FIFA Uses AI to Stop Mean Comments at World Cup

FIFA will use special computer programs called AI to protect soccer players from mean messages on social media during the 2026 World Cup. The tournament will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico starting next Thursday. FIFA wants to make sure players don't see hurtful comments about their race, who they love, or other personal things. This technology has already helped many soccer teams around the world.

FIFA started this social media protection service after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. They are now offering this AI service for free to all soccer teams playing in the 2026 tournament. The English Football Association hasn't said yet if they will use this service. Many teams in England's Premier League already use similar AI programs to keep their players safe online.

The AI technology works very fast to find and hide mean comments. It can spot bad messages from 30,000 different harmful words in under two seconds. When someone writes a mean comment, the AI hides it so the player can't see it. The person who wrote the mean comment can still see their own message, but they don't know it's been hidden.

This smart technology works on many social media websites like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. However, it doesn't work on X (formerly called Twitter) because that platform lets people see hidden comments. People who write mean messages can be banned from buying tickets to FIFA games or club matches. This helps protect players and sends a message that mean behavior won't be accepted.