This work is done through the Universal Fraud Detection System, used by Sportradar, a Swiss company that is a FIFA partner and a world leader in sports technology. The tool combines artificial intelligence with specialised human analysis.

Every year, the technology analyses more than 30 billion odds changes, which represent the probability of an event taking place, from more than 600 operators globally. The system also takes into account detailed data on betting behaviour, such as amounts wagered, times and repetitive patterns, always anonymously.

This information is provided by partner operators and complemented by alerts sent by more than 120 bookmakers connected to Sportradar's Sportradar Integrity Exchange (SIE) platform, a partner of FIFA, Conmebol, CBF and other confederations.
According to Sportradar, the technology takes more than 3,500 readings per second and produces minute-by-minute predictions based on more than 100 variables per match. If an unusual pattern is detected, a team of analysts is called in to review the data and, if necessary, classify the match as suspicious.

The information is shared with FIFA's Integrity Task Force, which also includes international organisations dedicated to protecting sports integrity. The group met in Miami weeks before the World Cup to align strategies and protocols for the championship.

The work at the Club World Cup also serves as a testing ground for perfecting the methods that will be used at the 2026 World Cup. The tournament allows us to simulate, in a real environment and with a high volume of bets, the challenges that FIFA will face on an even larger scale in the world's main football event.

In Brazil, Sportradar is a partner of the CBF and 17 state federations and monitors more than 10,000 matches per season. According to the sports technology company, based in St Gallen, Switzerland, this work has contributed to a 48 per cent reduction in the number of suspicious matches.

By Ricardo Magatti