FIFA’s Social Media Protection Service (SMPS) has identified more than 7 million posts containing potentially harmful or abusive content directed at players, teams, and officials throughout the current World Cup. This figure marks a dramatic rise compared to the previous tournament, highlighting the growing challenge of managing online abuse in global sporting events.
In a significant development, the detection rate of abusive posts this year is approximately 14 times greater than that recorded during the 2022 World Cup, when around 470,000 such posts were removed. This surge underscores the increasing volume and intensity of negative interactions on social media platforms during major football tournaments.
The SMPS team has meticulously reviewed over 500,000 messages flagged by artificial intelligence systems, focusing on content targeting players, coaches, and officials. Notably, more than 1,000 threats identified through this process have been escalated to relevant authorities, including law enforcement agencies, to ensure appropriate action is taken.
Since the tournament began, the service has moderated upwards of 53 million posts and comments across various social media channels, reflecting the immense scale of online engagement surrounding the event. Earlier this month, FIFA disclosed that racial abuse constituted 11 percent of all offensive messages detected during the competition. The World Cup is set to conclude on Sunday with the highly anticipated final match between Argentina and Spain.
