In the wake of the 2026 World Cup, Argentina’s run through the tournament has also been reflected in a darker count beyond the stadiums: the world champions were the national team most targeted by hostile and hateful social-media content during the competition.
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FIFA’s Social Media Protection Service reviewed more than 17.1 million posts published on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok between 9 June and 20 July. Its assessment found that Argentina attracted the highest overall volume of online abuse among the teams at the World Cup.
The pressure directed at the Albiceleste increased as the tournament moved into its later rounds. Much of the hostile discussion was driven by claims that Argentina had benefited from refereeing decisions, alongside xenophobic abuse aimed at the South American side.
England recorded the next highest level of digital aggression, followed by Spain, Brazil and Norway.
Racism, xenophobia and threats against officials
The FIFA report also separated abuse by its target and subject. When posts aimed at individual players were measured, Argentina ranked fourth, behind France, England and Portugal. Racist messages aimed at players of African heritage formed a significant share of the abuse involving those three squads.
Europe was identified as the leading geographical source of discriminatory content during the tournament, with South America second. South Africa, Argentina and England were particularly prominent in conversations involving immigration and national identity.
Match officials faced the most serious form of online threat. The report recorded repeated attempts to expose referees’ personal information, known as doxxing, after accusations and speculation about corruption or manipulated results.
