Football has embraced the issue of diversity, though not without controversy. But how do online communities respond to these efforts? An analysis of several thousand social media posts reveals a more nuanced reality: in the eyes of the public, not all forms of diversity are received in the same way.
Nelson Mandela famously said that “sport has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.” This ideal lies at the heart of FIFA’s message for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, presented as a celebration of unity, diversity, and inclusion.
