Does a video show Algeria fans at the World Cup soccer match against Argentina in Kansas City, Mo. chanting "Messi is the enemy of Allah"? No, that's not true: The video shows a pep rally on the steps of the World Trade Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The audio attached to this video is TikTok sound originating from an Egyptian political chant against President Sisi, not from the scene of the video footage. The fans were gathered in Rotterdam for an Algeria vs. Netherlands friendly match which took place on June 3, 2026. The FIFA World Cup opening ceremonies took place on June 12, 2026, and the Algeria vs. Argentina match took place in Kansas City on June 16, 2026.
The deceptively labeled video appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by @HamasAtrocities on June 17, 2026. It was captioned:
"Messi is the enemy of Allah"
The fans of Algeria chanted this before the World Cup match against Argentina.
EVERYTHING is Jihad for Muslims. EVERYTHING!
This is a screenshot from the video:
(Image source: @HamasAtrocities post on X.)
Two text boxes appear in the screenshot, along with the TikTok handle. The @rayane.b.s. video with the Arabic text boxes was uploaded to TikTok on June 14, 2026 (archived here). Google lens translated the text:
The Algerian fans in America
Against Argentina
There is no god but God, Muhammad is the Messenger of God. Messi is the enemy of God!
This false caption combined with this footage was posted on TikTok two days before the Algeria vs. Argentina match in Kansas City, Mo. (archived here).
The footage shows a scene filmed at the World Trade Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands. As the video clip begins the three circles with images of the globe and first letters of the World Trade Center sign can be seen. A screenshot from Google Maps (archived here) shows the flagpoles and sheltered steps at the corner of the WTC building where the Algeria fans' pep rally took place (pictured below with inset from video). A June 3, 2026 article published by Rijnmond, the public broadcaster for South Holland (archived here) includes photos of this location and reports on the happy mood of the Algeria fans' pre-match gathering.
(Image source: Google and @HamasAtrocities post on X.)
Another video was published on TikTok by @jskabyle43 with a similar message in Arabic in the text boxes (pictured below). This video was uploaded to TikTok on June 13, 2026, three days before the Kansas City match (archived here). The video shows a different scene not filmed in America. It shows outside the Rotterdam stadium (Stadion Feijenoord signage is visible) where there are fans with Algerian flags. The translation of the text boxes says:
Algerian fans in America to support the national team against Argentina
There is no god but God, Muhammad is the Messenger of God, and Messi is the enemy of God
This stadium video was uploaded days earlier on June 11, 2026 with different text captions and a different musical audio track, the TikTok handle @.31944923 still visible in the repost (archived here). Although no one in this stadium video appears to be chanting, the audio added to the @jskabyle43 video is the same chanting crowd as heard in the @rayane.b.s video. It is not merely the same chant; it is the same audio track, beginning on the same beat. At the time of writing this TikTok audio has been applied to 531 videos (archived here).
(Image source: @jskabyle43 post on TikTok.)
The scope of this fact check does not cover what songs have ever been sung by soccer fans around the world, but this chant in particular has a history outside the world of soccer. The established chant is not against the captain of the Argentine team Lionel Messi, it is against 'Sisi' the sixth president of Egypt -- Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. An Oct. 14, 2019 YouTube video (archived here) from Qatari state media outlet Al Jazeera Mubasher titled, "Anti-Sisi chants during Kais Saied supporters' celebration of his victory in the Tunisian presidential elections" features a crowd chanting at 37 seconds (embedded below).
