FIFA flags 300k+ abusive social media posts in 2025 report

Updated: 23 Nov, 2025 • 0 • min read

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FIFA flags 300k+ abusive social media posts in 2025 report

FIFA has revealed the scale of its fight against online abuse, confirming that more than 300,000 abusive social media posts have been reported to major platforms since the start of 2025.

The governing body also disclosed that 11 individuals across seven countries have been referred to local law enforcement, with one case escalated to Interpol.

According to BBC Sport, offenders identified by FIFA's monitoring system were located in Argentina, Brazil, France, Poland, Spain, the UK and the US, with cases linked to abuse that occurred during official FIFA competitions.

The figures were published in the latest update on FIFA's Social Media Protection Service (SMPS) - a system introduced in 2022 in partnership with global players' union FIFPRO to track, filter, block and report abusive content targeting footballers, coaches and match officials.

Club World Cup: Millions of Posts Analysed

The report includes detailed data from the 2025 Club World Cup, hosted in the United States.

FIFA revealed that SMPS:

monitored 2,401 active accounts
across five major platforms
covering players, coaches, teams and referees

In total, the system analysed 5.9 million posts, flagging 179,517 for review and reporting 20,587 directly to the platforms for action.

Since its launch in 2022, SMPS has now assessed more than 33 million posts, a stark indicator of the scale of online hostility surrounding football.

Players Still Face Constant Online Attacks

Despite these protective measures, online abuse remains a persistent issue within the sport.

High-profile footballers are routinely subjected to racism, sexism, homophobia and targeted harassment, often dismissed as part of the job or the price of public visibility.

Growing Pressure on Social Media Platforms

Whilst FIFA's expanded monitoring is viewed as a step forward for safeguarding, many believe the responsibility lies more directly with the tech companies hosting the abuse.

Football publications, including FourFourTwo, argue that major platforms must take greater accountability.

Footballers and professionals should be able to use social media without accepting abuse as an inevitability.

Given the huge visibility and revenue football brings to social networks, many across the sport believe stricter moderation and quicker intervention are not only possible but overdue.

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