3 hrs ago
FIFA Reports 240,000 Abusive Posts During 2026 World Cup
FIFA looked at messages posted online during the 2026 World Cup.
It checked more than 17 million posts and comments.
About 240,000 were confirmed as abusive.
More than half of the 1,606 football players, coaches and officials watched by the service received at least one abusive message.
Racist abuse was a common kind of discrimination.
FIFA also said it sent some accounts to law enforcement for review.
On official channels, a separate tool hid millions of comments before people could see them.
FIFA said these efforts are meant to protect people in football from online abuse.
FIFA said its monitoring service recorded at least one abusive message against 812 of 1,606 players, coaches and officials monitored.
The service analysed 17.1 million posts and comments; about 240,000 were verified as abusive.
Racism accounted for 12 per cent of all abuse and 20 per cent when general abuse was excluded.
FIFA said 2,905 accounts met its threshold for potential criminal investigation, with 786 referred to law enforcement for review.
A separate moderation tool scanned 60.7 million comments on official channels and hid 9.2 million before public view.
- Who
- FIFA and its Social Media Protection Service monitored abuse directed at players, coaches and officials.
- What
- FIFA reported about 240,000 verified abusive posts and comments during the 2026 World Cup.
- Where
- The tournament took place in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
- When
- The findings were released on the eve of World Mental Health Day; the monitoring covered the 2026 World Cup.
- Why
- FIFA said its monitoring and moderation efforts aim to protect football stakeholders from online hate and abuse.
Key facts
- Posts and comments analysed
- 17.1 million
- Posts and comments verified as abusive
- About 240,000
- People monitored
- 1,606 players, coaches and officials
- People who received at least one abusive message
- 812
- Accounts meeting threshold for potential criminal investigation
- 2,905
- Accounts referred to law enforcement for review
- 786
- Comments hidden on official channels
- 9.2 million of 60.7 million scanned
Quotes
Pierluigi Collina
FIFA’s chief refereeing officer
“Ahead of World Mental Health Day, we are reinforcing FIFA’s commitment to protecting the football community from online hate through optimised technology that tackles not only manually created content, but also AI-generated imagery.”
telegraphindia.com
“Our objective is to ensure that our match officials can focus fully on the on-field action and that they are not concerned about what is being published about them on social media channels.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
Related news
Lamine Yamal Reveals Thousands of Racist Experiences in Football
Gauff Condemns Racist Abuse After China Open Replay Backlash
AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Images Surge in 2026
Norway Files Two FIFA Complaints Against President Gianni Infantino
Columbus Crew Fires Federico Higuaín After Alleged Sexist Conduct
Portugal Climbs in FIFA Ranking as Spain Extends Lead
UEFA Seeks Rival to Challenge Infantino for FIFA Presidency
Former Tottenham Defender Enters FIFA Presidential Race Against Infantino
Reports Say FIFA Knew Congo Goalkeeper Was Ineligible
