FIFA World Cup: Fraud Attempts Surged More Than Threefold at Past World Cups, ACI Worldwide Finds
ACI data shows elevated fraud risk for fans and ticket sellers as the tournament gets underway
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway, new analysis from ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an original innovator in global payments technology, shows that the fraud patterns seen around previous major tournaments are already in play, exposing fans and ticket sellers to heightened risks.
Based on 24.5 million transactions across 61 live-event merchants serving global fan audiences, ACI’s data reveals the same warning signs that preceded fraud surges during Copa America 2024 and the 2022 World Cup have re-emerged, with fraud pressure expected to remain high through the opening stages of the tournament across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
ACI monitors billions of transactions globally across issuers, acquirers and merchants and can identify coordinated fraud activity early, distinguishing genuine fan demand from criminal behavior and identifying warning signals before they become visible to individual merchants or banks.
