Female rugby players 69% more likely to suffer online abuse than male counterparts, World Rugby finds

Female rugby players and match officials are 69 per cent more likely to experience online abuse than their male counterparts, according to findings published by World Rugby following Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.

The governing body partnered with Signify Group to deliver the Social Media Protection Service as part of its Impact Beyond 2025 programme — its most ambitious online safeguarding initiative to date. The project incorporated real-world investigation, victim-centred processes, and long-term data collection to inform future policy.

Across X, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, a total of 440,340 posts and comments were analysed for abuse and threats directed at players and officials. Of those, 1,189 were verified as abusive. Eight cases have been referred to law enforcement and social media platforms. The abuse identified centred primarily on body shaming, transphobia, and sexism — and represented a sharp increase compared to the figures recorded at Rugby World Cup 2023.

World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin acknowledged the scale of the challenge while calling for coordinated action. “Social media has transformed sport for the better, enabling connection, storytelling and growth,” he said. “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.”

Gilpin added: “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.”

For Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, World Rugby expanded the programme beyond players and officials to also cover coaches and families. The governing body has since called on governments, social media platforms, and other sporting organisations to take proactive steps against online abuse, and has expressed hope that the Social Media Protection Service can serve as a blueprint for other sports. The programme continues to operate in coverage of Emirates World Rugby Match Officials.