Seven red flags raised by international advisory body over World Cup 2026 betting irregularities
An independent body, the Group of Copenhagen, has flagged seven instances of potential betting irregularities during the 2026 World Cup, contradicting FIFA's claims of a clean tournament. These notices involve suspicious betting patterns, though experts note these could have non-malicious explanations.
Why it matters
Allegations of match-fixing or betting irregularities threaten the integrity of major international sporting events and the credibility of governing bodies like FIFA.
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Suspicious betting activity around Themba Zwane ’s red card in South Africa ’s opening fixture against co-hosts Mexico is one of the incidents that has been flagged. | Credit: Getty Images Experts have cast doubt on FIFA’s claim that World Cup 2026 passed without any ‘suspicious betting activity’ or indications of match-fixing relating to any of the tournament’s 104 matches in June and July.
The governing body’s Integrity Task Force went public with its findings on Tuesday, celebrating a squeaky-clean tournament with no dodgy gambling issues.
Contradictory findings by the Group of Copenhagen, an independent body linked to the Council of Europe with a remit of preventing match-fixing in sport, were reported by The Athletic on Wednesday.
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