Two matches involving Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup have been included in a series of integrity alerts issued by the Copenhagen Group, an international network focused on preventing and detecting manipulation in sport.
According to findings reported by The Athletic, the Group of Copenhagen raised seven "yellow alerts" during its monitoring of the tournament's 104 matches.
The alerts relate to potential betting irregularities rather than confirmed match-fixing and have prompted the organisation to request further explanations from FIFA.
The two Spain-related incidents concern a reported surge in activity on prediction market platform Polymarket ahead of Spain's goalless group-stage draw with Cape Verde, where markets backing Spain not to win reportedly attracted significant trading volume.
The second relates to the three-and-a-half-minute VAR review that ultimately disallowed a Ferran Torres goal during Spain's 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia.
Under the Copenhagen Group's four-tier monitoring system, a yellow alert represents a slightly elevated level of concern and can be triggered by several factors, including unusual betting patterns, unexplained odds movements, social media rumours or other intelligence.
The organisation has stressed that such alerts should not be interpreted as evidence of manipulation.
Christian Kalb, a gambling integrity specialist who has previously worked with the Copenhagen Group but was not involved in the report, noted that unusual betting activity can have a range of legitimate explanations, including bookmakers using prediction markets to hedge risk.
FIFA, however, maintains that its own Integrity Task Force identified no suspicious betting activity or indications of match manipulation across the tournament.
The Copenhagen Group's report also highlighted alerts relating to South Africa's Themba Zwane and USA forward Folarin Balogun, alongside its first dedicated monitoring of prediction market platforms during a FIFA World Cup.
The scrutiny comes amid wider debate over betting's relationship with football integrity. A recent survey found that a majority of Brazilians believe sports betting increases the risk of match-fixing, while the Czech Football Association recently imposed lengthy bans and fines following a separate match-fixing investigation.
The Group of Copenhagen estimates around $240bn was wagered on the 2026 FIFA World Cup and said it monitored prediction market platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi throughout the tournament for the first time
