FIFA says it has removed more than 30 million abusive posts and comments from social media platforms since launching its Social Media Protection Service (SMPS) ahead of the 2022 World Cup, as football's governing body intensified its campaign against online hate.
Marking the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, FIFA staged anti-discrimination activations at four FIFA World Cup 2026 host venues last Sunday, reinforcing its message of inclusion and respect both inside stadiums and online.
Special pre-match ceremonies were held in Atlanta, Guadalajara, Los Angeles and Vancouver, where team captains exchanged commemorative pennants bearing the message: "WE PLAY TOGETHER. WE STAND AGAINST HATE."
The campaign was also highlighted through stadium LED displays during matches involving Czechia, South Africa, Mexico, Korea Republic, Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada and Qatar.
FIFA said the initiative follows its "Stop Hate, Protect Football" gathering held earlier this week at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta.
Central to the campaign is the FIFA Social Media Protection Service, a monitoring system designed to detect and remove abusive content targeting players, coaches, match officials and others involved in the game.
According to FIFA, the service has analysed more than 250 million posts and comments across its competitions since 2022 and has removed or reduced the visibility of over 30 million harmful messages in more than 50 languages.
The organisation said abuse levels during the ongoing World Cup are significantly higher than those recorded at Qatar 2022, with early data suggesting more than five times as many abusive posts and comments are likely to be removed during the tournament.
Since the start of the 2026 World Cup on June 11, the SMPS has reviewed more than 5.5 million posts and comments, removing approximately 530,000 toxic messages.
That figure has already surpassed the total number of abusive posts removed throughout the entire Qatar 2022 World Cup, when 287,000 messages were taken down, FIFA said.
The service has also worked directly with social media platforms to tackle the most serious cases. During the opening week of the tournament, analysts reviewed 186,000 AI-flagged messages containing potential threats or violent content and reported more than 30,000 cases to platforms for action, including content removal, account suspensions and deletions.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the organisation remains committed to combating discrimination and protecting those involved in football.
"Hate speech has no place in football or in society," Infantino said. "When players, coaches and match officials are targeted, it is an attack on football itself."
He added that FIFA has strengthened its disciplinary regulations, expanded anti-racism initiatives and introduced measures aimed at empowering players and officials to report discriminatory behaviour.
"Hate speech is a systemic challenge that requires strong alliances to confront," Infantino said. "Through FIFA's Social Media Protection Service and with the support of partners, we are working together to tackle hate, help make digital spaces safer and ensure that respect always has a place in our beautiful game and online."
FIFA said it will continue to expand the service's capabilities throughout the tournament as part of its broader effort to eliminate discrimination from football and social media platforms.
