Gaming Compliance International (GCI) estimated the number of qualified views of illegal broadcasts globally during FIFA World Cup 2026 at approximately 174.3 billion, saying that unregulated gambling advertisements appeared alongside 95% of these views.
The figures are based on global monitoring and market intelligence, using data sources owned by GCI and others licensed from third parties. The company explains that a “qualified view” is a view that lasts at least 90 seconds; therefore, it does not represent the number of unique viewers, but rather the number of times a broadcast was viewed for the specified duration.
What Do the Viewing Figures Measure?
GCI says its methodology accounts for factors that may affect the calculation of views, such as broadcast interruptions, forced refreshes, reloads, switching between alternative streaming channels, and channel resets during the match. The average number of qualified views for illegal broadcasts was 1.68 billion per match globally, while the Spain–Argentina final recorded 6.2 billion qualified views.
These figures do not mean that 174.3 billion different people watched the matches; they aggregate views that meet the 90-second duration requirement and may include reloads and movement between multiple streaming sources.
Direct Connection to the Unregulated Gambling Market
GCI’s analysis links illegal sports streaming with online unregulated gambling advertisements. According to the company, illegal broadcasters may rely on advertising revenue or refer audiences to unregulated gambling operators, with referral agreements granting them between 25% and 50% of the net gaming revenue generated by referred customers.
The company estimates the total value of online betting globally during the 2026 World Cup at approximately $593 billion, of which $409 billion, or 69%, was through the unregulated market, compared with $184 billion, or 31%, through the regulated market. GCI believes that illegal streaming enables unregulated gambling operators to reach an audience following live sporting events, at a time when legal and illegal broadcasters are competing for the same audience.
What Changes in Practice for Users?
The risks of illegal streaming sites are not limited to broadcasting rights or advertising. GCI warns that some video players, pop-up windows, and fake buttons offering HD or 4K viewing may conceal malware, spyware, or keylogging tools, potentially allowing user data to be collected covertly.
The company had previously identified the same connection in Great Britain; it said that an analysis released in January 2026 recorded 3.1 billion views of illegal sports streams lasting 90 seconds or more across the top 10 sports during 2024, in addition to 1.6 billion views during the first half of 2025. Unregulated gambling advertisements appeared in 89% of the illegal sports streams it monitored at the time.
Matt Holt, CEO of GCI, said that the volume of views indicates that illegal streaming operates on a large scale and competes with legal broadcasters for audiences, adding that the prevalence of unregulated gambling advertisements turns it into a customer-acquisition channel. Ismail Vali, chairman of GCI, founder and former CEO of Yield Sec, believes that addressing the phenomenon requires tackling the illegal market and its supply chain in an integrated manner, alongside enforcing the rules and improving the legal services available to consumers.