USWNT most targeted by World Cup online abuse, says FIFA report

More than 20 percent of the abuse was homophobic and more than 15 percent was sexual in nature, the report found. The female players were 28.5 percent more likely to be subjected to abuse than male players at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

“The hatred and abuse that exists online is a social crisis that touches individuals all over the world and cannot be simply ignored or easily shrugged off,” the report reads. “In professional football, this toxic online environment is a difficult and risky place to be in for players. …

“The risks and mental health challenges associated with being victim of online abuse are real and have a direct and immediate effect on players. Hatred and discrimination in the online environment can be damaging at both a personal and professional level, negatively impacting the players’ ability to be and perform at their best.”

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The report was created by the Social Media Protection Service (SMPS), which was unveiled in 2022 as a joint effort by FIFA and FIFPRO. World Cup players who opt in to the service have their social media accounts on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube monitored, and abusive comments on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are hidden by the service. According to the report, SMPS monitored more than 2,000 accounts and flagged and hid 116,000 abusive posts out of 1.3 total comments (X/Twitter and TikTok do not allow this feature).

Rapinoe is outspoken about social issues and has knelt during the national anthem before matches. Rodríguez has a tattoo of Cristiano Ronaldo on her leg, which made some in Argentina think she preferred the Portuguese star to countryman Lionel Messi. In July, Rodríguez responded to her critics on Instagram.

“Please stop, I’m not having a good time. At what point did I say that I’m anti-Messi?” she wrote. “I’m not having a bad time because of you (fans) but for the atrocities that are said, without mercy. Can’t you have an idol or a player you like? Messi is our great captain in the national team but the fact that I say that my inspiration and my idol is CR7 does not mean that I hate Messi. What is the problem? We are not all obliged to only love the players of our country.”

The report also found that politicians’ messages of support or commiseration cause spikes of abuse, particularly in the United States. The report recommends “briefing campaign / US authorities and political operatives of the knock-on effects from senior politicians sending support,” particularly with the United States set to co-host the next World Cup in 2026.