CINCINNATI — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Cincinnati seized 68 shipments of counterfeit FIFA World Cup 2026™ merchandise during “Operation Protect the Pitch” from June 1 to June 5.
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The operation intercepted 2,589 items, which would have an estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $266,566 if genuine.
The operation focused on Intellectual Property Rights infringing shipments of wearing apparel, footwear, and other items that displayed protected trademarks of national soccer federations and apparel manufacturers.
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Cincinnati Port Director Eric Zizelman, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, emphasized the broader impact of such criminal activities.
“It’s a shame criminals are preying on soccer fans and using the World Cup as a means to steal money from consumers,” Zizelman said. “It happens around all the major sporting events, whether it be the Super Bowl, World Series, or in this case, the World Cup. Counterfeiters use these events to flood the market with knockoffs and cheap imitations just to make a buck while businesses and the American consumer pay the price.”
The seized shipments included 1,563 FIFA World Cup 2026™ jerseys, 306 pairs of shorts, 200 pairs of footwear, 150 hats, 80 shirts, and 290 other FIFA World Cup 2026™-related items.
Most of these shipments originated from Mexico and Colombia and were intended for various locations across the United States.
Beyond these Cincinnati seizures, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has made more than 1,400 seizures nationwide related to the FIFA World Cup during the first week of match play.
The combined manufacturer’s suggested retail price for these seized goods, had they been genuine, would exceed $23 million.
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