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Despite increased efforts by enforcement agencies, illegal streaming websites that broadcast games from the 2026 FIFA World Cup remain rampant in Vietnam, with many of the streaming sites also involved in promoting illegal gambling operators. The enforcement agencies have succeeded in taking down quite a few major piracy syndicates, yet there are constantly emerging imitation sites.
Piracy Sites Keep Reappearing
During Sunday morning’s World Cup match between Scotland and Haiti, which was being legally broadcast in Vietnam by national broadcaster VTV, numerous illegal websites were also streaming the fixture without permission. The platforms appeared under different domain names, including prefixes such as ukiss, yess, fitma, and fundition, while also using the name XoilacTV, which has long been linked to illegal sports streaming in Vietnam.
Those sites copied the look and feel of the original XoilacTV platform, making it easy for visitors to reach live football streams with little effort. Even after enforcement campaigns have taken down larger piracy operations, including the original XoilacTV network, similar services have continued to resurface under new domains and technical setups.
Betting Ads Drive Revenue
Authorities and industry observers have noted that many of these websites are heavily monetized through advertisements for illegal betting platforms. Banners promoting offshore gambling services are often shown alongside match broadcasts, turning the pirated streams into a way to direct users toward betting websites and gambling-related services.
Industry experts say the demand for live sports content in Vietnam, especially during global tournaments such as the World Cup, is a major reason the illegal streaming market keeps returning. The large online audiences created by these events give operators valuable advertising space, which they use to support gambling promotion as well as piracy.
The financial rewards appear to help these networks recover quickly after takedowns. In some cases, hundreds or even thousands of XoilacTV-style clone sites are said to be available to replace domains that are blocked or removed. Operators are also moving beyond ordinary websites and using social media platforms and encrypted channels to spread unauthorized streams. The illegal broadcast sites have been found in the form of Facebook pages, TikTok pages, and Telegram channels, where operators work to get around copyright enforcement technologies.
Tactics For Evasion And Enforcement
To stay ahead of detection, common tactics include mirroring video feeds, adjusting audio frequencies, and adding animated overlays or frames designed to bypass artificial intelligence-based copyright detection tools during matches. Those methods make enforcement more difficult, even as authorities continue to tighten pressure on digital piracy.
Vietnam has also stepped up its broader campaign against intellectual property violations. By the end of last month, enforcement agencies had found 2,036 infringement cases on copyright, out of which 1,616 infringement cases faced administrative sanctions totaling VND17.9 billion ($679,700).
In connection with the above-listed cases of infringement, the total amount of goods and services were valued at VND115.5 billion ($4.4 million). Authorities also blocked access to 1,073 infringing websites, including 263 illegal movie platforms, 177 pirated comic websites, 612 unauthorized television streaming sites, and 21 e-commerce platforms suspected of industrial property violations.
Broader Intellectual Property Crackdown
In addition to administrative enforcement, investigators opened 44 criminal cases connected to intellectual property violations. These included 7 cases involving copyright and related-rights violations and 37 cases related to industrial property infringement.
The continued appearance of illegal World Cup streaming platforms shows the scale of the challenge facing authorities, as piracy networks combine high-demand sporting content with online gambling promotion and increasingly decentralized distribution methods.
Source: Asia Gaming Brief
