UN warns of rise in illegal betting during 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) warned on Tuesday (26) about the increase in illegal betting before the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

Organized crime groups are behind this practice and the risk of manipulation, said the agency, which is training authorities from the three countries in the use of tools against these crimes in Mexico City.

Along with "economic growth and the party (...), there will also be serious risks", such as "manipulation of competition and illegal betting, often linked to organized crime", said Ronan O’Laoire, head of the UNODC Program for the Protection of Sport against Corruption and Crime, at the opening of the seminar.

The UNODC specifically forecasts a "growth of illegal betting markets". And, although it is difficult to quantify them, "it is estimated that they may surpass the legal ones in size and scope", said the UN agency in a statement.

The Office also forecasts a "sharp increase" in legal betting during the World Cup, based on the nearly US$ 35 billion (around R$ 190 billion at the current exchange rate) bet during the previous edition, the Qatar-2022 World Cup.

The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) projects that the Latin American country will receive an amount that should reach US$ 3 billion (R$ 16.3 billion) from the World Cup, which will have 13 matches spread across Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey.

The World Cup will be disputed for the first time in three countries between June 11 and July 19, with a total of 48 teams.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.