Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset has asked FIFA to begin talks on a new integrity framework after prediction markets entered the World Cup and a disciplinary sanction was suspended without a public explanation.
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Prediction markets formed one part of a wider warning from Alain Berset after the 2026 World Cup.
The Council of Europe Secretary General said betting products tied to individual actions can create fraud risks even when a player does not affect the final score. He described such markets as an “open door to fraud.”
FIFA brought ADI Predictstreet into the tournament as its first official prediction market partner. The agreement placed event trading inside stadium advertising during the 48-team competition across Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Berset also questioned the suspension of a disciplinary sanction only days after it was issued. No public reason was given, and he said political contact between a head of state and the FIFA president had added concern over outside influence.
“The next crisis has already begun. It has two names: money and power.”
Berset proposed an immediate working dialogue with FIFA, which he called a “third half,” to create an integrity framework before the 2030 World Cup.
His argument rests on three Council of Europe treaties. The Macolin Convention targets match manipulation and has 43 state signatories. The Saint-Denis Convention covers stadium safety, while the Anti-Doping Convention binds 52 states.
An earlier July 13 statement also warned about “negative” bets, where one player or action can influence a market without changing the match result.
FIFA had not published a response at the time of writing.