The 2026 World Cup has brought together more countries, supporters and cultures than ever before, but it has also exposed how quickly artificial intelligence, social media algorithms and misinformation can reshape the way football is discussed online.
The expanded 48-team tournament has created a major social moment across Africa, Asia, North America and South America, giving more nations the opportunity to participate in football’s biggest event.
Yet the first World Cup to be staged during the rapid growth of generative artificial intelligence has also been marked by fake videos, manipulated images, invented predictions and stories designed to generate clicks rather than inform supporters.
For many users, the material is entertaining. For others, it has become increasingly difficult to separate fact from fiction.
The result is a tournament in which viral content can spread more quickly than verified information, particularly on platforms built around short videos and immediate reactions.
The Simpsons and the illusion of prediction
One of the most prominent examples has involved fake World Cup clips attributed to the American animated series The Simpsons.
Old scenes from the programme have reportedly been altered using artificial intelligence, with new images created to extend the original material and change the shirts worn by characters.
The edited clips have then been circulated as supposed predictions of World Cup winners, linking the series to Portugal, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Argentina and Mexico.
Supporters have shared the content because it appears to offer reassurance that their team will win the tournament.
However, many of the clips did not exist in the original series. Their reach has been strengthened by accounts that create new versions after matches have already taken place, using real results to make it appear as though the programme predicted the outcome.
When viewers do not check when a video was first published, they may wrongly believe that the prediction came before the event.
Superstition moves into the digital age
Football has long had room for superstition, from animals supposedly forecasting results to fans seeking signs of good fortune.
The 2026 World Cup has given such ideas a new digital form.
The article points to Nana Kwaku Bonsam, a Ghanaian figure described by some as a sorcerer or magician, who was credited by some people with stopping Harry Kane during a match involving Ghana.
He was later said to have predicted Argentina’s elimination against Cape Verde, only for Lionel Messi and Argentina to continue in the tournament.
Such stories may appear harmless, but they gain greater influence when amplified by social media accounts presenting speculation as certainty.
Algorithms reward certainty and surprise
Some accounts have developed a more calculated method for appearing accurate.
They publish multiple clips predicting different outcomes for the same match, allowing platforms to distribute each version to different groups of users.
If one prediction proves correct, viewers who see that particular clip may assume the account knew the result in advance.
Many users do not visit the account’s full page to check whether it also predicted several alternative scores. Instead, they engage with the short video that appears in their feed.
This turns probability into apparent expertise.
Platforms including X, Facebook and Instagram have also been flooded with recycled photographs presented as new events, alongside exaggerated or entirely false claims.
The material spreads because surprise often drives sharing, and sharing encourages algorithms to push the content to wider audiences.
A warning for future tournaments
The concern is not limited to the current World Cup.
As artificial intelligence becomes more capable of producing convincing images, videos and written material, future tournaments may face even greater challenges.
The 2030 World Cup could bring a more advanced version of the same problem, with content creators using increasingly sophisticated methods to build large followings through false predictions and fabricated stories.
People may eventually forget why they began following an account, but continue to engage with it long after the original misinformation has been exposed.
The 2026 World Cup has therefore become not only a sporting event, but also a test of how audiences respond to a digital environment where attention, rather than accuracy, can determine what succeeds.
