Advocacy organisation HOPE not hate says social media platforms are profiting from abusive targeting of footballers.

Researchers identified more than 5,500 openly abusive messages aimed at members of the Three Lions squad from a sample of 300,000 posts on X during the 2026 World Cup.

The study found that while abusive slurs accounted for between one and two per cent of sampled tournament posts, that figure rose sharply to between four and five per cent on matchdays.

The number of such posts then increased markedly after England's semi-final defeat to Argentina.

Hostility online was heavily focused on particular players and was amplified by prominent viral accounts. Jude Bellingham attracted the highest overall number of abusive posts, while Kobbie Mainoo — despite not playing a single minute — and Bukayo Saka faced the highest share of abuse in relation to their total mentions.

Defender Djed Spence was also targeted with anti-Muslim abuse.

Campaigners say usual responses, such as blocking individual accounts or limiting platform access for under-16s, do not tackle the underlying issue: algorithms designed to maximise traffic and advertising income give priority to controversy and outrage.

"Our research shows that hate targeting footballers follows a clear and predictable pattern," said Patrik Hermansson, senior researcher at HOPE not hate. "It focuses on specific players and is, to a significant degree, driven by a small number of high-profile actors who benefit from the anger and attention they generate.

"This is not new or unexpected, and platforms should no longer be able to treat it as such."

Taylor Gese of the Future of Tech Institute said regulators have failed to use existing powers, adding that social media companies do not use the safety tools already available because 'outrage drives engagement, and hate sells.'

Before the start of the new domestic season, campaign groups are calling on media regulator Ofcom and the UK government to designate major fixtures as high-risk events and make sure technology platforms no longer amplify outrage, viral hate and large-scale harassment.