Officers at Houston seaport seize more than $6 million in counterfeit FIFA World Cup 2026 Merchandise

HOUSTON - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers from the Area Port of Houston/Galveston Trade Enforcement Team today announced they have seized athletic wear, soccer balls, toys, sunglass cases, counterfeit Apple products, and perfume for Intellectual Property Rights violations, including trademarks owned by FIFA. Total domestic value of the counterfeit merchandise was over $6 million.

CBP officers seized approximately 12,000 Adidas Soccer Jerseys, 4,500 Adidas FIFA Soccer Balls, nearly 4,400 pairs of athletic shoes, 69 FIFA packages with over 2,200 counterfeit Apple watches and ear buds with FIFA trademark logo, and an array of toys and perfumes. These actions protect American consumers and businesses from intellectual property rights violations.

CBP routinely utilizes intelligence gathering and analysis of past trends before major events such as the Super Bowl and World Cup. This enforcement action focused on recipients who accept shipments of goods that violate intellectual property rights of companies owning trademarks and copyrights associated with the FIFA World Cup 2026™ and related merchandise. Similar operations across the country have resulted in the seizure of thousands of items infringing on intellectual property rights.

Most shipments originated from China and were destined for locations both within and outside of the United States.

"CBP takes very seriously our role in protecting American consumers from low quality and potentially dangerous counterfeit items," said CBP Area Port Director Thomas Mahn. "With the extraordinary growth in e-commerce, consumers should always be mindful of where they are buying their products. Unfortunately, these criminal networks are very deceptive in scamming sports fans and harming American consumers and businesses. CBP works tirelessly every day to protect the public, our local economy, and those who play by the rules."

The rapid growth of e-commerce enables consumers to easily purchase millions of products online, but this access also gives counterfeit and pirated goods more ways to enter the U.S. economy. Counterfeit commodities fund smugglers and organized crime. Consumers often believe they are buying genuine products but soon realize the items are substandard.

In addition to sports-related merchandise, commonly counterfeited items include fake medications, perfumes, cosmetics, children's toys and costumes, fashion, jewelry, luxury products, and unsafe electronics and automotive parts, which can pose serious health and safety risks to American consumers due to inferior or harmful materials.

CBP reminds consumers to shop from reputable online sources. E-commerce sales have contributed to large volumes of low-value, small packages being imported into the United States. Over 90% of all counterfeit seizures occur in the international mail and express environments, which are channels for small, e-commerce packages destined for the U.S. Many of these shipments contain counterfeit goods that pose the same health, safety, and economic security risks as large, containerized shipments.

To learn more about what CBP is doing every day to protect Americans from counterfeit goods, and more about the Truth Behind Counterfeits public awareness campaign, please visit: https://www.cbp.gov/trade/fakegoodsrealdangers.

CBP protects the intellectual property rights of American businesses through an aggressive Intellectual Property Rights enforcement program, safeguarding them from unfair competition and malicious intent while upholding American innovation and ingenuity. Suspected violations can be reported to CBP here.

Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers along the southwest border stop illegal activity and facilitate lawful commerce into and out of the United States.

Intellectual property rights violations can also be reported to the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center at https://www.iprcenter.gov/referral/ or by telephone at 1-866-IPR-2060.

Follow CBP on X @CBPCentralTX and @DFOHouston. Visit CBP's YouTube channel to learn more about how CBP's Office of Field Operations secures our nation's borders.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 69,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We enforce safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.