FIFA marked the International Day for Countering Hate Speech by bringing together football legends, policymakers, technology experts and community leaders in Atlanta to discuss practical solutions for combating discrimination and abuse in football and society.

The event, titled “Stop Hate, Protect Football – What Actually Works Against Hate Speech?”, was held at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights on the eve of the FIFA World Cup 2026 match between Czechia and South Africa at Atlanta Stadium.

Organised in partnership with TikTok and the City of Atlanta, the gathering focused on moving beyond awareness campaigns to identify concrete actions that can help eliminate racism, discrimination and hate speech both online and offline.

Former Liberia president and FIFA Players’ Voice Panel honorary captain George Weah joined former Nigeria international Mercy Akide, Atlanta Chief Impact Officer Candace Stanciel, TikTok Global Senior Director of Public Policy Eric Ebenstein, and U.S. Soccer referee mentor David Gerson on the discussion panel.

Weah reflected on his own experiences of racial abuse during his playing career and stressed the importance of protecting football’s values. “Football is not just a game of chance, it’s a game of unity,” Weah said.

“There are a lot of elements that want to destroy the game. Football is a game of peace and a game of unity. If we allow these things to continue, the beautiful game will be destroyed.”

He added that education remains a vital tool in the fight against discrimination. “We are trying to educate young people so they grow into loving people, not just people who love the game. Discrimination has no place in our society.”

Moderated by Atlanta-based sports journalist Simone Scott, the discussion examined the changing nature of hate speech in both digital and physical spaces. Panelists explored ways to identify effective interventions and transform institutional commitments into measurable results.

Candace Stanciel praised FIFA’s efforts to engage host cities and promote human rights through sport. “The panel gave us an opportunity to think about where the challenges are, what we’re doing that really works, and what commitments we can make,” she said.

“With an international experience like FIFA, we get to really talk about human rights on a global scale.”

Akide said the event highlighted the importance of collective action. “It made me feel empowered,” she said.

“We must bring everybody together and include everyone in this effort. Listening to the panel makes me want to do even more.”

A key focus of the event was FIFA’s Social Media Protection Service (SMPS), which monitors and removes abusive content targeting players, teams and officials across social media platforms.

Since its launch during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the service has reviewed more than 250 million posts and comments, identifying and removing over 30 million harmful messages.

The system remains active throughout the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026. Since the tournament began on June 11, more than 3.8 million posts and comments have been reviewed, with approximately 388,000 removed after being classified as abusive or harmful.

By comparison, 287,000 posts and comments were removed during the entirety of the 2022 World Cup.

The Atlanta forum forms part of FIFA’s broader Global Stand Against Racism initiative, which seeks to drive long-term change through education programmes, fan engagement and support resources for football associations around the world.

The event concluded with a commitment ceremony in which each panellist pledged specific actions to help combat hate speech in their respective communities, reinforcing the message that eliminating discrimination requires a united effort from every level of the game.

The discussion also echoed concerns raised by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on the International Day for Countering Hate Speech.

In his message marking the occasion, Guterres described hate speech as “the first step down the path of dehumanisation” and warned that it is increasingly being amplified by artificial intelligence and unregulated digital platforms.

He said algorithms often reward outrage and division, helping harmful content spread more rapidly online.

The UN has also highlighted the growing threat posed by AI-generated deepfakes, synthetic images and other forms of online abuse, particularly targeting women and vulnerable groups.

Guterres stressed that freedom of expression should never be used as a justification for harmful messages, while calling for greater accountability, stronger information integrity and increased public control over online experiences.