AI-generated fake videos, viral hoaxes and real racism are colliding at the FIFA World Cup. From a fabricated Ronald Koeman rant and false claims targeting Algerian fans to the racist abuse of Kylian Mbappé and FIFA investigations, misinformation is spreading alongside genuine discrimination. Vedika Bahl fact-checks the biggest World Cup racism claims, debunks the false ones, and separates AI-generated deception from real incidents of racist abuse on and off the pitch.
As the FIFA World Cup heads into the quarter-finals, the tournament has been marred not only by multiple reports of racism and xenophobia, but also by a surge of AI-generated content and false claims exploiting the issue.
Verified incidents of racist abuse have ranged from discriminatory remarks by football pundits to allegations of abuse in the stands and online attacks targeting players. At the same time, fabricated videos and misleading social media posts have falsely accused managers, fans and national teams of racist behaviour.
One viral TikTok video, viewed more than three million times, falsely appeared to show Dutch manager Ronald Koeman launching into a racist tirade against Moroccan players after Morocco's victory over the Netherlands. Filled with expletives, the fake rant describes Moroccans as "camel-herding" and "cave-dwelling rug pilots". But the clip was AI-generated, created by an account notorious for posting football-related AI slop.
Another video – previously covered on Truth or Fake – falsely claimed Algerian supporters chanted "Messi is the enemy of Allah" and threatened Argentina ahead of their World Cup clash. In reality, the audio came from an unrelated political protest against Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and had been repurposed to portray Algerian fans as aggressors.
False reports also circulated after Germany's elimination, claiming supporters had launched a petition to ban African and Muslim players from the national team following Jonathan Tah's missed penalty. The posts falsely attributed the story to Deutsche Welle, which confirmed that no such petition existed.
This wave of fabricated content has unfolded alongside genuine reports of racism during the tournament. Dutch players reported receiving racist abuse online after their defeat, while former Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger drew criticism after describing Ivory Coast's style as "African football", which he characterised as "unorthodox, wild and not as tactical". Serbian pundit Rade Bogdanović also faced backlash after claiming Black players "lack concentration beyond 60–80 minutes".
FIFA has also opened an investigation into alleged racist abuse involving American streamer IShowSpeed and an Argentine supporter during the Argentina–Cape Verde match. Separately, Cape Verdean and Egyptian fans have accused Argentina supporters of racist abuse and violence, although FIFA has yet to announce whether further action will be taken.
Perhaps the tournament's most significant racism controversy has centred on Kylian Mbappé. Following Paraguay's defeat to France, Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla posted a slew of deeply racist remarks targeting the French captain's appearance, heritage and background. Mbappé condemned the comments, backed by French President Emmanuel Macron, the United Nations and the French Football Federation. French prosecutors have since opened an investigation into alleged aggravated public insult and incitement to hatred.
According to FIFA's Social Media Protection Service, more than six million social media posts have been analysed during the tournament. The data reveal a 13-fold increase in abusive content compared with the 2022 World Cup, with racial abuse accounting for 11% of all abusive posts.
