HOUSTON – Federal agents seized more than $6 million in counterfeit FIFA World Cup merchandise at the seaports of Houston and Galveston, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Thursday.
The Houston port, one of the nation’s largest shipping hubs where cargo is loaded and unloaded along the Gulf of Mexico, was heavily analyzed by Border Patrol officers due to the city hosting World Cup games, the agency said in a news release.
CBP said checking the cargo is a common practice used for other events, such as the Super Bowl.
Although it is not clear when the fake merchandise was seized, CBP said its officers took more than 23,000 items that add up to $6 million.
Those items include approximately:
- 12,000 Adidas soccer Jerseys
- 4,500 Adidas FIFA soccer balls
- 4,400 pairs of athletic shoes
- 69 FIFA packages with over 2,200 counterfeit Apple watches and ear buds with the FIFA trademark logo
- An array of toys and perfumes.
“Most shipments originated from China,” the release said.
The agency believes the merchandise was “destined for locations both within and outside of the United States.”
CBP officers at the Galveston/Houston seaport have seized over $6 million worth of counterfeit goods for Intellectual Property Rights violations, including trademarks owned by FIFA. (cont) pic.twitter.com/1dupMUWKyo
— CBP Central Texas (@CBPCentralTX) June 17, 2026
According to CBP, more than 90% of all counterfeit seizures occur in the international mail and express environments.
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