Alarms are set, the coffee is brewing, and football fans around the world are once again preparing for a month of sleepless nights, soaring emotions and nail-biting finishes.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 officially kicked off today, with Mexico and South Africa getting the tournament underway, and setting the tone for what promises to be weeks of dramatic upsets, last-minute goals and living-room celebrations at ungodly hours. Even among bandwagon barrackers who may be previously only ever encountered a Red Card in a shoe sale!
But while fans are busy debating predictions, organising watch parties and hunting down tickets, experts are warning that another competition has already begun online – and this one involves scammers.
Metasays cybercriminals will ramp up their efforts throughout the tournament, targeting football fever with fake ticket sales, fraudulent visa offers, counterfeit merchandise and even scam cryptocurrency schemes designed to cash in on fan excitement.
And if history has taught us anything, it’s that World Cup passion can sometimes override common sense. After all, when your dream is seeing your team lift the trophy, a “last chance ticket” deal can suddenly seem very convincing.
To help combat what security experts are calling a growing “World Cup scam economy”, Meta has announced a series of new safety measures across Facebook and Instagram aimed at protecting both fans and players throughout the tournament.
One of the biggest changes will be new Facebook warnings that appear when users search for FIFA World Cup ticket-related terms or browse relevant Groups. The pop-up reminders will encourage fans to purchase tickets only through verified sources and provide links to reporting tools for suspicious accounts and content.
The move comes as scammers increasingly create convincing fake websites and social media pages that mimic official World Cup branding.
Meta says it recently worked with Visa through the Global Signal Exchange to dismantle a network of Facebook scams using fake FIFA World Cup branding to promote fraudulent gambling websites. The pages reportedly promised unrealistic win rates while attempting to collect users’ personal and financial information.
Additionally, while fans worry about securing seats in the stadium, players face a different challenge entirely: they navigate the flood of online commentary that follows every penalty miss, referee decision and heartbreaking elimination.
Anyone who’s spent time on social media during a major sporting event knows the mood can swing faster than a counterattack.
That’s why Meta is also expanding protections for athletes and teams during the tournament. A new Facebook moderation feature will allow participating players and teams to automatically hide potentially offensive comments, building on Instagram’s existing Hidden Words tool that filters abusive language from comments and direct messages.
The company is also encouraging athletes to use tools such as Limit Interactions, which temporarily restricts comments and messages from accounts they don’t follow or that have only recently followed them – a feature designed to help during periods of intense public attention.
The focus on player wellbeing comes as online abuse continues to be a major issue across global sport. Meta says it removed 2.6 million pieces of hateful content from Facebook and Instagram between October and December 2025, with AI systems proactively detecting more than 74 per cent before users reported it.
For fans, the message is simple: enjoy the drama on the pitch, but keep your guard up online.
Whether you’re waking up before dawn to catch a group-stage clash, frantically refreshing live scores during work meetings or planning a pilgrimage to a host city, this World Cup is shaping up to be one of the most connected tournaments ever.
Just make sure the ticket you’re buying is real, the website you’re clicking is legitimate, and the “exclusive deal” in your inbox isn’t too good to be true.
Because, while every football fan expects referees to spark controversy, but nobody wants scammers to trick them.
