Iran’s team is competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup against the backdrop of Tehran’s war with the United States, but videos shared by the country’s diplomatic mission on social media do not show the team competing in the tournament. The scene in this clip differs from the actual ceremony held by the host countries, the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and shows traces of it being generated by AI.
The caption of a video posted to X by the Iranian Embassy in the UK on June 12, 2026 reads: “See the Iranian national team at the FIFA World Cup.”
The screen shows the Iranian flag and a float entering a soccer stadium surrounded by crowds and fireworks.
Screenshot of fake X post taken on June 15, 2026. Red X and AI symbol added by AFP
Iran went into the tournament in the shadow of a bitter diplomatic row after the United States, which had been in military conflict with Iran for months before a peace deal was announced on June 14, refused to issue visas to some team support staff (archive link).
The team was originally scheduled to base its training camp in Tucson, Arizona, but moved to Tijuana, Mexico at the 11th hour due to visa and logistics issues.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, where Iran played their opening game against New Zealand on June 15, drawing a 2-2 draw (archive link).
Coach Amir Galenoei said his side were “the most oppressed team at the World Cup” after his players were initially allowed to stay until lunchtime the next day to recover but were suddenly told to return to Mexico immediately (archive link).
The video was also shared by the X accounts of the Iranian embassy in Armenia and India’s consulate general in Hyderabad, where it has been reposted hundreds of times. It also appeared in posts on Facebook and YouTube.
One user commented: “Come on, Iran, aren’t we all proud?”, while another user wrote: “We wish them a good expedition and the spirit to endure the hostility from the host nation.”
But the video shows signs that it was fabricated.
A closer look at the footage reveals various visual inconsistencies, including the sudden appearance of a float at the 42-second mark.
A screenshot of an AI-generated video. Changes to the float are highlighted in red, showing the AI symbol added by AFP.
Canada, Mexico, and the United States held their own opening ceremonies, each with musical performances and opening games, but none included a ceremonial float from any country (archive link).
Comparison of AI-generated video screenshots and AFP photos of the opening ceremony with red X and AI tags added by AFP
AFP analyzed the video using Google’s SynthID detection tool and confirmed it was created using the tech giant’s AI tools (archive link).
Screenshot of results from Google’s SynthID tool and AI tags added by AFP
AFP news agency has debunked another false claim related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
