One Fifth of 2023 Women’s World Cup Players Faced Online Abuse, FIFA Report

A report by FIFA reveals the shocking fact that 20% of players at the 2023 Women’s World Cup faced online abuse. Half of these players received sexual, homophobic, or sexist messages.

Out of 697 players, who participated in the World Cup, the social media accounts of 152 players were targeted with discriminatory, abusive, or threatening messages.

Players at the Women’s World Cup were 29% more prone to online abuse than those at the men’s tournament in Qatar. FIFA has therefore started a Social Media Protection Service (SMPS), which allows players to opt-in for moderation services that can hide abusive messages.

FIFA’s SMPS employed artificial intelligence software “Threat Matrix” to scrutinize millions of posts for abusive content.

The SMPS data showed that the United States women’s team – was subjected to most abuse during the tournament. FIFA said two players, one from the United States, and another from Argentina, whose identities were not revealed, were targeted the most.