Consumers across Latin America face significantly higher cyber risks when using illegal live sports streaming services, according to new research commissioned by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment’s (ACE) World Cup Anti-Piracy Task Force and authored by Dr. Paul Watters.
The findings, which tracks similar research conducted in other regions, come as global attention turns to the FIFA World Cup and reinforce a central premise of the ACE Task Force: live sports piracy is not only a content theft issue, but a consumer protection and cybersecurity concern tied to broader criminal infrastructure.
According to the ACE-commissioned Watters analysis, consumers using live sports piracy sites in Latin America experience more than a 13-fold increase in cyber-threat detections compared to legitimate websites, even in best-case scenarios. Exposure rises even more sharply in Mexico, Peru, and Brazil, where detections can be up to 40 times higher than on legitimate viewing sources.
Across all seven countries studied (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru) every category of live sports piracy service showed consistently higher cyber risk. The findings point to consumer exposure to malware, ransomware, phishing, spyware, cryptojacking, and botnet recruitment, underscoring that illicit live sports streams can expose fans to real cybersecurity harm while also fueling the infrastructure and monetization channels that allow piracy services to operate at scale.
To combat these risks, ACE partnered with the U.S. National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) to launch the World Cup Anti Piracy Task Force. The task force is a coordinated, global initiative to protect the value of live sports broadcasts during the FIFA World Cup and disrupt criminal ecosystems that drive illegal streaming.
The ACE findings highlight significant consumer exposure to malware, ransomware, phishing, spyware, cryptojacking, and botnet recruitment; the research emphasizes that live sports piracy poses a serious consumer protection and cybersecurity concern — not merely an intellectual property threat.
“Live sports are among the most time-sensitive and high-value content types, with their peak value concentrated in the moment of broadcast,” said Guillermo Rodríguez, Director of Live Tier at ACE. “This Task Force is built to reflect that reality — bringing speed, coordination, and global reach together to protect consumers, broadcasters, and the integrity of the sports ecosystem during the world’s most watched live events.”
The new research adds to a growing body of data highlighting the serious cyber threat to consumers of digital piracy services.
In 2023, Digital Citizens Alliance reported that internet users who use a credit card to sign up for illegal piracy streaming risk having their card billed for unauthorized charges. Within weeks of signing up for piracy subscription services, Digital Citizens investigators’ credit card was targeted for $1,495 in illicit purchases.
Other recent studies showed that consumers face serious cyber threats from piracy sites in the Philippines, Poland, India, and Southeast Asia.
Also, in a recent collaboration with Comcast, ACE also warned that piracy-linked infrastructure can extend beyond websites and apps. Residential proxy networks may covertly turn everyday consumer devices, including phones, routers, smart TVs, computers, and streaming devices, into infrastructure used for fraud, cyberattacks, piracy, identity theft, and other illicit activity, often without the owner’s knowledge or informed consent.”
“As the world turns its attention to the FIFA World Cup, the IPR Center is committed to protecting both the integrity of the games and the safety of fans worldwide. Through our coordinated efforts with FIFA, ACE, and international law enforcement partners, we are working tirelessly to put an end to digital piracy and continue to urge fans to use legitimate streaming services,” said IPR Center Director Ivan Arvelo.
The ACE World Cup Task Force brings together rights holders, broadcasters, law enforcement authorities, and technology partners around a shared objective: delivering both immediate enforcement and long-term structural impact for the audiovisual industry. Its work is focused on three strategic priorities – coordinated detection and intelligence sharing, strengthened online enforcement, and the sustained dismantling of the infrastructure and monetization channels that enable piracy at scale.
“These findings confirm that live sports piracy is not just a content theft issue. Consumers who access illegal streaming services expose themselves to significant cybersecurity risks, including malware, fraud, and the compromise of their personal devices and networks,” said Cameron Andrews, Legal Director of Anti-Piracy at beIN Media Group. “beIN is proud to support ACE’s World Cup Anti-Piracy Task Force and the collective effort to protect fans, rights holders, and the wider sports ecosystem. We are going into the world’s biggest sporting event; close collaboration between all players – broadcasters, technology partners, law enforcement, rights holders – will be critical to disrupting criminal networks and preserving the integrity and value of live sports.”
Ed McCarthy, Chief Operating Officer of the DAZN Group, said the ACE research underscores a crucial point in the coalition’s global fight against piracy.
“Major sporting moments like the FIFA World Cup 2026 should bring fans together through high-quality, secure viewing experiences. This significant latest research from our partners at ACE reinforces that one of the many risks of IP theft, is that it exposes fans to serious harms, including malware, fraud and the compromise of personal data,” McCarthy said.
“At the same time, expanding access to premium, legitimate sports content on trusted platforms is a critical part of the solution,” he added. “Our strategic partnership with DSPORTS in Latin America is helping to do exactly that. We’re providing fans with safe, high-quality viewing options for the tournament while supporting the integrity and long-term value of live sport. As the world’s biggest sporting event unfolds, collaboration across the industry will be vital to protecting fans and the wider sports ecosystem.”
The initiative comes as global authorities increasingly identify live sports piracy as a top enforcement challenge, particularly ahead of major international tournaments like the FIFA World Cup where demand, monetization, and cyber risk converge.
Additional findings for the new research, including methodology and country specific analysis, are detailed in the reports Consumer Risk from Piracy in Latin America and Consumer Risk from Piracy in Brazil, authored by Dr. Watters.
