Irregularities reported in two Spanish matches
The Copenhagen Group, an independent international network dedicated to the detection, sanctioning, and prevention of competition manipulation, warned of possible irregularities linked to sports betting in a series of FIFA World Cup 2026 matches, including two matches involving Spain, the team that was crowned champion.
According to the US media outlet The Athletic, the organization conducted an integrity check on all 104 matches of the tournament and identified seven cases that raised doubts about their legality, for which it formally requested an explanation from FIFA. Two of these cases involve Spain. One is a substantial accumulation of bets on the Polymarket platform that the team would not defeat Cape Verde, and the other is the extensive VAR delay in disallowing a Ferrán Torres goal in the match against Saudi Arabia.
These situations were categorized as yellow alerts, a level activated by signs of irregularities such as inexplicable movements, rumors on social media, or information trafficking. The group's system divides alerts into four levels, ranging from green for normality to yellow for a slightly elevated situation, orange for an elevated one, and red for the maximum alert.
Specialist Christian Kalb, a former collaborator of the group, stressed that an alert does not always imply manipulation. As he explained, the signals can respond to atypical behaviors, such as changes in odds or in the liquidity of coverage, and there are many explanations that do not involve manipulation. FIFA, for its part, stated that they had not reported any suspicious bets and maintained that no irregular betting activity or signs of manipulation related to any match had been detected.
In addition to the two cases involving Spain, alerts were also generated for the expulsion of South African Themba Zwane in the match against Mexico and for a situation related to a bet on player Folarin Balogun. The organization maintains its request for explanations from FIFA regarding all the incidents highlighted.
Tags: Copenhagen Group, 2026 FIFA World Cup, sports integrity, Christian Kalb