World Cup AI fakes drew millions of views, ad revenue
AI-generated videos and fabricated images of players accumulated tens of millions of views during the 2026 World Cup, highlighting how automated disinformation is becoming a lucrative revenue stream for digital publishers.
Spain's 1-0 victory over Argentina in the New Jersey final concluded the 2026 World Cup, but the football was accompanied by a parallel tournament of digital fabrication. AI-generated videos, fabricated images and misleading clips spread alongside the biggest matches, accumulating millions of views before being debunked.
While some posts were driven by humour or political messaging, others were explicitly crafted to generate clicks and advertising revenue. This monetisation of fabricated content highlights a growing structural challenge for the digital economy, where automated disinformation piggybacks on major public events to capture engagement at scale.
No player was a more frequent subject of this content than Norwegian striker Erling Haaland. A face-swapped video of him flinching at his reflection in a restaurant, originally posted by a Chinese content creator, garnered more than 30 million views in a single day before accruing a further 10 million.
Other fakes involving Haaland carried political weight. A video on X falsely captioned him stating, "I'm going to support Argentina because England illegally took their territory," complete with Spanish subtitles referencing the Falkland Islands. In reality, Haaland said: "I think I have some of my [Manchester] City teammates in England, and in France, and Spain, so of course I want England to do well."
England midfielder Jude Bellingham was also subjected to fabricated quotes following the 11 June match against Norway. Viral posts falsely attributed the statements "Messi is my idol" and "FIFA is rigged and corrupt" to him, despite recordings of his actual interviews showing he made neither claim.
The most pervasive misinformation narrative alleged the entire tournament was rigged for Argentina, gaining traction across a wide demographic. The theory intensified after Egypt's Football Association filed a formal complaint with FIFA accusing referee François Letexier of "serious refereeing mistakes" following Argentina's 3-2 victory on 7 July.
The conspiracy soon attracted unrelated public figures, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. An AI-generated image of Netanyahu wearing an Argentine shirt gained thousands of views, despite him not attending the match. It followed a genuine podcast interview where Netanyahu called Argentina a "very good team" and said his support was swayed by President Javier Milei, whom he described as a "great friend" of Israel.
Fabricated evidence also targeted Lionel Messi directly. One post with over 80,000 views asked, "Why did Messi visit Israel twice in 2022, the SAME YEAR that Argentina won the World Cup?", while an AI-generated image depicted FIFA President Gianni Infantino injecting Messi with performance-enhancing drugs.
Additional viral fakes included a misdated photograph of referee Ismail Elfath that was actually from a 2022 Argentina-France match, and an 8-million-view video of Messi feigning injury against Switzerland that was exposed by incorrect player kits. The cumulative reach of these fabrications underscores the ease with which synthetic media can infiltrate public discourse and generate advertising revenue during global events.
