- FIFA Reports Sharp Rise in Online Abuse and Racism at 2026 World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has thrilled fans with dramatic upsets, spectacular goals and unforgettable moments on the pitch, but away from the stadiums another battle is intensifying.
FIFA has revealed a sharp rise in online abuse directed at players, coaches and match officials during the tournament, with racist messages making up a worrying proportion of the offensive content circulating on social media.
According to figures released by world football’s governing body on Wednesday, nearly 89,000 abusive social media posts were identified and acted upon during the group stage alone a staggering 13-fold increase compared to the same stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The findings emerged after FIFA’s Social Media Protection Service (SMPS) monitored more than six million social media posts and comments, representing a 33 per cent increase in online activity compared with the previous World Cup. The growth has been partly attributed to the expansion of the tournament from 32 to 48 teams, which has significantly increased global engagement.
Even more concerning was the rise in racial abuse.
FIFA reported that 11 per cent of all abusive messages contained racist content, an increase from the 2022 tournament. The governing body described the trend as a significant rise in some of the most offensive and discriminatory material seen online.
To combat the growing problem, FIFA’s Social Media Protection Service combines artificial intelligence with human moderators to identify, hide and remove abusive comments before they reach players, coaches, match officials and their followers.
During the group stage, the system flagged approximately 225,000 posts for further review. Human moderators confirmed 89,000 of those posts as abusive and took action against them, while around 1,000 social media accounts were referred for further investigation.
The service also automatically hid nearly 181,000 hateful comments posted on official team accounts, shielding players and supporters from much of the abuse.
In total, more than two million comments were moderated during the opening phase of the tournament, including spam, fake accounts and automated bot activity—a fourfold increase from the previous World Cup.
FIFA said its efforts go beyond simply removing offensive content.
The organisation explained that the protection service now gathers evidence that can be used by law enforcement agencies to pursue individuals responsible for serious online abuse.
According to FIFA, more than 100 cases have already met the legal threshold required to prepare formal legal files that could lead to criminal investigations or prosecutions.
The issue once again came into sharp focus during the knockout stages when several Netherlands players including Justin Kluivert, Quinten Timber and Crysencio Summerville—were subjected to racist abuse on social media after missing penalties in their team’s dramatic shootout defeat to Morocco in the Round of 32.
The incident highlighted the emotional toll that online abuse continues to have on footballers, particularly after high-pressure matches where a single mistake can expose players to waves of hateful messages.
FIFA reiterated that the Social Media Protection Service remains available to every national team, player, coach and match official participating in its tournaments. The initiative is designed to ensure that those involved in the game can focus on football without becoming targets of discrimination, racism or personal attacks online.
As the World Cup progresses into its decisive knockout rounds, FIFA has pledged to continue strengthening its monitoring systems and working with social media companies and law enforcement agencies to identify offenders and promote a safer digital environment.
While millions of supporters continue to celebrate football’s biggest tournament with passion and excitement, FIFA hopes the same spirit of respect shown inside the stadiums will also be reflected across online platforms, ensuring that the beautiful game remains a source of unity rather than division.
