Meta Platforms has outlined its safety measures for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, focusing on scam prevention, consumer awareness, and abuse detection across Facebook and Instagram.
The company says it is preparing for increased fraud and harmful content linked to major global sporting events and is expanding its systems using AI tools, cross-industry coordination, and platform-level safety features.
Scam prevention and fraud disruption
Meta says it is investing in advanced AI systems, dedicated enforcement teams, and partnerships with law enforcement and industry peers to detect and remove scam activity during the tournament.
The company notes that large sporting events often lead to increased fraud, including ticketing scams, false immigration services, misleading travel or accommodation offers, and fake gambling schemes designed to collect personal or financial information.
To address this, Meta is working across industry through the Global Signal Exchange (GSE) and its Fraud Intelligence Reciprocal Exchange (FIRE) to share scam intelligence and disrupt fraud networks across platforms.
Meta also highlighted a coordinated effort with Visa through the GSE, which helped identify and remove a scam network on Facebook. The network used spoofed FIFA World Cup 2026 branding and directed users to fake gambling websites that promoted unrealistic win rates and attempted to collect personal data.
The company says it will continue using signal-sharing systems to detect and disrupt evolving scam tactics before, during, and after the tournament.
Consumer awareness and safety education
Meta will introduce Facebook alerts during the tournament when users search for FIFA World Cup ticket-related content or visit related groups. These alerts will remind users to rely on verified ticket sources and provide access to reporting tools for suspicious activity.
The company is also working with external organisations to improve scam awareness, including:
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC)
- Stand Against Scams campaign led by the Canadian Anti-Scam Coalition
- Mexico’s Consumer Protection Agency (PROFECO)
These initiatives focus on educating users about common fraud patterns such as fake ticket sales and impersonation of official FIFA-related websites.
Abuse prevention and content enforcement
Meta enforces policies against bullying, harassment, violent threats, and hate speech targeting players, teams, and fans.
The company uses AI systems and user reports to detect and remove violating content. Between October and December 2025, Meta removed 2.6 million pieces of hateful content across Facebook and Instagram, with more than 74% detected before user reports.
Meta also works with players, teams, and sports organisations to ensure awareness of safety policies and enforcement systems during major global events.
Safety features across Facebook and Instagram
Meta is expanding tools designed to reduce unwanted contact and improve user control over interactions.
- Content filtering: Instagram’s Hidden Words feature filters offensive language, emojis, and spam in comments and DM requests. Users can adjust filtering levels or create custom keyword lists. A similar feature will be available for athletes and teams on Facebook during the tournament.
- Interaction limits: Limit Interactions restricts comments and messages from groups such as non-followers or recent followers during periods of high engagement.
- Moderation tools: Moderation Assist helps professional accounts automatically filter comments based on rules such as links or images.
- Messaging controls: Users can disable DM requests from unknown accounts and report abusive messages.
- Account protection systems: Improved blocking tools and anti-fake account measures reduce repeat harassment. Instagram also shows prompts encouraging users to reconsider harmful posts before publishing.
These features are designed to support both public figures and regular users during high-traffic global events.
Ongoing commitment
Meta says it will continue improving its safety systems, expanding AI-based moderation, and working with global partners, regulators, and sports organisations to maintain platform safety for fans and players during and beyond the FIFA World Cup 2026.