2026 World Cup: sports betting, FIFA makes a strong statement

In recent days, a controversy has erupted over possible irregularities linked to sports betting during the 2026 World Cup.

According to The Athletic, the Copenhagen Group, an independent body in charge of monitoring the integrity of competitions, reported having flagged seven yellow alerts after analyzing all 104 matches of the tournament.

Among the situations under review are the red card given to American Folarin Balogun against Bosnia and Herzegovina, after which a prediction market on his availability against Belgium was allegedly opened, as well as other movements deemed unusual surrounding several matches.

However, FIFA has assured that no match-fixing has been detected. The governing body's integrity task force stated it had identified “no suspicious betting activity nor any indication of match manipulation related to any game.”

With nearly $240 billion wagered on the tournament, monitoring new prediction markets has become a major challenge for football authorities.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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