La Liga (LaLiga), led by Javier Tebas, is taking action to block IP addresses associated with illegal broadcasting of football matches from the new football season in Spain. This action, supported by court orders, simultaneously disrupts the functionality of thousands of websites and other online services. The main goal of this action is to prevent the piracy of sports content, but in practice, many unrelated online services are also affected.
Consequences of IP Address Blocking
The blocking of IP addresses begins instantly during football matches and continues until the broadcast ends. La Liga identifies IP addresses related to piracy services and requests internet operators to block these addresses during the match times. On the first day of the 2026-2027 season, on August 15, 2026, around 550 IP addresses were blocked simultaneously, and since then, this process has continued on every match day.
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Impact on Internet Users
Reports indicate that in the first half of 2026, more than 7,441 addresses belonging to 36 internet service providers have been blocked. These addresses include major companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta. For example, the online payment service Redsys faced issues on match days, and even websites like WikiDex were deprived of access to their images.
La Liga claims that these blockings are not only comprehensive but also dynamic. However, the reality is that these actions directly impact thousands of websites. Furthermore, the impact of these blockings is such that nearly 554,000 legal domains are also at risk.
According to existing reports, the use of content delivery networks (CDNs) like Cloudflare, due to the use of shared IP addresses, means that blocking one IP address can cut access to thousands of independent websites and services. This issue becomes particularly problematic for sites that have no connection to illegal broadcasting.
Ultimately, considering that La Liga seeks to protect its rights against content piracy, it should be noted that the blockings carried out can have serious consequences for users and online services in Europe. This issue highlights the conflict between intellectual property rights and the principles of network neutrality, which is intensifying day by day.
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