FIFA has taken an unprecedented step that will directly affect stadium access for its upcoming competitions, including the 2026 World Cup. The governing body, led by Gianni Infantino, confirmed the creation of official blacklists designed to prevent individuals involved in online abuse from purchasing match tickets.
The decision, announced on International Day for Tolerance, sends a powerful message: hate and harassment on social media will now carry real-world consequences.

Online Abuse Now Comes With Real Sanctions

According to FIFA, the blacklist will include users who have engaged in racist, discriminatory or threatening behavior on social media during official tournaments. Anyone listed will be blocked from buying tickets for FIFA competitions, including the World Cup in United States, Mexico and Canada.

The federation also revealed that it has filed criminal complaints against 11 individuals this year, with cases emerging in Argentina, Brazil, Spain, the United States, France, Poland and the United Kingdom. Member associations have already been notified to take action within their jurisdictions.

A Massive Digital Monitoring System

FIFA’s digital surveillance program has expanded significantly since 2022. This year alone, the organization detected over 30,000 abusive posts, and since the start of the project, they have flagged more than 65,000 incidents of harmful content.

During the most recent FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, the monitoring system oversaw 2,401 accounts belonging to players, coaches, clubs and referees across five platforms. In total, 5.9 million posts were analyzed. Of those:

• 179,517 were flagged for review
• 20,587 were formally reported

The goal is clear: protect anyone involved in FIFA competitions and stop the normalization of digital abuse.

A Firm Message From FIFA’s President

Gianni Infantino emphasized the intent behind the policy:

“Football must be a safe and inclusive space—on the pitch, in the stands and on social media. Abuse has no place in our sport. We will continue working with federations, confederations and law enforcement to hold offenders accountable.”

Direct Impact on the 2026 World Cup

The new blacklist system will be applied immediately to the 2026 World Cup ticket-sale process. Online purchasing platforms will be linked to FIFA’s registry of sanctioned users, blocking them from acquiring tickets.

The aim is to ensure that stadiums across the United States, Mexico and Canada remain free of violence—not only physical, but digital as well.

With this policy, FIFA draws a clear line: your behavior online can determine your access to the biggest stages in world football.