FIFA says online abuse targeting World Cup players and participants has risen sharply during the 2026 tournament, with racist content accounting for more than one in 10 abusive posts identified in the group stage.

The findings matter because football’s global governing body says online hate has become a growing threat to players’ wellbeing during major tournaments. FIFA’s Social Media Protection Service identified 89,000 abusive posts and comments during the World Cup 2026 group stage, a 13-fold increase compared with the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

According to FIFA, 11 percent of the flagged abusive content was racially motivated, up by about 3 percentage points from the previous World Cup. The monitoring system reviewed more than six million posts and comments, with about 225,000 selected for human review.

FIFA said 181,000 hateful comments were hidden or filtered as part of the moderation process. The system also identified about 1,000 accounts for further investigation and found more than 100 cases that could meet the threshold for legal action.

The Social Media Protection Service uses a combination of automated detection and human moderation to identify abusive, discriminatory and threatening content directed at players, teams and officials. FIFA says the service is designed to protect participants and reduce the visibility of hate speech on social platforms.

The issue gained further attention after Netherlands players Justin Kluivert, Quinten Timber and Crysencio Summerville were reportedly targeted with racist and discriminatory comments following a penalty shootout defeat to Morocco.

FIFA has said it is working with law enforcement authorities and member associations where online abuse may justify further action. The governing body has also expanded its monitoring efforts during recent tournaments as social media abuse against athletes continues to increase.

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