Game Over for Counterfeiters: 66,000 Fake Jerseys Seized Ahead of World Cup 2026

Two weeks' worth of police raids across Spain. Fifteen-plus locations. Sixteen tonnes of fake football kits. If that sounds like the plot of a heist movie, plot twist: it's actually a masterclass in why intellectual property (IP) law is way more relevant to your life than "boring legal stuff." Here's the breakdown.

Under the name Operation CLEANTRADE, Spanish police teamed up with EUIPO, Europol, Interpol and OLAF to shut down a counterfeit football merch empire before it could cash in on World Cup 2026 hype. Warehouses, market stalls, even parcel delivery hubs in Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Elche and Dénia got raided, turning up more than 66,000 fake jerseys and kits ripping off national team designs and crests. The illegal haul was worth over €2 million on the black market, but the real damage to legit brands? Estimated north of €7 million. Arrests followed, and the investigation is still very much live.

Here's the tea: this isn't a one-off. The clothing sector alone loses an estimated €12 billion a year in the EU to counterfeiting, and about 13% of Europeans admit to knowingly buying fake goods, a number that jumps to 26% for people aged 15–24 (yes, that's most of us). It's not just an "oops, cheaper hoodie" situation either. Fake merch often skips safety and quality standards entirely and has documented links to organized crime and labor exploitation. Cute jersey, questionable supply chain.

Here's the part brands sleep on: design-intensive industries power roughly 28 million jobs and over 16% of EU GDP, so protecting original designs isn't just a "nice to have," it's core economic infrastructure. And the receipts back it up: small businesses that register their designs earn almost 30% more revenue per employee and pay close to 25% higher wages than those that don't. Yet only about 1% of EU SMEs actually hold registered design rights. That's a massive gap between what protection could do and what most businesses are actually doing.

Don't wait for a counterfeit scandal to find out what your IP is worth. Reach out to our team today and let's get your designs properly protected, before someone else profits off your work.

Photo: Omar Ramadan from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/cs-cz/foto/muz-cervena-lide-muzi-27271619/

Text: Euipo.com -  More than 66 000 fake football jerseys seized ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026