Italy police busts illegal TV streaming hubs ahead of 2026 World Cup

ROME: Italy’s finance police said on Friday it uncovered three ​illegal broadband TV distribution hubs ‌in Crotone, in the southern Calabria region, and reported four suspects, seizing assets ​worth about €650, 000 ($751, 900). FIFA unveils Netflix World Cup game timed for 2026 tournament kickoff Authorities said the sting ​was part of efforts to ⁠fight digital piracy ahead of the 2026 ​FIFA World Cup in United ​States, Canada and Mexico, which opened on Thursday and for which the Italian national ​team failed to qualify. The network sold ​pirated subscriptions, giving access to paid content from ‌platforms ⁠including Sky, DAZN, Netflix and Disney+. Paraguay not at World Cup to make up the numbers, says coach The illegal subscriptions cost between €10 and €40, including customer services. Investigators identified at least ​2, 769 ​users, with ⁠illegal proceeds reinvested into the legal economy and ​cryptocurrencies to conceal their origin. The ​four ⁠suspects, all Italian nationals, were reported for copyright violations and self-laundering. Users face ⁠administrative ​fines ranging from €154 ​to €5, 000, police said.

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