July 7, 2026
USD 467 billion a year in counterfeit trade and a World Cup that accelerates the entire machinery. Trademarks, designs, players, and counterfeiting: the legal battle is also being fought off the pitch.
While national teams compete on the field, another race is taking place beyond it: manufacturing, importing, and selling counterfeit jerseys before the tournament ends.
Urgency is part of the business model. A team advances to the next round, a player becomes the star of the tournament, an official jersey sells out, and within days thousands of copies appear on marketplaces, social media platforms, and street markets.
The World Cup does not create counterfeiting. What it does is activate and accelerate an already existing global network.
An Illicit Economy on a Global Scale
The latest joint estimate by the OECD and the EUIPO places international trade in counterfeit goods at approximately USD 467 billion, equivalent to around 2.3% of total global imports.
Fashion is its main battleground: clothing, footwear, and leather goods account for approximately 62% of all seized counterfeit products.
Sport brings together all the conditions that facilitate the expansion of counterfeiting: highly recognizable brands, emotionally driven purchases, products that are easy to reproduce, a significant price gap between official and illicit goods, and demand concentrated within a few weeks.
We have just seen this in Spain.
On June 17, a joint operation by the Spanish National Police, INTERPOL, EUROPOL, the EUIPO, and OLAF seized more than 66,000 counterfeit football jerseys and kits, over 16 metric tonnes, that were intended for distribution during the 2026 World Cup. The operation resulted in 95 arrests.
The goods would have generated more than EUR 2 million in illicit market sales, while the estimated loss suffered by rights holders exceeded EUR 7 million.
One important distinction must be made. Dividing the estimated illicit sales value by the number of seized items produces a figure of approximately EUR 30 per jersey.
That amount represents the retail price of the counterfeit product. It is not the cost of manufacturing the item, nor is it equivalent to the damages that a rights holder may claim.
Under intellectual property law, these three figures are not interchangeable.
One Jersey, Multiple Rights and Multiple Rights Holders
A football kit may simultaneously incorporate:
- The trademark of the sportswear manufacturer.
- The crest of the national football federation.
- The registered design of the garment.
- Graphic elements protected by copyright.
- A player’s name or image rights.
- The official signs and emblems of the tournament.
A single garment may therefore infringe rights belonging to several different entities.
Moreover, not every counterfeit football jersey necessarily infringes FIFA’s rights. Ownership and infringement must be assessed on an asset-by-asset and territory-by-territory basis.
Two clarifications help prevent some of the most common misunderstandings.
The buyer’s knowledge that the product is counterfeit does not eliminate the infringement
Trademark protection is not limited to preventing consumer confusion.
It also protects commercial origin, reputation, advertising investment, goodwill, and the economic value of the licensing system.
Calling a product a “replica” does not make it lawful
Describing a garment as a “replica,” “unofficial,” or “inspired by” does not authorize the use of protected trademarks, crests, or designs.
In fact, an official replica is a legitimate licensed product intended for supporters. A replica and a counterfeit product are not the same thing.
From Registration to Intelligent Enforcement
Counterfeit goods no longer travel exclusively in large shipping containers.
They increasingly circulate through thousands of small postal consignments. Another model is also growing: generic jerseys, crests, labels, and packaging are imported separately and assembled into counterfeit products close to the destination market.
This model places increasing pressure on traditional customs enforcement and requires monitoring to extend beyond ports and borders to printers, logistics hubs, marketplaces, and payment service providers.
Trademark registration remains essential. However, during events of this scale, registration is only the starting point.
Effective enforcement requires identifying the network’s key choke points—importers, warehouses, label manufacturers, payment accounts, and repeat sellers—and coordinating customs, civil, criminal, and administrative measures at the same speed as the digital market operates.
Our Perspective
Modern counterfeiting is an intellectual property problem.
However, it is also a problem involving data, technology, logistics, and enforcement.
That is precisely where legaltech plays a central role. The value of a trademark no longer depends solely on whether it is registered, but also on whether infringement can be detected, defended against, and enforced at the speed of the digital market.
Is Your Brand Prepared for a High-Demand Event?
At BRANDLEX, we combine intellectual property strategy with technology.
Our services include territorial registration strategies, border enforcement measures, marketplace and social media monitoring, digital evidence preservation, and the coordination of enforcement actions.
Contact us at info@brand-lex.com
Sources
OECD / EUIPO: Mapping Global Trade in Fakes 2025—global trade in counterfeit goods estimated at USD 467 billion, equivalent to 2.3% of global imports.
Spanish Ministry of the Interior: More than 16 Tonnes of Counterfeit Football Kits Intended for Distribution During the 2026 FIFA World Cup Seized—June 17, 2026.