North Korea accused of broadcasting pirated World Cup matches
North Korea’s state broadcaster allegedly aired FIFA World Cup 2026 matches without rights, potentially inviting disciplinary action from football’s governing body.
A screen capture of the North’s state-run Korean Central Television (KCTV) broadcast of highlights from key matches of Groups 1 through 3 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 during airing at 8 p.m. on June 15.YONHAP
North Korea is facing allegations that its state-run broadcaster is illegally broadcasting the FIFA World Cup 2026 despite not having secured official broadcasting rights, raising the possibility of disciplinary action if the piracy claims are confirmed.
Alerta Mundial, a football news media outlet, claimed Wednesday on X that North Korea had intercepted official broadcast signals and was airing World Cup matches on its state-run Korean Central Television (KCTV).
Footage released by the outlet showed parts of Group E matches between the Ivory Coast and Ecuador and between Germany and Curacao, with an on-screen caption reading, "FIFA 2026 World Cup group matches."
The outlet alleged that KCTV was receiving foreign satellite signals and illegally retransmitting World Cup games. It claimed that since North Korea has not been granted official broadcasting rights by FIFA, it appears to be airing the matches using satellite signals from neighboring countries such as China.
Although FIFA has yet to issue an official response, observers say follow-up measures by the governing football body are likely if the allegations prove to be true.
A screen capture of the North’s state-run Korean Central Television (KCTV) broadcast of highlights from key matches of Groups 1 through 3 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 during airing at 8 p.m. on June 15.YONHAP
This is not the first time North Korea has been embroiled in controversy over unauthorized broadcasts of FIFA events.
In July 2023, FIFA confirmed that North Korea had aired matches from the FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand without authorization. Subsequently, FIFA sent a warning letter to the North Korean Central Broadcasting Committee, which oversees KCTV, urging the prevention of similar incidents.
North Korea also aired the Round of 16 match between South Korea and Italy at the 2002 South Korea-Japan World Cup, though the broadcast was delayed. At the time, the match, played on June 18, 2002, was edited to a one-hour segment and aired five days later at 10 p.m. on June 23.
From the 2010 South Africa World Cup, in which North Korea's men's national team qualified for the finals, through the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the country was able to provide delayed broadcasts through rights obtained free of charge by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU).
A screen capture of the North’s state-run Korean Central Television (KCTV) broadcast of highlights from key matches of Groups 1 through 3 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 during airing at 8 p.m. on June 15.YONHAP
At the time, FIFA and the ABU reached an agreement allowing residents in seven impoverished countries — North Korea, East Timor, Laos, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — to watch World Cup matches.
North Korea expert Oh Gyeong-seob, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said Pyongyang can’t disregard global standards in football.
“Unlike other fields, Pyongyang is in a position where it cannot ignore global standards in football,” Oh said. “As they aim to demonstrate national power and earn foreign currency through prize money through their top-tier women’s soccer team, they can’t simply ignore the attention of the international community.”
Industry observers say that even if Pyongyang continues to air World Cup footage without securing broadcasting rights, it is more likely to rely on internal channels with limited outside exposure or, as it is currently doing, focus on highlights from major matches rather than full live broadcasts.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
