7 FIFA World Cup Incidents Under Scanner For 'Fixing', Amid Betting Of ₹24 Lakh Crore

Last Updated:July 23, 2026, 17:23 IST

Football integrity body flags 7 incidents from 2026 FIFA World Cup for possible betting irregularities.

A football integrity body has flagged seven incidents from the 2026 FIFA World Cup for possible betting irregularities, although it stressed that the notices do not automatically indicate match manipulation.

The findings come from the Group of Copenhagen, an independent international network that monitored all 104 matches at the tournament in coordination with FIFA’s Integrity Task Force. The full report has not yet been published, but a summary released by the Council of Europe revealed that seven “yellow notices" were raised.

Among the incidents flagged were the red card shown to South Africa’s Themba Zwane in the 84th minute of their opening match against Mexico, and a three-and-a-half-minute delay by the VAR team before Spain’s goal against Saudi Arabia was disallowed.

The report also examined betting activity on Polymarket, an American cryptocurrency-based prediction market. Around $4.8 million (approx ₹47 crore) was reportedly placed on markets predicting that Spain would not beat Cape Verde in their group-stage match. The game ended in a goalless draw.

Another case involved a market opened on July 2 asking whether United States forward Folarin Balogun would play against Belgium. The market was created on the same day Balogun was sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last-32 stage.

FIFA later confirmed on July 5 that Balogun would be available for the Belgium match after his suspension was lifted. The Group of Copenhagen has reportedly requested a written explanation from FIFA over the matter, noting that none of the other red cards saw such a market created throughout the World Cup.

The organisation categorises potential irregularities into four levels: green, yellow, orange and red. A yellow notice indicates “several different indications of irregularities", which can include unexplained changes in betting odds, social media rumours or information from sources.

The Group of Copenhagen estimated that around $240 billion (nearly ₹24 lakh crore) was wagered during the World Cup, nearly twice the amount recorded during the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

Meanwhile, FIFA’s Integrity Task Force said it had found “no suspicious betting activity or indications of match manipulation in connection with any fixture" during the tournament.

News sports football 7 FIFA World Cup Incidents Under Scanner For 'Fixing', Amid Betting Of ₹24 Lakh Crore

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