Players competing at the 2026 World Cup were provided with a new, intervening signal ahead of the tournament: the “X” gesture.

Developing easily understood symbols and in-match protocols has been a major part of FIFA’s global football strategy in the 2020s. It is the football governing body’s approach to stamping out abuse and discrimination, and whilst a step in the right direction, it arguably still has room for improvement.

These types of incidents have the ability to completely overshadow matches or entire tournaments, and reflect FIFA’s desire to respond to and condemn unacceptable behaviour.

But what does the “X” gesture stand for and how is it aiding FIFA’s global campaign?

REUTERS/Rodrigo Antunes

The crossed arms symbol in football effectively means ‘no to racism’ and was first discussed at the 74^th FIFA Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, in May 2024. The gesture itself was introduced at the 2024 Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia and has now been used in other major tournaments.

The gesture is the latest advancement in FIFA’s Global Stand Against Racism initiative. When brought up for discussion in Thailand in 2024, the symbol was unanimously approved by FIFA’s 211 Member Associations.

The No Racism gesture is designed to empower players, referees, and team officials, as well as providing a simple and standardised way of reporting racist abuse during a football match that immediately triggers FIFA’s anti-racism protocols.

How It Works

REUTERS/Marco Bello

The victim crosses their arms at the wrist, and this will signal to a referee, match official, or team captain, that they are being targeted by racist abuse. This will prompt the referee to activate the three-step procedure.

• Step 1 prompts the referee to decide whether to stop the match or not. If the gesture is made to a match official, they will communicate the report of abuse to the referee and the need to potentially stop the match.
• Step 2, if required, will lead to a suspension of the match by the referee. This step will be activated if the incident does not stop upon the restart of the match. This continued behaviour results in the suspension of the match and the two teams being instructed to return to their dressing rooms. An announcement is then made at the venue to inform all attendees of the reason for the match suspension, and that if the abusive behaviour does not cease, the match will be abandoned entirely.
• Step 3, if the conditions are met, results in the match being abandoned. This happens if the incident does not cease upon the restart of the match. The referee will only make this decision following consultation with the relevant authorities present and when it is safe to do so.

Notable Incidents

REUTERS/Pedro Nunes

The “X” gesture was back in the headlines during Argentina and Egypt’s 2026 World Cup Last 16 fixture. Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan made the gesture multiple times toward referee François Letexier. It was alleged that racist insults from Argentina fans were hurled at the Egyptian bench during the celebrations for Enzo Fernández’s match-winning goal.

But instead of triggering the anti-racism three-step procedure, Letexier instead brandished a yellow card to Hassan for what was perceived as unacceptable touchline behaviour. It remains unclear whether Hassan was trying to report racist abuse.

Following the gesture, an Egyptian substitute and Hassan’s brother, Ibrahim, intervened. They put Hassan’s arms back down by his sides. Ibrahim Hassan’s thumbs-up gesture to the referee suggests that the Egypt coach was possibly misusing the gesture, which could result in a punishment from FIFA.

Referee François Letexier was coincidentally involved in another high-profile incident involving the “X” gesture earlier this year. During the Champions League knockout fixture between Real Madrid and Benfica, Vinicius Jr was allegedly targeted by racist abuse.

The Brazilian celebrated his 50th-minute goal at the Estádio da Luz with a dance by the corner flag, drawing angry responses from both Benfica players and fans. After alleging discriminatory abuse, Letexier threw up the “X” symbol before momentarily pausing the game. The fixture was stopped for almost 10 minutes.

During the stoppage, replays showed Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni covering his mouth whilst saying something to Vinicius after his celebrations. The Real Madrid players contested Prestianni’s continued involvement in the fixture during the match stoppage, even leaving the pitch in protest.

The match eventually resumed in the 61st minute, but the incident clearly had a negative effect on the match’s atmosphere. Prestianni was eventually given a six-match ban for homophobic conduct. The ban would have been 10 matches had the abuse been of a racist nature.

The 2026 World Cup has so far been a delight for many football fans across the globe, with the performances of big players, great underdog stories, and pulsating matches keeping everyone entertained.

The tournament being held in North America has helped grow the sport of football as new audiences are being introduced to the game properly for the first time and falling in love with the spectacle of it all.

Among those to have been enthralled is professional wrestling Superstar and influencer, Logan Paul. The American took to his official X account on Wednesday following Argentina’s dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Egypt in the Round of 16 to share his newfound appreciation for football.

Logan Paul’s Takeaways After Watching World Cup

The American star revealed that watching the majority of the 2026 World Cup has taught him five key things about the beautiful game.

The first thing Paul mentioned that impressed him was the sheer physicality on display in football games and the robustness required to play the sport.

The second aspect of football which has wowed the 31-year-old athlete is the entertainment factor in the sport. This World Cup has produced a number of dramatic contests before even reaching the quarter-final stage, leaving fans in disbelief at times with the almost movie-like turns of events.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Nathan Ray Seebeck

This has made Paul compare football with the well-known entertainment aspect of professional wrestling, which has helped the sport thrive due to its compelling storylines and scripted material for decades.

Paul then pointed out the uniqueness of penalty kicks in football and how games of such magnitude can dramatically turn due to these isolated moments where the penalty kick taker and goalkeeper are the only individuals involved.

Penalties have proven to be a big factor at this World Cup already, as four knockout ties have been decided through penalty shootouts. This includes Switzerland’s triumph over Colombia in the last of the Round of 16 clashes on Tuesday evening. The European side secured a 4-3 win in the shootout after the game was goalless in the regular 90 minutes plus extra-time.

Paul’s next discovery of football is not necessarily a positive reflection of the game, and more an issue which perhaps stains the game at times.

The wrestling star is in agreement with many football fans that the officiating is not always the best during matches and that can be very detrimental to the team on the opposing end of a bad call.

REUTERS/Paul Childs

Refereeing decisions have been under the microscope at times during the 2026 World Cup. Argentina’s win over Egypt caused the losing side to be irate with the officials due to some of the key calls in the game going against them in their opinion.

Paul’s final observation was a positive one, as he described the unity which is brought as a result of the World Cup taking place. The American is impressed with how lives can be changed by delivering on the world stage.

Paul’s newfound liking for football proves that the sport has new audiences it can still tap into despite already being an obsession and way of life for many across the world.

The World Cup is clearly an event that can take football to even greater levels of popularity and this edition is evidently doing a great job of that based on Paul’s recent comments.

Arsene Wenger has named the only nation that are capable of beating France at the 2026 World Cup.

Didier Deschamps’ side have been imperious in their run to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Despite being put in an extremely tough group alongside Norway, Senegal and Iraq, Les Bleus won all three of their matches, scoring 10 goals in the process.

France then swept aside Sweden in the last 32 as they won 3-0, before defeating Paraguay 1-0 in an ill-tempered affair at Philadelphia Stadium.

France are now just three victories away from becoming world champions for the third time. Next up for Les Bleus is a tricky quarter-final tie against AFCON champions, Morocco.

Arsene Wenger Thinks Only One Team Can Beat France

Kyle Ross (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)

Joining France in the last eight of the competition are Morocco, Spain, Belgium, Argentina, England, Switzerland and Norway. Of those teams, Arsenal legend Wenger thinks only Spain have the ability to beat France and explained why.

He told Sky Sports, per the Metro: “France will win the World Cup. I know you will say, ‘of course you say that, you’re French’.

“But when you analyse the World Cup, the train goes at a certain pace and you have to be capable of getting on the train.

“For example, the Asian teams have gone out because they could not cope with the intensity and the pace of the games. They did not have enough to technically compete.

“They have quality and a culture of collective football that nobody else in the world has at that level. That could be the decider between these two but of course France is stronger physically.”

France and Spain will meet in the semi-finals of the competition should they beat Morocco and Belgium respectively. France face Morocco on Thursday, while Spain take on Belgium a day later.

Gary Neville Thinks Only Argentina Can Defeat France

Gary Neville via Reuters

Speaking earlier in the tournament, Gary Neville said that he could only see Argentina beating France. He said on ITV:

‘Look, something may emerge. England, Spain, Portugal, we may see a step up. Let’s hope so.’

He added: ‘There’s a long way to go but you look at them now thinking, you’ll have let yourselves down if you don’t win this. Because they’re so far ahead, at the moment, of where the other teams are in terms of level.

“That front four that started the game – they will cause nightmares for every single defender in the tournament and I don’t know how they stop that to be fair. A level above.”