AI Spearheads Drop in Match-Fixing, But New Threats Emerge

ST. GALLEN, Switzerland – February 10, 2026 – The global campaign against corruption in sports marked another year of progress in 2025, as the number of suspicious matches worldwide saw a modest but significant decline. A new report from sports technology leader Sportradar reveals that 1,116 matches were flagged for potential manipulation last year, a 1% decrease from 2024, continuing a downward trend from the peak recorded in 2023.

The findings, published in the annual Integrity in Action 2025: Global Analysis & Trends report, are based on the monitoring of over one million sporting events across 70 different sports. While the data indicates that over 99.5% of global sports are free from match-fixing concerns, the report paints a complex picture. The battle for sporting integrity is being reshaped by advanced artificial intelligence, which is proving instrumental in uncovering corruption, even as fixers adapt their methods and shift their focus to new regions and less-prominent sports.

The AI Revolution in Sports Integrity

At the heart of 2025's success story is the growing power of artificial intelligence. Sportradar's AI-powered Universal Fraud Detection System (UFDS AI) was responsible for a significant surge in identifying suspicious activity. The number of matches flagged by the AI system increased by a remarkable 56% year-on-year, underscoring its expanding role in a high-stakes technological arms race against sophisticated criminals.

This advanced system operates by crunching colossal datasets in real-time, analyzing thousands of wagers per second from a network of over 400 global bookmakers. By deploying machine learning models, the UFDS AI learns the statistical rhythms of a clean sporting event—factoring in everything from player form and historical data to odds movements. When betting patterns deviate from these established norms, the system flags the anomaly for human review. These can be subtle irregularities, such as unusual betting volumes on specific outcomes or peculiar timing patterns, that would be nearly impossible for human analysts to detect on their own.

The impact of this technology has been transformative. In 2023, AI assisted in detecting 73% of all suspicious matches, a 123% increase from the previous year. The continued growth in 2025 demonstrates that AI is no longer just an aid but a primary weapon. By integrating account-level betting data, the system can move beyond general market movements to pinpoint specific, potentially corrupt betting activities, providing investigators with invaluable leads. However, the process remains a hybrid model, with a global team of integrity experts meticulously vetting every AI-generated alert to eliminate false positives and ensure fairness.

A Shifting Battlefield: New Hotspots Emerge

While the global headline figure points to a decline, a deeper look at the data reveals a more nuanced reality. The fight against match-fixing is not being won uniformly across the globe. Europe, historically a major hub for suspicious activity, continued its positive trajectory with 66 fewer flagged matches than in 2024. South America also reported a significant drop of 64 cases.

In stark contrast, Asia, Africa, and North and Central America all experienced modest increases in suspicious activity. This geographical shift is a trend corroborated by other industry bodies. The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), for instance, noted in its own 2024 reporting a significant rise in alerts originating from Asia and Africa, even as European alerts fell. Experts suggest this migration of illicit activity is often linked to regions with less mature regulatory frameworks, unregulated betting markets, and economic vulnerabilities that can make athletes and officials more susceptible to bribes.

This "diffusion effect" is also apparent across different sports. While soccer remains the most targeted sport with 618 suspicious matches in 2025, its dominance is being challenged. The report highlights notable increases in suspicious activity in basketball (233 cases), tennis (78), table tennis (65), and cricket (59). Analysts believe that as integrity measures become more robust in top-tier soccer, criminal networks are diversifying their portfolios, seeking out sports with high betting volumes but historically less scrutiny. The rapid-fire nature of table tennis and the individual dynamics of tennis make them particularly attractive targets for spot-fixing.

Beyond the Algorithm: A Three-Pronged Defense

Technology, while powerful, is only one part of a comprehensive strategy to protect the soul of sport. The 2025 report emphasizes a holistic approach that combines high-tech detection with robust enforcement and widespread education.

On the enforcement front, Sportradar's intelligence and evidence supported 125 sporting sanctions across seven sports and six continents in 2025. This brings the all-time total of sanctions supported by the company to over 1,000, sending a clear message that corrupt activities have real-world consequences, from lifetime bans for athletes to criminal prosecutions for fixers. This collaborative work with sports federations and law enforcement is critical in creating a powerful deterrent.

Prevention through education forms the third pillar of this strategy. In 2025, the company’s integrity education initiatives reached more than 34,000 participants, including athletes, coaches, and officials—a 25% increase from the previous year. These programs are designed to arm participants with the knowledge to recognize, resist, and report attempts to manipulate competitions, strengthening the human firewall against corruption from the ground up.

The Road Ahead: Continued Vigilance in an Evolving Landscape

The progress made in 2025 is encouraging, but a sense of persistent vigilance pervades the report. "The relative stabilisation of suspicious match numbers in 2025 is encouraging, yet it reinforces the importance of continued vigilance," said Andreas Krannich, Executive Vice President of Integrity Services at Sportradar. "Match-fixing remains an evolving threat, and sustained investment in technology, intelligence, education, and collaboration is essential to staying ahead of those seeking to corrupt sport.”

The future holds new challenges. The proliferation of fast-paced micro-betting markets, the ever-present threat of cyberattacks on betting operators, and the persistent involvement of organized crime require constant innovation and adaptation from integrity bodies.

As the sporting world looks ahead, integrity will remain paramount for major international events. Having supported the expanded FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Women’s EURO in 2025, Sportradar is already preparing to safeguard the integrity of landmark events in 2026, including the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, the FIFA World Cup in North America, and the Olympic Winter Games in Italy. The ongoing battle demonstrates that while technology provides a crucial edge, the collective commitment of the entire global sports ecosystem is the ultimate defense for fair play.