Mexico

Does a viral video show FIFA President Gianni Infantino reacting to Egypt's goal during a July 2026 World Cup game? No, that's not true: The video clip was miscaptioned. The video had been online days earlier, before that match, and showed footage from a different 2026 World Cup match. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) on…

Did New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani only put Iran's flag on New York subway trains? No, that's not true: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which serves New York City, Long Island, southeastern New York State, and Connecticut, decorated trains to represent each of the 48 countries competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Each train features the colors of a competing…

Is a viral video that shows Shakira's 2026 World Cup opening song performance real? No, that's not true: An online detection tool identified elements of the video as AI-generated. Shakira does not appear in the 10-minute video posted on social media. The real footage of Shakira performing the opening song for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with singer Burna Boy…

Does a real Fox Sports graphic from the Mexico-South Africa game during the 2026 FIFA World Cup include a long explanation of what it means to be "down to 9 players"? No, that's not true: Video from the match does not include such a graphic. At that point in the game, the yellow on-screen graphic simply read "Down to 9…

Does a screenshot published on X accurately show the World Cup results predictions as they were pictured in a TikTok video? No, that's not true: The list of score predictions which appeared in a TikTok video has been altered. The TikTok prediction showed a score of "Mexico 3-1 South Africa" which proved to be incorrect. The actual score was Mexico…

Does a real video show Iran's elaborate gold float in the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup? No, that's not true: A content detection tool determined with 99.8% confidence the video is AI-generated. The opening ceremony for the 2026 World Cup did not feature any national floats passing under fireworks as pictured. The Mexico City ceremony had a parade…

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…

Does a viral video actually show a group of people attempting to set a Yorkshire church on fire in broad daylight? No, that's not true: The clip showed a place of worship in Mexico, not the U.K. Images of the church in Mexico match with the appearance of the church in the clip. The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Are these real photos of OnlyFans model and social media influencer Maria Julissa and Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader killed by the Mexican Army? No, that's not true: On her Instagram account, Maria Julissa said, "The information circulating is false and unfounded." Also, an AI detection tool said the images were edited or generated…

Does an authentic picture show a plane on fire, a purported retaliation following the Feb. 22, 2026 killing of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader in Tapalpa, Jalisco, Mexico? No, that's not true: An AI-generated content detector concluded that it was 93.2% certain the image was created by an artificial intelligence tool. At the time this was published, authorities in…