The 2023 Women’s World Cup was not without its controversy, and a new report released by FIFA and global players' association FIFPRO only further confirms that fact.
After analyzing over five million posts and comments, the report came to a startling conclusion: One in five players (152 of 697 players) were targeted by online abuse during the tournament. Nearly half of "detected and verified" abusive messages during the World Cup were homophobic, sexual, or sexist.
During the month-long tournament hosted by Australia and New Zealand this past summer, the U.S. women’s soccer team faced more than twice the amount of online abuse than any other nation, according to the report.
