Image of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma at the FIFA World Cup Is AI-Generated - The Quint
An AI-generated image falsely claiming to show Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma at the 2026 FIFA World Cup circulated on social media and was debunked
- Incident date
- Jun 2026
- Target
- Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma
An image circulating on social media claimed to show Indian cricketer Virat Kohli and actor Anushka Sharma attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America and Mexico. The post suggested the couple was in the stands supporting Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal, but the image is entirely AI-generated.
What happened
The viral post featured an image with the caption, "Virat Kohli & Anushka Sharma spotted in the stands supporting Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal at the FIFA World Cup." To verify the authenticity of the visual, a reverse image search was conducted using Google Lens, which yielded no credible sources or media reports confirming the pair's presence at the event.
Further investigation utilized AI detection tools to analyze the image's origin. Hive Moderation indicated a 99.9% probability that the image was created using artificial intelligence. This finding was corroborated by a second analysis conducted through Sightengine, which also determined that the image was very likely AI-generated. Consequently, the claim that the couple attended the match was confirmed to be false.