Homophobic abuse in football hits all-time high, new review finds

Homophobic abuse in football has reached its highest recorded level, with more than 200 incidents reported during a single season for the first time.

Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out‘s 2025/26 season review found that reports rose by 46% year on year, climbing to 203 cases. The organisation received a record 1,744 reports of discrimination across the game last season – a 25% increase on the previous campaign. 

In response, Pride in Football, the UK-wide alliance of LGBTQ+ football fan groups, is calling for clubs, governing bodies and supporters to take coordinated action to tackle discrimination ahead of the new season.

Kick It Out report reveals rise in homophobic abuse

The report found particularly sharp increases at grassroots level, where reports of homophobic abuse increased by 140%, with three-quarters of incidents occurring in adult football. Youth football also saw a 90% rise in reports involving under-18s.

For the first time, homophobia became the most commonly reported form of abuse directed at a professional player, driven by a spike in reports following a high-profile transfer. Meanwhile, reports of homophobic chants, including the slur “rent boy”, reached 24 – the highest level recorded in the past three seasons.

The review also found reports of transphobic chanting matched the combined total from the previous five seasons.

The figures come just days after Pride in Football and the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) launched a new LGBTQ+ Fan Group Toolkit, designed to help existing fan groups expand their work and support supporters looking to establish inclusive groups at their own clubs.

How has Pride in Football responded?

Rishi Madlani, co-chair of Pride in Football, said the latest figures demonstrate why such initiatives are urgently needed.

“LGBT+ fans have always been here, and we aren’t going anywhere,” he said.

“But these figures confirm what many of us have felt on the terraces and heightened online. Exclusionary behaviour is creeping back into our game. We cannot defeat homophobia while ignoring racism, sexism or faith-based hate. To protect the game we love, every fan must be an ally who calls out discrimination wherever they see it.”

The rise in anti-LGBTQ+ abuse formed part of a broader increase in discrimination across football.

Racism remained the most commonly reported form of abuse, with 792 reports recorded during the season, a 19% increase on the previous year. Reports of sexism rose to a record 216, while Islamophobia and antisemitism increased by 88% and 43% respectively. Ableist abuse also rose by 20%, including an 82% increase in incidents reported from the professional game. 

Kick It Out’s chief executive, Samuel Okafor, said the figures reflected wider societal trends but also showed more people were willing to report abuse.

How can football fans report homophobia?

Pride in Football is encouraging supporters to report discrimination whenever they witness it, whether at professional matches, grassroots fixtures or online, through Kick It Out’s reporting system. The organisation works alongside partners including Football v Homophobia and Her Game Too to help investigate incidents and improve accountability.

The full Kick It Out 2025/26 season review is available here.