LaLiga IP blocking in Spain reaches far beyond pirate streams. A report published by OONI (Open Observatory of Network Interference) on 30 June 2026 found that, between January and June 2026, the blocks applied by Spanish internet providers during match windows affected 554,507 domains hosted on 7,441 IP addresses, most of them behind Cloudflare. For rights holders, court-ordered dynamic blocking is a powerful anti-piracy tool; for any business whose website shares infrastructure on a content delivery network (CDN), it is a continuity risk.
Key takeaways
- The blocks stem from a judgment of 18 December 2024 by Commercial Court No. 6 of Barcelona in favour of LaLiga and Telefónica Audiovisual Digital.
- OONI counted 554,507 affected domains, about 5.8% of the 9.2 million it tested, on IPs of 36 providers; Cloudflare alone accounted for 501,305.
- Blocking largely matches match times: it starts before kick-off and ends after the final whistle.
- Affected sites included NGOs, public bodies, universities and ordinary businesses, and OONI calls its figures a lower bound.
- Companies on shared CDNs should monitor access from Spain, plan alternatives and keep evidence of any impact.
What did OONI measure?
OONI’s report combines network tests run from Spain between 1 January and 1 June 2026 with DNS scans of 9.2 million domains, compared against a control point in Frankfurt. It identifies the IP addresses blocked by each Spanish provider and then the domains that resolve to them. Almost all major networks applied blocks, including Movistar, Orange, Vodafone, MasMovil and Digi; Telefónica’s network did so most consistently.
| Hosting or CDN provider | Affected domains | Blocked IPs |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | 501,305 | 2,218 |
| Squarespace | 18,592 | 1 |
| Amazon Web Services | 11,647 | 4,286 |
| All providers (36) | 554,507 | 7,441 |
The figures show why shared infrastructure matters: a single Squarespace address carried more than 18,000 domains. OONI also detected that Digi intercepted TLS connections to 7,334 IPs serving 10,759 domains, presenting its own certificate instead of simply blocking them. Among the collateral cases it lists are pages of human rights organisations, environmental groups, courts and parliaments, and academic publications.
What is the legal basis for LaLiga IP blocking?
On 18 December 2024, Commercial Court No. 6 of Barcelona issued a judgment, sought by LaLiga and Telefónica Audiovisual Digital, ordering the blocking of IP addresses used to distribute LaLiga content without authorisation. In March 2025 the same court rejected the requests for nullity filed by Cloudflare and RootedCON, finding no harm had been shown, as LaLiga announced on 26 March 2025. Both then filed constitutional appeals (recursos de amparo), and press reports place the authorisation until the end of the 2026/27 season (Genbeta, 10 June 2025).
LaLiga’s position, set out in a statement of 15 February 2025, is that the blocked IPs are used to access its content illegally and that Cloudflare shields pirate sites behind addresses shared with legitimate businesses.
Why this matters beyond football
Live sport loses most of its value within hours, so takedown notices arrive too late. The European Commission acknowledged in its call for evidence of 13 May 2026 that its 2023 Recommendation on live-event piracy had limited effect and that it is exploring stronger remedies for live content, “accompanied by appropriate safeguards”. The Spanish experience will feed that debate on both sides: how effective dynamic blocking is, and how much collateral damage is acceptable.
What this means for your business
- Test access from Spain during match windows, on several networks, if your website or app runs on a shared CDN.
- Ask your provider what it offers for Spain, such as dedicated IP addresses, and include continuity commitments in the contract.
- Prepare a fallback route or a second provider for critical services such as payments, logins or customer portals.
- Log every incident: time, network, IP and lost sales or support tickets. Without evidence, any claim is weak.
- Contact your provider quickly. Vercel reported in April 2025 that two of its blocked IPs were unblocked while it worked with LaLiga to remove illegal content.
If you own live content, the Spanish orders show what courts will grant, and also what they will be asked to justify. Our team for copyright enforcement and live-content piracy can assess both perspectives.
When to bring in an adviser
- When blocks have cut off your site during sales peaks and you need to quantify and document the loss.
- When your contracts with hosting or CDN providers say nothing about blocking orders.
- When you hold sports or event rights and want to seek blocking orders that will withstand proportionality challenges.
- When the same issue repeats in other countries where you operate.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my website unreachable in Spain during football matches?
If your site uses a shared CDN such as Cloudflare, its IP address may also serve a site LaLiga has flagged for piracy. Spanish internet providers block those IPs during match windows under a court order, so every site sharing them becomes unreachable on those networks. OONI’s 2026 data show the effect starting before kick-off and ending after the match.
How many websites have been affected by LaLiga IP blocking?
OONI found 554,507 domains on 7,441 blocked IP addresses between January and June 2026, about 5.8% of the 9.2 million domains it tested. Cloudflare-hosted domains made up 501,305 of them. OONI warns that these are lower-bound figures and that the real impact is probably higher.
Can an affected business challenge the blocks?
The Barcelona court rejected the nullity requests by Cloudflare and RootedCON in March 2025, and both have filed constitutional appeals. An affected company’s options depend on the facts, its contracts and the evidence of harm, so the first steps are to document each incident and to get advice before acting.
Can IP Global Guard help with blocking issues or anti-piracy orders?
Yes. We help affected businesses document the impact and review their contracts and options, and we help rights holders design anti-piracy strategies, including blocking orders. We coordinate court action with qualified litigators in Spain and local correspondents elsewhere, from a single point of contact.
How IP Global Guard can help
IP Global Guard, the IP services line of META Channel Corporation Limited, handles copyright enforcement and IP disputes and litigation across more than 25 jurisdictions in Europe, Latin America and Africa, with one strategy and one billing relationship.
Tell us which of your domains are affected, which provider hosts them and when the outages happen, or share the rights you need to protect. We will assess your position and the next steps. Get in touch with our team.
This article is general information, not legal advice; it reflects the position on the date of publication.
Sources
- OONI, collateral damage of LaLiga IP blocking in Spain (30 June 2026)
- LaLiga, Commercial Court No. 6 of Barcelona upholds the judgment (26 March 2025)
- LaLiga, official statement on IP blocking (15 February 2025)
- Genbeta, Cloudflare appeals to the Constitutional Court (10 June 2025)
- Vercel, Update on Spain and LaLiga blocks of the internet (April 2025)
- European Commission, call for evidence on a targeted copyright initiative (13 May 2026)
