Reports of homophobic abuse in football rose by 46% last season, according to new figures from Kick It Out, which also highlighted an increase in transphobic chanting across the game.
The anti-discrimination charity received a record 1,744 reports during the 2025-26 season, a 25% increase on the previous campaign. Among them were 203 reports of homophobia, the highest figure recorded by the organisation and one of the sharpest rises among all forms of discrimination.
Kick It Out said the figures demonstrate that anti-LGBTQ+ abuse remains a significant problem in football, despite ongoing efforts to make the sport more inclusive.
The charity also recorded a rise in reports of discriminatory mass chanting, which reached a record 142 incidents. Those reports included increases in homophobic chanting, alongside transphobic, racist, sexist and ableist abuse.
Overall, reports increased across the professional game, grassroots football and online spaces, with the charity receiving 1,255 reports of separate discriminatory incidents.
The figures come amid wider concerns about growing levels of hate speech and discriminatory rhetoric in society. Kick It Out said discrimination remains "deeply embedded" within football and pointed to increases across almost every category of abuse.
Samuel Okafor, chief executive of Kick It Out, said: "These figures show that discrimination remains deeply embedded across the game at a time when we're also seeing rises in hate crime and divisive political rhetoric in Britain.
"But they also show that people are more willing to stand up to abuse when they see it, and it's encouraging to see professional players set that example last season."
The charity said improved reporting mechanisms may also be contributing to the rise in figures. Over the past year it has strengthened partnerships with organisations including Football v Homophobia, Her Game Too and the Frank Soo Foundation in an effort to boost confidence among victims and witnesses to report discrimination.
While racism remained the most commonly reported form of discrimination, accounting for 792 reports, Kick It Out said the increase in homophobic abuse and reports of transphobic chanting showed that LGBTQ+ supporters, players and participants continue to face hostility at all levels of the game.
The organisation is calling for stronger action from football authorities, social media companies, regulators and government to tackle abuse and ensure football is welcoming to everyone.
Okafor added: "While we recognise that there is a lot of good work ongoing in football to tackle discrimination, we will continue to work with football authorities, clubs, leagues, regulators and government to ensure we match the courage shown to report abuse with clear and consistent action so that football is welcoming to everyone."
The latest figures follow a number of initiatives aimed at improving inclusion within football, but Kick It Out said the continued rise in reports underlines the need for sustained action to combat anti-LGBTQ+ abuse both in stadiums and online.
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