As millions of fans rush to buy jerseys, collectibles, soccer balls, and national team merchandise during the FIFA World Cup 2026, criminal networks are taking advantage. Around the world, authorities are seizing counterfeit World Cup products in huge volumes, turning what is often viewed as a brand protection and intellectual property issue into a supply chain crisis.
These fake goods aren’t moving undercover. They travel the same freight networks, parcel carriers, and e-commerce platforms as real products, giving supply chain leaders a real-time example of how fast criminals exploit spikes in demand and weak points in distribution.
A global counterfeit supply chain
Recent incidents spanning across Hong Kong, the US, Canada, Peru, Spain, Brazil, and the Netherlands show how counterfeiters are building global networks that mirror legitimate supply chains. And it is not only bulk freight at risk. According to BSI Connect Screen analysis, more than 90% of counterfeit seizures in the US now occur through international mail and express shipment environments, fueled by the surge of e-commerce.
For brands, retailers, and logistics providers, the risks do not stop at lost revenue. Counterfeit products erode consumer trust, trigger product safety liabilities, and complicate supplier management. Law enforcement agencies have also warned that proceeds from counterfeit goods can support organized criminal activity.
Combating these networks starts with understanding how illicit goods move from production to consumer. Recent global seizures reveal a highly organized pipeline:
- Origin: Shipments have been linked to China, Mexico, and Colombia, while Peruvian authorities dismantled counterfeit printing operations and seized more than 2 million fake World Cup figurines.
- Transit: Hong Kong has emerged as a major re-export hub, with customs authorities recently seizing approximately 230,000 World Cup-related counterfeit items. US Customs and Border Protection has also intercepted counterfeit merchandise moving through air cargo and freight networks, including shipments destined for markets such as Brazil.
- Destination: High-demand football markets are the primary target. Canadian authorities have seized more than 16,000 counterfeit FIFA-branded products from a warehouse supplying local retailers, while authorities in Spain intercepted more than 66,000 counterfeit football jerseys and kits intended for online and street-market sales.
What should you prioritize now?
Expect counterfeit activity to stay elevated well after the trophy is raised. To protect distribution networks and safeguard brand integrity, supply chain leaders should prioritize the following:
- Strengthen supplier due diligence: Tighten vetting processes, particularly for components or products sourced from, or routed through, high-risk transit locations.
- Deploy product authentication technology: Embed serialization or QR-based tracking technologies into authentic product lines to increase shipment verification.
- Monitor secondary channels: Actively sweep online marketplaces and third-party digital platforms for unauthorized listings and gray-market diversions.
- Build cross-functional alliances: Collaborate closely with customs authorities, logistics partners, and brand protection teams to flag and intercept suspicious shipments before they infiltrate legitimate networks.
The World Cup lasts only a few weeks, but the lessons for supply chain leaders will extend far beyond the final match.
Organizations that can identify emerging risks earlier and understand how they move through trade routes will be better positioned to protect their operations, customers, and brands.
BSI Connect Screen helps organizations gain that visibility through a risk-based approach to supply chain risk management, enabling teams to identify, assess, and respond to evolving threats before they become costly disruptions.
