Protecting players during the World Rugby Cup 2025
Congratulations to World Rugby for setting a new benchmark in protecting players, match officials and their families from online abuse during the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025.
The findings, published this week in World Rugby's Social Media Protection Service report, are a powerful reminder of the challenge facing women's sport:
• Players and match officials were 69% more likely to be targeted by online abuse than at the Men's Rugby World Cup 2023.
• 440,340 posts and comments across X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok were analysed.
• 1,189 posts were verified as abusive, affecting 45 accounts.
• Abuse against women's players centred on body shaming, transphobia and sexism, with Instagram the primary driver at 54% of verified cases.
• 17 accounts met the investigation threshold, and eight cases have already been referred to law enforcement and social media platforms for action, with offenders located in Belgium, France, the UK, New Zealand and the US.
Protecting people online isn’t just about detecting abuse – it’s about delivering real-world accountability, generating actionable insights, and helping create a safer sporting environment for everyone.
World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said:
“Social media has transformed sport for the better, enabling connection, storytelling and growth. But it also increases the risk of harm, stress and suffering, and we took a stand at Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 to say that there is no place for hate in rugby or in society, that we stand with and celebrate the personality and diversity of our players and match officials, and will take all necessary steps to call out, locate and take action against abusers. We recognise that this is an incredibly challenging and complex area. Policing harmful behaviour at scale is difficult, legislation varies globally and platform thresholds for action remain high. That is why leadership, collaboration and real-world action are essential. We hope that this report and our findings will help inform and educate sports rights owners, platforms and authorities and drive meaningful action.”
Signify CEO and Co-Founder, Jonathan Hirshler, said:
“Data from the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 and across global sport confirms a clear trend: as the visibility and success of women's sport grows, so too does the volume and severity of targeted online abuse. World Rugby’s leadership demonstrates what is possible when a governing body takes a proactive, data-driven approach. By combining advanced technology with expert human analysis and the support of law enforcement, World Rugby sends a clear and unequivocal message: online abuse has no place in sport, and those responsible will be held to account.”
We're proud to partner with World Rugby and look forward to continuing to support the global rugby family in tackling online harm, including extending protection to all Emirates World Rugby Match Officials through 2026.
Read the full World Rugby report here: World Rugby Social Media Protection Service report
Read World Rugby's full press release here: World Rugby news release
Photo by Ollie Craig from Pexels