February 20, 2026, 10:21 am | Read time: 2 minutes
There are many ways and providers to watch current sports games. With the many rights and costs that can arise, it’s easy to lose track. That’s why many turn to illegal sports streaming. However, authorities have reportedly dismantled what is said to be the world’s largest network.
Illegal Sports Streaming in Focus
This is according to the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) in a blog post. According to their own statements, they worked with authorities in Egypt to stop the Streameast network for illegal sports streaming.
It was said to be the largest of its kind worldwide, achieving more than 1.6 billion views in 2024 alone across 80 domains. Additionally, the “New York Times” reported that as part of the measures, two people with connections to illegal sports streaming were arrested. Furthermore, laptops, smartphones, cash, and several credit cards were confiscated.
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Significant Streameast Traffic Also from Germany
Thanks to the many domains, users could access illegal sports streaming and follow competitions from various leagues across different disciplines. U.S. sports such as the NBA, MLB, NFL, or NHL were part of the offerings, as well as various soccer leagues like Italy’s Serie A, the English Premier League, or Germany’s Bundesliga.
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According to ACE, most of the traffic to the Streameast domains came from the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, and Germany. The network was extremely popular here. However, anyone trying to watch something now will be redirected to an ACE page that shows options for legal streaming.
Confusion Over Counterfeit and Original
There is some confusion about which Streameast network the authorities and ACE actually dismantled. In fact, there is an original and many imitations. As “Torrentfreak” writes, the recent enforcement action is said to be against one of these copies. However, it was still a good catch, as it was considered the “biggest fish,” likely because it attracted even more views than the original.
The operator of the original Streameast spoke out shortly afterward, confirming that they were not affected and that operations continue as usual. Ironically, they urged people not to use fake imitation sites for illegal sports streaming.