Photo of Lionel Messi. Photo source: AP
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Claim: A video of Argentina’s captain, Lionel Messi, is going viral, purportedly showing him accusing the referee of cheating his team during the FIFA 2026 World Cup final.
Verdict: False. DUBAWA’s verification found that the video is AI-generated.
Full Text
Following Argentina’s 1 – 0 defeat to Spain in the FIFA 2026 World Cup final, a video purporting to be of Lionel Messi is making rounds on social media.
In the video, “Messi” is seen crying and heard accusing the referee of cheating against Argentina, resulting in their loss to Spain.
The video quotes the Argentine striker as saying, “Referee, no fair,” while also speaking a foreign language.
As of the time of this publication, it had generated about 119k views, 5.4k reactions, 544 shares, and 316 comments.
To promote truth in the information ecosystem, DUBAWA verified the video’s authenticity.
Verification
DUBAWA ran the video through an advanced AI content detector to analyse the likelihood that it was human-generated or AI-generated.
The analysis shows that the video is 96% likely to have been developed by AI, classifying it as “fake.”
Screenshot of the analysis
DUBAWA also checked the official websites of FIFA and other credible international news media organisations and found no such accusation from Argentina’s superstar.
Conclusion
The viral video of Lionel Messi crying and accusing the referee of cheating Argentina during the 2026 World Cup final is AI-generated.
