Claim: A video shows a 70-year-old Pakistani man travelling by foot to attend the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Fact: The elderly backpacker is actually a supporter of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and was jogging to join the Haqeeqi Azadi March from Lahore to Islamabad. The clip has no […]
Claim: The Banco Central de la República Argentina (BCRA), or the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic, has or is set to issue banknotes featuring the face of Argentine professional footballer Lionel Messi following the victory of the country’s national team in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Fact: The press department of the […]
Claim: Videos on social media show Argentina captain Lionel Messi hugging his mother after his team won the Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022. Fact: The claim is misleading because the woman in the video is not Messi’s mother, Celia Maria Cuccittini, but the Argentina football team cook, Antonia Farías. On 19 December 2022, a video […]
Claim: A social media video shows Muslims offering prayer in Qatar stadium during FIFA World Cup 2022. Fact: The claim is false. The video has been circulating since 2019 and shows Muslims offering iftar prayers at an arena in Russia’s city of Kazan. On 22 November 2022, a Facebook user shared a video with an […]
Claim: A photo shows Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo posing happily next to a TV screen that shows Argentina’s captain Lionel Messi . It appears that Ronaldo is cheering for Messi. Fact: The photo does not show Ronaldo cheering for Messi; the image is doctored. The original photo shows Ronaldo watching Portugal’s UEFA Nations League match […]
Claim: A video shows a cat dangling from a spectators’ deck in a Qatar stadium and later saved by fans standing below during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Fact: The video is unrelated to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and is, in fact, from the United States, where fans caught the cat in […]
Claim: A picture shows former Pakistan Army chief General (r) Qamar Javed Bajwa arriving at a stadium in Rawalpindi to watch a cricket match between Pakistan and England. Fact: The image is, in fact, from 2019, when Bajwa went to London to watch a cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa. On 4 December 2022, […]
Claim: An official advertisement from the Government of Pakistan government’s says, “Dear world, thank you for playing with our balls.” Fact: A humorous image from 2018 recently reappeared online with user’sfalsely claiming it is the Pakistan government’s official advertisement for the FIFA 2022 World Cup, held in Qatar. From 19 November, an image was shared […]
Claim: Portugal striker and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a deal to join Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr. Fact: Ronaldo denied that he agreed to join Al Nassr following Portugal’s World Cup win against Switzerland in the FIFA World Cup on 7 December 2022. Fact or Fiction? On 6 December 2022, the Facebook page Origination Pakistan […]
Claim: Social media video shows football fans singing a pro-Palestinian song in a Qatar stadium during the FIFA World Cup 2022. Fact: The claim is false. The video is not from FIFA 2022 but is actually from a 2019 football match that took place in Morocco. On 27 November 2022, Twitter user Brig Ashfaq Hassan […]
Claim: American actor Morgan Freeman has converted to Islam. He has also said that Qatar’s culture made him “love Islam more”, that he “will spread what happened” to him among his close ones, and that “God gave [him] a vision of the right path”. Fact: Freeman has not converted to Islam. A representative for the […]
Claim: Pakistan won the World Polo Championship 2022 by beating Mexico in the Final 11-8. Fact: Spain won the World Polo Championship 2022. The Pakistan team defeated Mexico in a match 11-8, placing it in 5th position in the world cup rankings. On 9 November 2022, a Twitter handle called @CPEC_UPDATE claimed that Pakistan had […]