Ofcom blows early World Cup whistle

Written by James Brunger

The World Cup is underway, which means two things are guaranteed. Goals and online outrage.

The first is part of the spectacle. The second is the unwanted dark side of the game.

Ofcom saw it coming. On the eve of the tournament, the UK regulator sent a pointed reminder to social media companies that, while football may thrive on emotion, the internet can take it somewhere else entirely. The message was simple. We have seen what happens during major tournaments. Make sure you are ready for it.

Football’s other unwanted tradition

Every World Cup brings late winners, tactical hot takes and a renewed, very English optimism that football might finally be coming home. It also brings a surge in online abuse.

Ofcom’s warning is rooted in a pattern that is now depressingly familiar. Previous tournaments have seen spikes in hate, threats and harassment aimed at players and staff, often focused on race, perceived sexuality or disability.

You can picture the moment. A missed penalty, a costly error, a narrative turning in real time. Within seconds the reaction spills from pubs and living rooms onto timelines and comment sections, amplified far beyond the final whistle.

The platforms are now on the hook

What has changed is not the behaviour, but the expectation on those hosting it.

Under the Online Safety Act, platforms are not simply passive hosts. If illegal content appears, whether threats, harassment or hate crime, they are expected to act, and quickly where issues arise.

Ofcom has essentially told them to be ready for the spike. That means properly resourced moderation, faster takedowns and systems that make it easy for users to report abuse. In practice, that includes carrying out risk assessments ahead of major events, putting in place effective notice and takedown processes, scaling moderation where needed, and ensuring that reporting and escalation routes work when volumes rise.

It also extends beyond obvious flashpoints. Managing abusive comments on high-profile posts, dealing with coordinated pile-ons, and handling reports of harmful direct messages are all part of the same picture.

None of this is revolutionary. But the timing is telling. The regulator is making clear that it will be watching more than just the goals during this tournament.

When the game meets the algorithm

Part of the problem is structural.

Football is emotional, tribal and often unpredictable. Social media platforms are built around engagement. Engagement can amplify more extreme reactions. Put the two together during a global event, without the right safeguards, and you do not need much imagination to see what gets amplified.

Ofcom also highlights a range of features, from anonymous posting to direct messaging and recommender systems, that can increase the risk of harm at moments like these.

A different kind of watchlist

There is also a sense that this World Cup will be monitored in a different way.

Ofcom has an active compliance programme looking at how companies deal with illegal hate content, and it has already linked up with football bodies and policing units to share information.

So while fans dissect performances on the pitch, platforms are finding themselves under scrutiny off it.

Keep it on the right side of the line

The tension, of course, is obvious.

Football without banter would be a fairly quiet place. But there is a line between heated opinion and something unlawful, and the latter is no longer being brushed off as just part of the game.

With the tournament now underway, that distinction matters more than ever.

And if this all starts to feel less like football discourse and more like something with legal consequences, that is because it can be.

How we can help

Which makes the timing of James Brunger’s arrival at Sheridans as a Partner rather apt. He has joined from Snapchat, where he led platform compliance with online safety laws in Europe and Australia.

If the World Cup leaves you dealing with more than just the on‑pitch action, whether that is managing platform risk or dealing with illegal or harmful content directed at you, we can help you navigate the rules of a game that is increasingly played both on the pitch and online.