FIFA and an independent sports integrity watchdog are at odds after the body flagged seven potential betting irregularities during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while FIFA insists it found no evidence of match manipulation.

According to The Athletic, the Group of Copenhagen, an international network that monitors sports integrity, issued seven “yellow notices” after reviewing betting activity and match events across all 104 World Cup games. A summary of its findings was released on Wednesday by the Council of Europe, with the full report still pending.

Among the incidents highlighted were South Africa’s Themba Zwane receiving a late red card against Mexico; more than US$4.8 million wagered on prediction platform Polymarket for Spain not to beat Cape Verde before the teams played to a 0-0 draw; and a lengthy VAR review that overturned a goal by Spain’s Ferran Torres against Saudi Arabia.

The report also noted that Polymarket opened a market on July 2 asking, “Will Folarin Balogun play against Belgium?” before FIFA confirmed his suspension had been lifted.

The Group of Copenhagen has requested a written explanation from FIFA over the Balogun case, saying no similar markets appeared for other players sent off during the tournament.

FIFA, however, maintains that the competition was free of manipulation. In a statement on Tuesday, its Integrity Task Force said it monitored betting markets and on-field events throughout the tournament and found “no suspicious betting activity or indications of match manipulation” in any of the 104 matches.

According to The Athletic, the Group of Copenhagen issues “yellow notices” when there are several different indications of irregularities. These indicators may include unexplained fluctuations in betting odds, rumours circulating on social media or information from confidential sources.

The group classifies events using a four-tier colour-coded alert system: green (normal), yellow (slightly increased alert), orange (increased alert), and red (the highest level of alert).

Gambling industry expert Christian Kalb told The Athletic that such alerts can have legitimate explanations, including bookmakers using prediction markets to manage financial risk rather than evidence of corruption.

The watchdog estimates roughly US$240 billion was wagered on the World Cup, about double the betting volume recorded during the 2022 tournament, and said it placed 15 matches under increased surveillance.