The final of the 2018 Fifa World Cup is almost here, with France and Croatia both hoping to claim the most vaunted prize in football. This year, more fans than ever before are tuning into tournament games through sites providing links to free live streams of the action, though cyber experts warn this could be risky.

The match is set to kick off at 4pm BST on Sunday, 15 July, with football fans in the UK able to tune in via BBC iPlayer and the ITV website. Many fans further afield, however, will be seeking to bypass paywalls blocking them from watching the semi-final fixture.

Thousands of live feeds are appearing on websites with links to watch the game, but cyber security experts warn that such sites – many of which are easily accessible through search engines like Google – could infect the computers and devices of visitors.

The proliferation of illegal live streaming sites for the World Cup has prompted warnings from cybersecurity experts that people could put themselves at risk if they view matches on illegal websites.

World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Hugo Lloris - 7 Assertive when off his line. Got the majority of his decisions right and notably impressed with a diving save to deny Alderweireld in the first half. Not overly tested in the second half. Getty Images World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Benjamin Pavard - 7 Should have found the back of the net after being put through on goal by Mbappe in the first half. Pushed forward on numerous occasions throughout the match but remained defensively assured. His excellent tournament continues. AFP/Getty Images World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Raphael Varane - 7 France couldn’t have asked more from him. Kept Lukaku quiet and a real presence at the heart of his side’s defence. Made few mistakes and led by example from the back. AFP/Getty Images World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Samuel Umtiti - 7 Should have done better in dealing with a dangerous ball from the right moments before the break; almost handed Lukaku a goal-scoring opportunity as a result. Headed home the all-important winner. Defensively solid for most of the game. AFP/Getty Images World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Lucas Hernandez - 6 Unafraid to push on from the back. Happy picking up play from deep and surging forward. Positioning on point. EPA World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings N'golo Kante - 7 His reading of the game was as impressive as ever as he set about disrupting Belgium’s midfield. Typically effective in breaking up play and intercepting passes. Often found himself kick-starting France’s rapid-fire counter-attacks. AP World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Paul Pogba - 8 Showed some slick feet-work when surging forward and was consistent as ever with his forward passes. Disciplined in tracking and dealing with Fellaini too. More than happy to fulfil his defensive duties. A well-rounded performance in all. What a tournament it's been for him. AP World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Kylian Mbappe - 8 Made his presence immediately felt after the first whistle with a surging sprint down the right before delivering a dangerous ball into the ball. Was utterly fantastic all night long with his pace, trickery and vision. Provided Giroud with a number of goal-scoring opportunities and used his speed to mount repeated French breaks. Well on his way to becoming football’s next big thing. AP World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Antoine Griezmann - 7 His link-up play was superb. Kept running all game long as he set about harassing Belgium’s defence and making those all-important runs in the channels. Missed a few chances outside the box, mind. AP World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Blaise Matuidi - 7 Let loose with a stinging first-half chance that made Courtois think but never properly tested the French keeper. A nuisance in midfield with his relentless energy and press. Never stopped working. AFP/Getty Images World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Olivier Giroud - 6 Got down low in the box to threaten with a header that came close to putting France ahead. Not good enough, though, when meeting a sublime squared cross from Mbappe 10 minutes before the break. Lacked the final product in and around Belgium’s box. REUTERS World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Thibaut Courtois - 6 Could he maybe have saved Umtiti’s header? Asides from that he wasn’t overly tested in between the sticks. Faced just two shots on target. AFP/Getty Images World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Toby Alderweireld - 7 Did well under pressure to get a shot off on goal from inside France’s box during the first half but was denied by Lloris. Like his teammates, struggled with Mbappe’s pace. AFP/Getty Images World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Vincent Kompany - 6 Did well in keeping Giroud under wraps as he repeatedly threw his body on the line to muscle the Frenchman off the ball or block his shots. Composed at the back throughout the game. EPA World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Jan Vertonghen - 6 Excellent distribution from out the back, picking out Belgium’s high-pressing wide men throughout the match. Had his hands full with Mbappe and certainly found himself exposed on more than one occasion. AFP/Getty Images World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Axel Witsel - 6 Fired off a superb, stinging strike late on in the game that Lloris did well to push clear. Some of his balls forward from deep were particularly impressive. AFP/Getty Images World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Nacer Chadli - 6 Pushed on down the flank throughout the match but failed to provide his teammates with any real service. AFP/Getty Images World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Moussa Dembele - 6 Conceded a few sloppy fouls here and there, often in dangerous positions. But put in a vitally important goal-denying block on Giroud to stop the Frenchman from scoring after he’d been threaded through by Mbappe. AP World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Marouane Fellaini - 6 Came agonisingly close in the second half after beating Pogba in the air to nod the ball millimetres wide of Lloris’ left-hand side post. Should have asserted himself more against Umtiti for the Frenchman’s goal. AFP/Getty Images World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Kevin De Bruyne - 6 Not his best performance. Created a number of chances in the first half but was somewhat subdued during the second 45 minutes. Even guilty of misplacing a pass here and there. Getty Images World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Romelu Lukaku - 6 Failed to find the target with what should have been a clear-cut header after the restart. After proving so effective against Brazil, this was a quieter display from the forward. EPA World Cup: France vs Belgium player ratings Eden Hazard - 7 A menacing presence with his mazy runs down the left and through the centre of the pitch. Pulled an early chance wide of the French goal. Started brightly as one of Belgium’s best players but not as effective in the second half. AFP/Getty Images

“It’s become a lucrative business for malicious actors to host illegal streaming websites – and the World Cup is a perfect opportunity for them," Chris Hodson from the cybersecurity firm Zscaler, told The Independent.

"While sports fans prepare to stream their favourite teams’ games, the increased interest in the tournament will also attract the attention of cyber criminals who’ve produced a variety of ways to trick fans into downloading malicious code and unwittingly giving up account credentials."

These account credentials, Mr Hodson warned, are often used over multiple sites, meaning cyber criminals could gain access to individual's email accounts and bank accounts.

"These sites are made to look legitimate and will often overlay a video with an ad that has a fake close or even play button," Hoyt told The Independent. "Users will attempt to ‘close’ the ad to enable a full view of the video but behind the scenes malware will be installed on their computer or device as a result of that single click."

Another threat posed by illegal streaming sites is something known as cryptomining, whereby people's computers are used to secretly mine cryptocurrency.

“Illegal streaming sites are illegal by nature and are riddled with malicious software," said Joep Gommers, CEO at EclecticIQ.

"The machines of users visiting those sites are mostly attacked in the form of drive-by-downloads, which means that malware is downloaded when visiting a website, completely without the user’s knowledge. Currently, a very common type of malware is cryptomining."

(AFP/Getty (AFP/Getty)

Steve Mulhearn, director of enhanced technologies at Fortinet, told The Independent that fans who risk visiting these sites should follow certain precautions to minimise the danger.

"Running the most updated versions of your operating system, security software, apps and Web browsers is among the best defences against malware, viruses and other online threats," Mr Mulhearn said.

"Cyber-attackers usually target flaws and vulnerabilities in outdated browsers and plug-ins. It is best to have your security software and web browser update automatically to minimise exposure to known threats."

Other experts advised that people would be best to avoid visiting these sites entirely.

“Overall, I’d say that visiting these types of websites is not a good idea," Leigh-Anne Galloway from Positive Technologies, told The Independent.

"You can’t be 100 per cent confident that you’re not basically walking into a trap and, for the sake of 90 minutes of free football, it will take a lot of effort to clean up.”