Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) participated in the multi-national anti-piracy operation during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which was called ‘Operation Red Card’ by Brazil. Known as Operation Offsides by the US, law enforcement action was coordinated overall by the Department of Justice (U.S. Department of Justice – DOJ) and the Homeland Security Investigations Agency (HSI) of the United States (USA) to combat digital and physical piracy.
In Brazil, the initiative was coordinated by the Cybernetic Operations Laboratory (Ciberlab), with the support of the Civil Police of Pernambuco (PCPE).
Brazil results
348 Telegram channels and groups dedicated to piracy were dismantled, interrupting more than 1.5 million users. 309 domains were de-indexed.
The operation had the support of the Brazilian Association of Pay Television (ABTA) and federal agencies, such as the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) and the National Cinema Agency (Ancine), which acted in blocking websites and domains used to illegally transmit the games and violate copyright in Brazil.
The operation aimed to dismantle criminal networks that illegally profit from the sale of pirated physical products, such as national team t-shirts, sticker albums and counterfeit sporting goods, and with the unauthorized digital retransmission of World Cup games.
Why it matters
The integrated action focused on the protection of the creative economy, industrial property and the right of consumers to safe consumption. Illegal IPTV services and unauthorized streaming platforms represent one of the main drivers of digital piracy in Latin America, allowing large-scale access to protected content through complex and transnational infrastructures.
Further reading
Operation Red Card against piracy at the 2026 World Cup is carried out in nine countries. Press release. July 20, 2026. Ministry of Justice and Public Safety (Brazil)
