Report: X’s algorithms amplified racist abuse of England players at 2026 World Cup

New research by the campaign group Hope Not Hate concludes that racist posts targeting England players during the 2026 World Cup were amplified on X (formerly Twitter) by recommendation algorithms that prioritise highly engaging content.

What the report found

Hope Not Hate analysed more than 300,000 posts on X during the tournament and identified over 5,500 posts it judged to be explicitly racist and directed at England players. The group used keyword and handle searches for England players and team accounts, collected replies to high-profile posts, filtered out irrelevant material, and applied an AI classifier trained on human-labelled examples; samples were also manually checked for accuracy.

The researchers said the platform’s recommender algorithm pushed abusive posts into large numbers of users’ feeds because material provoking strong reactions — such as anger or outrage — tends to drive interaction and keep people on the site. Hope Not Hate highlighted Jude Bellingham as the most-targeted England player in absolute terms, while Bukayo Saka and Kobbie Mainoo experienced the highest proportion of racist content relative to the total posts mentioning them. The group also noted a distinct stream of anti-Muslim abuse aimed at Djed Spence.

How algorithms are said to have amplified abuse

Hope Not Hate argues that amplification happens when a relatively small number of originating accounts and posts attract large volumes of replies and are then elevated by the recommendation system into wider recommendation and discovery feeds. The organisation recommended technical measures such as downranking posts that attract large volumes of abuse so they appear to fewer users, rather than relying solely on reactive tools like blocking, reporting or account suspension.

The report’s authors framed the issue as one of platform design: they say companies already have tools to change how content is recommended and could deploy those during periods when abuse is surging.

Responses and policy demands

The Football Association told BBC Sport that “all players have the right to play without being exposed to hateful, discriminatory and distressing content online” and said it wants service providers to take necessary steps to create safer online environments. Hope Not Hate has urged the UK regulator Ofcom to use powers in the Online Safety Act to target algorithmic amplification and to designate major sporting events as “high risk,” which would require platforms to adopt stricter safety-by-design measures, proactively remove abuse and rapidly downrank viral hate.

Ofcom told BBC Sport it is pressing tech firms to make services safer and said it will hold companies to account if they do not. The regulator also pointed to a partnership formed before the World Cup involving police and football bodies to tackle online abuse.

Related findings and wider concerns

A separate report from the football think tank Fair Game, cited by Hope Not Hate, described online abuse in the sport as a “systemic safeguarding issue” that affects wellbeing across football and harms participation. That report, supported by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for football, called for a coordinated, preventative strategy and for digital abuse to be treated on par with abuse in physical spaces.

Why this matters for clubs, players and regulators

• Players: Research ties abusive content to platform mechanics rather than isolated bad actors, suggesting that individual reporting and blocking may not prevent large-scale exposure.
• Clubs and governing bodies: If algorithms elevate abuse during major tournaments, clubs and federations may need to press platforms and regulators for pre-emptive protections around fixtures and competitions.
• Regulators: Hope Not Hate’s proposals would require Ofcom to expand enforcement around algorithmic risk during defined high-profile events and to require proactive technical changes from platforms.

What comes next

Hope Not Hate has called on Ofcom to act under the Online Safety Act and to classify major sporting events as high risk; Ofcom says it will continue to push firms to make services safer and to hold them to account. The FA has reiterated its position that players should not be exposed to hateful content online. Beyond regulatory action, the report points to the technical possibility of downranking viral abusive posts and for platforms to adjust recommender systems during predictable spikes in abuse.

Timeline of the research and reactions

1. Hope Not Hate collected and analysed more than 300,000 X posts from the 2026 World Cup, identifying 5,500+ explicitly racist posts targeting England players.
2. Hope Not Hate published its findings and called for algorithmic mitigation measures, such as downranking abusive posts and design changes during major sporting events.
3. The FA responded by urging platforms to protect players from hateful and discriminatory content.
4. Ofcom said it is urging platforms to make services safer and referenced a pre-tournament partnership with police and football organisations; Hope Not Hate has urged stronger use of powers under the Online Safety Act.

Limitations and areas needing further confirmation

The analysis and the numbers reported come from Hope Not Hate’s research; the methodology involved AI-assisted classification with manual checks, and posts were counted on a binary abuse/no-abuse basis rather than by severity. The BBC report presents these findings and the responses from the FA and Ofcom; independent verification of the precise scale of algorithmic amplification by platform operators is not published in the sources provided.

Key takeaways

• Hope Not Hate found more than 5,500 explicitly racist posts aimed at England players on X during the 2026 World Cup, from an analysed dataset of over 300,000 posts.
• The group says X’s recommender algorithm amplified that abuse by elevating posts that provoke engagement and outrage into users’ feeds.
• The FA supports stronger platform action to protect players; Ofcom says it is pushing tech firms to improve safety and will hold them to account.