The FIFA Social Media Protection Service, a system that monitors and removes abusive content online, has reviewed more than 3.8 million posts, of which around 388,000 have been removed for being harmful, during the 2026 World Cup. This figure, reached on the eighth day of the tournament, exceeds the data recorded throughout the entire 2022 Qatar World Cup, the organization explained in a statement on Thursday.
In total, since the creation of the FIFA monitoring system on social networks, more than 250 million posts have been reviewed, of which more than 30 million have been considered abusive.
FIFA, together with TikTok and the city of Atlanta (USA), has brought together players, policymakers, technology experts, and community leaders at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in that World Cup host city to mark the International Day for Countering Hate Speech and discuss practical solutions to this problem.
The forum, held hours before the 2026 World Cup match between Czech Republic and South Africa at the Atlanta stadium, focused on promoting concrete actions to eradicate discrimination in and out of sport and highlighted the need to move from awareness campaigns to effective interventions against racism and abuse.
Former footballer and ex-president of Liberia, George Weah, warned that racism remains a persistent problem and emphasized the role of football as a tool for unity. Along the same lines, former Nigerian international Mercy Akide advocated for involving the entire community in the fight against hate speech.
The debate addressed the evolution of hate speech in digital and physical environments, as well as the identification of high-impact measures and the need to translate institutional commitments into measurable results.
The meeting is part of FIFA's global initiative against racism, aimed at promoting structural change through education, fan involvement, and the development of tools for associations around the world.
