Spreedly has warned that the 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to increase fraud risks and cross-border transaction volumes for travel and commerce merchants.
Research from Lloyds Bank has identified a 36% increase in fake ticket scams tied to the tournament, with consumers losing an average of nearly USD 300 per fraud incident. Cases involving fraudulent ticketing websites and fabricated VIP packages have seen some victims lose substantially larger sums.
Payment infrastructure under pressure
US-based payments orchestration company Spreedly has framed the tournament as a stress test for payment infrastructure, fraud prevention systems, and cross-border checkout performance. The company identifies several transaction categories likely to experience significant volume increases during the tournament period, including international travel bookings, mobile and hospitality payments, and cross-border payment flows.
A separate study by Nuvei and Edgar, Dunn & Company found that 82% of travellers attempt an alternative payment method when faced with a declined transaction. Of those who remain unsuccessful, 13% move to a competing service and 5% abandon the purchase entirely. The findings illustrate the direct revenue exposure that payment friction creates during high-volume events.
Justin Skagen, VP of Revenue Integrity and Operational Compliance at Arrivia, noted that as booking volumes and cross-border transactions rise, payment performance and fraud resilience become directly linked to customer trust and conversion outcomes.
AI accelerating fraud complexity
Spreedly has also flagged the role of AI in accelerating the sophistication of fraud attempts around major commerce events. According to Jennifer Rosario, Chief Information Security Officer at Spreedly, AI and automation are compressing the window available to businesses to detect and respond to threats, making manual review processes insufficient at scale. The implication for merchants is that automated fraud defences and flexible payment infrastructure are increasingly necessary rather than optional.
The broader context is notable: large-scale international sporting events have historically created concentrated fraud activity, but the convergence of AI-generated phishing, synthetic identity fraud, and cross-border payment complexity represents a more layered challenge than prior tournaments. Merchants operating across multiple currencies, devices, and jurisdictions face simultaneous pressure on conversion rates and fraud exposure.
