A video of a group reciting Islamic verses sitting inside a stadium has been shared with a false claim that it is from the opening ceremony of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
BOOM found the video is from 2021 during the inauguration ceremony of Qatar's Al Thumama stadium .
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022's opening ceremony was organised at Qatar's Al Bayt Stadium on November 20, 2022.
The viral video shows visuals of people reading verses from the Quran, as the camera pans out to give a view of the stadium.
The caption with the video reads, "Beautiful! Qatar opens the World Cup 2022 with a Quran recitation. A great way to promote the amazing religion of peace to visiting fans."
Click here to view the post.
Hindi news outlet Zee Salaam also ran a news bulletin and published a report claiming that the viral video is from the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony.
The news bulletin from Zee Salaam carrying the same video can be seen below.
ETV Bharat also reiterated the same claim in its report based on a tweet by Pakistani politician Mohammad Sarwar carrying the same video.
Fact Check
BOOM performed a reverse image search on one of the keyframes from the viral video and found a tweet from Qatar-based news organisation Doha News carrying the same scenes on October 24, 2021, a year before the World Cup began.
Click here to view the tweet.
The tweet about the video says, "This is how Qatar incorporated its Islamic Culture at the inauguration of the World Cup Al Thumama stadium. Children were seen reciting verses on 'mercy' from the Quran."
A comparison between the viral video and the scenes from the Doha News video report can be seen below.
According to a FIFA press release from October 23, 2021, "Qatar's latest FIFA World Cup™ tournament venue was unveiled on Friday night when Al Thumama Stadium hosted the Amir Cup Final."
It further states, "The stunning venue – which was designed by Qatari architect Ibrahim M. Jaidah – was inaugurated in the presence of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as the country marked yet another milestone on the road to 2022."
The event was reported by other Arabic news outlet Al-Jazeera.
