Huge rise in harmful social media posts this World Cup

The 2026 World Cup began on 11 June and concludes with the final on Sunday, 19 July [Getty Images] There have been 14 times more harmful posts and comments during the 2026 World Cup compared to the 2022 tournament, Fifa's social media protection service has found. A total of more than seven million messages have been identified and removed this summer. That is a significant increase from 470,000 such posts and comments at the previous World Cup. Fifa has also reported more than 200,000 abusive and threatening posts and comments, compared to 19,600 from Qatar 2022. More than 15,000 posts have been escalated for additional action and more than 1,000 egregious threats have been passed on to the relevant authorities, including law enforcement. The social media protection service (SMPS) is a digital shield available to all teams, coaches, players and officials participating in Fifa's tournaments. It moderated more than 53 million posts and comments during the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. AI detected more than 530,000 messages targeted at specific individuals and these have been assessed by the SMPS team. Concern over rise in online racist abuse at World Cup When the World Cup finishes, the football continues on BBC Sport World Cup 2026 knockout path How to watch the World Cup on the BBC and ITV