CBP officers in Indianapolis seize counterfeit World Cup jerseys, shirts, beanies, and other items

By
FOX 5 Atlanta
Published June 15, 2026 12:23 PM EDT

CBP says officers conducted Operation Winner’s Circle June 1–5, and seized 18 shipments of 1,578 counterfeit FIFA World Cup 2026 items. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

The Brief

    • U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) conducted Operation Winner’s Circle in Indianapolis and seized 18 shipments of counterfeit World Cup merch.
    • CBP says 1,578 counterfeit items were seized and, if they were genuine, would have had a combined price tag of $134,594.
    • CBP says most shipments originated from Hong Kong and were destined for locations both within and outside the United States.

INDIANAPOLIS - A special operation conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Indianapolis earlier this month targeting counterfeit FIFA World Cup 2026 merchandise resulted in the interception of hundreds of items.

What we know:

CBP says officers conducted Operation Winner’s Circle from June 1–5, and seized 18 shipments of 1,578 counterfeit World Cup 2026 items.  CPB says if they were genuine, the items would have had a combined price tag of $134,594. 

CBP says officers conducted Operation Winner’s Circle June 1–5, and seized 18 shipments of 1,578 counterfeit FIFA World Cup 2026™ items. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection )

By the numbers:

In all, CBP says they seized:

  • 530 World Cup 2026 jerseys
  • 380 beanies
  • 349 Puma, Adidas, and Nike shirts associated with the tournament
  • 319 other World Cup 2026 related items.

CBP says most shipments originated from Hong Kong and were destined for locations both within and outside the United States.

What they're saying:

"Sports fans often pay big money for sports memorabilia," said Indianapolis Port Director Brett Mueller in a release. "Counterfeit sports memorabilia de-funds our sports organizations, funds criminal networks, and scams the fans. Officers in Indianapolis work hard each day to protect our domestic businesses and American consumers."

Dig deeper:

CBP says e-commerce sales have contributed to large volumes of low-value, small packages being imported into the United States and 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.

CBP says consumers should shop from reputable online sources.

The Source: Information in this article was provided by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).  This story was reported from Orlando.


 

Crime and Public SafetyIndianaFIFA World Cup