&Quot;World Cup&Quot;

Did Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit publish an open letter calling on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign amid growing controversy surrounding U.S. immigration policies? No, that's not true: The claim appeared in social media posts and news articles just a day before the start of the World Cup. Gullit posted a denial on his X account, saying he wanted…

Is Spanish soccer star Lamine Yamal possibly missing the World Cup in the United States because of a Palestinian protest and visa issues? No, that's not true: There is no evidence supporting the claim that Yamal would miss the World Cup. As of June 7, 2026, he was already with the Spanish national team at its home base in Chattanooga,…

Does a viral video really show fans filming Brazilian soccer star Neymar Jr. in the restroom? No, that's not true: Facial recognition software says it's a different person. The video features a lookalike who has spent nearly four years impersonating the soccer player. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published by @Nowfootball on X on May 20, 2026.…

Are social media posts claiming that a long list of celebrities have each said "powerful pro-Israel American billionaires" are working to undermine their careers real? No, that's not true: None of the celebrities named in the posts made any such statement. The claims came from AI-generated Facebook posts produced by a spam operation managed from Vietnam. Among the false posts…

Are social media posts real that say dozens of artists, including Bad Bunny, Barbra Streisand and Barry Manilow, are "set to take over the 2026 World Cup Opening Stage"? No, that's not true: The false claims originate from AI-generated articles and posts created by a spam operation managed from Vietnam. Fake fan pages are used to target North American and…

Are U.S. soldiers "openly refusing orders" to deploy "en masse" to Iran as a viral Facebook post claimed? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that large numbers of American service members are refusing deployment orders. Claims circulating on social media misrepresent online activity, and the hashtags #SoldiersRefuse and #NoWarWithIran are not trending No. 1 worldwide with 18 million…

Did your favorite sports star "shock fans" or "shake" the league by "publicly" or "flatly" refusing to wear an LGBT Rainbow Armband because it would turn the game "into a political circus"? No, that's not true: The claim was made about at least 95 football, soccer, basketball, baseball, and hockey players in posts published on dozens of fake Facebook fan…

Did Melania Trump glare at Donald Trump when he chatted with Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum at the FIFA World Cup Final Draw? No, that's not true: The footage showing Melania looking annoyed is not real and has been edited. Donald Trump chatted with Sheinbaum and Mark Carney, as well as the first lady during the event. The altered video was…

Did a video show U.S. President Donald Trump stealing the winner's medal of a player after the football Club World Cup Final in July 2025? No, that's not true: The medal in Trump's hands was earlier given to him by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. A widely-shared clip was edited to cut out the moment when the president received the medal…

Did FIFA President Gianni Infantino attack U.S. President Donald Trump over his role in the football Club World Cup Final trophy presentation, saying he "stole the glory that belongs to us"? No, that's not true: A widely-shared video contained fake audio of Infantino's voice. We found no corroboration for the claim that Infantino had lashed out at Trump. The claim…