clear message: governments are increasingly willing to use criminal investigative tools, international cooperation, and asset seizure laws to dismantle large-scale piracy operations.

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What Is Operation Offsides?

Operation Offsides is a multinational law enforcement initiative led by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ)in conjunction with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center).

Its primary objective is simple:

Identify, investigate, and disable websites that unlawfully stream copyrighted sporting events while generating revenue through advertising, subscriptions, or other monetization methods.

Unlike traditional copyright lawsuits brought by private rights holders, Operation Offsides is a criminal enforcement initiative involving federal investigators, prosecutors, and international law enforcement partners.

The first major public announcement involved the seizure of nearly 400 internet domains allegedly streaming FIFA World Cup matches without authorization. Many of the websites immediately displayed the now-familiar federal seizure banner indicating that the domain had been seized pursuant to a court-authorized warrant. (Tom's Hardware)

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Why Sports Streaming Is a Major Target

Sports programming has become one of the most valuable forms of copyrighted content in the world.

Organizations investing billions of dollars in broadcast rights include:

• FIFA

• UEFA

• NFL

• NBA

• MLB

• UFC

• Formula One

• ESPN

• NBCUniversal

• beIN Sports

• Warner Bros. Discovery

Because live sporting events derive much of their value from real-time viewing, illegal streaming websites can significantly reduce subscription revenues and licensing value.

Unlike movies, which may continue generating revenue for years, a sporting event often has only one opportunity to generate maximum value.

This makes sports piracy a particularly attractive target for both private copyright owners and government investigators.

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Nearly 400 Domains Seized

According to the Department of Justice, investigators identified approximately 400 domains allegedly being used to illegally stream FIFA World Cup matches.

Investigators reportedly traced infrastructure to servers located in multiple countries, including Peru and Bulgaria, while coordinated enforcement efforts extended into Croatia, Romania, Poland, and Colombia. FIFA and several major media companies—including NBCUniversal, beIN Media Group, Warner Bros., UFC, and the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE)—assisted investigators by identifying infringing domains and providing supporting evidence. (Tom's Hardware)

This international cooperation reflects how piracy investigations have evolved. Illegal streaming operations rarely exist entirely within one country. A single operation may involve:

• domain registration in one nation;

• hosting in another;

• operators located elsewhere;

• payment processors in yet another jurisdiction; and

• viewers around the world.

Modern piracy enforcement therefore requires multinational cooperation.

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Who Is Homeland Security Investigations?

Many people are surprised to learn that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) plays a leading role in intellectual property enforcement.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Although widely known for investigating immigration and customs violations, HSI also investigates:

• intellectual property crimes;

• counterfeit goods;

• online piracy;

• cybercrime;

• money laundering;

• financial fraud;

• international criminal organizations.

Because large piracy operations often cross international borders and generate substantial illicit revenue, HSI has long been involved in criminal copyright investigations.

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What Is the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center?

The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) serves as the federal government's central hub for intellectual property enforcement.

The Center brings together representatives from more than twenty federal agencies and works closely with:

• Department of Justice

• Homeland Security Investigations

• FBI

• Customs and Border Protection

• Postal Inspection Service

• international law enforcement agencies

• private industry

Its mission is to coordinate investigations involving:

• copyright infringement;

• trademark counterfeiting;

• trade secret theft;

• online piracy;

• counterfeit pharmaceuticals;

• counterfeit consumer products.

The Center also serves as the lead coordinator for many online enforcement initiatives involving domain seizures and intellectual property investigations. (Wikipedia)

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Operation Offsides Did Not Start From Scratch

Operation Offsides is not an entirely new concept.

Rather, it represents the latest chapter in a much longer federal anti-piracy strategy.

Beginning around 2010, the federal government launched Operation In Our Sites, a nationwide initiative focused on identifying websites involved in copyright infringement and trademark counterfeiting.

Over the past fifteen years, Operation In Our Sites has resulted in the seizure of thousands of domain names associated with:

• counterfeit merchandise;

• illegal IPTV services;

• unauthorized movie streaming;

• sports piracy;

• software piracy;

• counterfeit pharmaceuticals.

Operation Offsides builds upon many of the investigative techniques developed during Operation In Our Sites but focuses specifically on illegal sports streaming during one of the world's largest sporting events. (Wikipedia)

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How Can the Government Seize a Domain Name?

Many people assume the government simply tells a registrar to "take down" a website.

The actual legal process is considerably more structured.

Generally speaking, investigators:

• conduct an investigation;

• gather evidence of alleged criminal copyright infringement or related offenses;

• work with rights holders to verify ownership and infringement claims;

• prepare an affidavit establishing probable cause; and

• seek a seizure warrant from a federal magistrate judge.

If the court issues the warrant, authorities can direct the domain registry or registrar to transfer control of the domain to the government.

The website itself may continue to exist on its underlying server, but because the domain now points to a government-controlled destination, users attempting to visit the site instead encounter a federal seizure notice. (Wikipedia)

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Why Authorities Target Domain Names

Modern piracy enforcement increasingly focuses on disrupting operations rather than simply winning lawsuits.

Authorities have recognized that if they can eliminate critical infrastructure, many piracy businesses become economically unsustainable.

Common targets now include:

• domain names;

• hosting providers;

• payment processors;

• advertising networks;

• affiliate programs;

• CDN providers;

• DNS services;

• cryptocurrency payment channels.

This broader strategy is often referred to as infrastructure disruption.

Instead of chasing individual users, investigators seek to dismantle the business itself.

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Cybersecurity Is Also Driving Enforcement

Federal officials emphasized that many illegal streaming websites do more than infringe copyrights.

Investigators warned that such sites frequently expose users to:

• malware;

• ransomware;

• credential theft;

• malicious advertising;

• identity theft;

• financial fraud.

Security researchers have previously documented widespread "malvertising" campaigns tied to illegal streaming sites, reinforcing the government's position that these operations present both intellectual property and cybersecurity risks. (Tom's Hardware)

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International Cooperation Is Becoming the New Normal

One of the most significant developments reflected by Operation Offsides is the degree of international cooperation.

Today's anti-piracy investigations routinely involve:

• multiple countries;

• international search warrants or mutual legal assistance;

• coordinated domain takedowns;

• cross-border evidence sharing;

• multinational rights holders;

• global internet infrastructure providers.

As piracy operations become increasingly international, enforcement efforts have followed the same trajectory.

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What This Means for Website Operators

Operation Offsides serves as another reminder that operators of large-scale streaming services face risks extending well beyond civil copyright litigation.

Potential consequences may include:

• federal criminal investigations;

• domain seizures;

• forfeiture proceedings;

• payment account disruptions;

• hosting suspensions;

• advertising revenue termination;

• international enforcement actions.

Rights holders are no longer relying exclusively on copyright lawsuits. Instead, they are combining civil remedies with criminal investigations and coordinated infrastructure disruption.

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Attorney Steve's Takeaways

Operation Offsides demonstrates how dramatically online copyright enforcement has evolved over the past decade. The federal government is no longer focused solely on individual infringers or isolated websites. Instead, investigators are pursuing comprehensive enforcement strategies designed to dismantle entire piracy ecosystems.

Several trends stand out. First, domain names themselves have become valuable enforcement targets and may be seized through court-authorized warrants when investigators establish probable cause that they are being used to facilitate criminal copyright offenses. Second, public-private cooperation continues to expand, with sports leagues, broadcasters, media companies, anti-piracy organizations, and federal agencies working together to identify and disable infringing operations. Third, enforcement increasingly extends beyond copyright concerns to include cybersecurity, fraud prevention, and the protection of consumers from malware and identity theft associated with illegal streaming sites.

Perhaps most importantly, Operation Offsides illustrates a broader shift in strategy. Rather than simply litigating against infringers after the fact, authorities are targeting the infrastructure that allows piracy businesses to operate—domains, payment systems, hosting providers, advertising networks, and other essential services. As these enforcement tools continue to mature, website operators involved in unauthorized streaming face an increasingly complex landscape where civil liability, criminal exposure, and coordinated international enforcement may converge.

For anyone involved in content creation, media distribution, sports broadcasting, or digital platform operations, Operation Offsides is likely a preview of where anti-piracy enforcement is headed over the next decade. It underscores that intellectual property protection is no longer confined to private litigation; it has become an increasingly coordinated effort involving federal prosecutors, international investigators, and sophisticated technological enforcement mechanisms. (Tom's Hardware)