The eight teams playing World Cup matches on Thursday will take part in a commemoration of the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, with pennants being exchanged before the match to denounce such language.
Captains involved in the matches between the Czech Republic vs. South Africa, Mexico vs. South Korea, Switzerland vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina and Canada vs. Qatar will have pennants reading «We play together. We stand against hate», with the words in English on one side and the teams’ native language on the other.
FIFA says it has removed more than 30 million offensive posts and comments since the social media protection agency was set up ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
FIFA says it has removed almost 400,000 negative or offensive posts in the first few days of this World Cup – more than during the entire 2022 event.
Other stadium activations with that message are planned during Thursday’s games.
Published on June 18, 2026
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