Fact check: AI fakes at the World Cup - DW.com

During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, social media users circulated a manipulated image claiming to show British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his associates wearing Croatia jerseys at a pub before an England match. The image, which spread rapidly on X, suggested that Starmer was supporting England's first tournament opponent.

What happened

The viral photo was a digitally altered version of an authentic image taken two years earlier, during the 2024 European Championship in Germany. In the original, genuine photograph, Starmer is seen wearing a plain white T-shirt, and his companions—including former Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner—are wearing England jerseys.

Analysis revealed that the jerseys in the viral image were modified, likely using AI tools. Several visual inconsistencies confirmed the manipulation: the Croatian federation logos were blurry and inconsistent in size, the jerseys appeared unnaturally soft compared to the sharply rendered faces of the individuals, and the collars lacked uniformity. Furthermore, the jerseys depicted did not match the current design used by the Croatian national team. The AI detector tool ZeroGPT flagged the image with a high probability of being AI-generated, confirming that the political "scandal" was a fabrication designed to mislead viewers during the high-profile sporting event.