The Group of Copenhagen, established pursuant to the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (Macolin Convention), has published the results of an international operation to monitor possible manipulation during the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Throughout the tournament, the network of national platforms coordinated the monitoring of all 104 championship matches. Fourteen national platforms took part in the operation, drawn from a network that now brings together more than 45 countries across all continents. Monitoring was conducted in close cooperation with the FIFA Task Force, which includes representatives of the Council of Europe and the Group of Copenhagen.
Participants in the operation conducted independent, risk-based analysis of betting markets, odds movements, the withdrawal of betting offers, open-source intelligence (OSINT) and social media intelligence (SOCMINT), and monitored individuals previously identified in connection with cases involving the manipulation of sports competitions. For the first time during a World Cup, systematic monitoring also covered prediction markets, which pose new challenges to safeguarding sports integrity.
The operation monitored all 104 tournament matches, placed 15 matches under enhanced surveillance and assessed 12 high-profile incidents for risks to the integrity of the competitions.
Ukraine’s National Platform for Sports Integrity is an active member of the Group of Copenhagen and participates in information exchange, the coordination of measures to prevent the manipulation of sports competitions, and the development of international cooperation to safeguard sports integrity. Joint operations of this kind demonstrate the effectiveness of international cooperation and reaffirm the importance of implementing the Macolin Convention’s provisions to detect and neutralise threats to fair play in a timely manner.
A more detailed review of the results of the international operation is available on the Council of Europe website at the following link: https://www.coe.int/en/web/sport/-/review-of-the-group-of-copenhagen-s-integrity-monitoring-of-the-fifa-world-cup