Videos showing young women in the stands at 2026 FIFA World Cup matches have attracted hundreds of millions of views across social media platforms, but many of the clips are entirely generated using artificial intelligence, according to an investigation by RTBF.
Millions of views
The broadcaster's fact-checking service Faky found that one of the most widely shared videos purported to show a Brazilian supporter attending the game between Brazil and Morocco. The clip, which spread rapidly on social media, appeared to capture a male spectator staring at the woman's cleavage before realising he was being shown on the stadium's giant screen.
The footage generated millions of views and was reposted by accounts in multiple languages. However, RTBF found several indications that the video was not authentic.
According to RTBF, the match clock shown in the footage remains frozen throughout the clip, while an ESPN logo appears despite the match not being broadcast by the American sports network. The commentary featured a robotic voice characteristic of AI-generated audio.
The use of AI-detection tools
The broadcaster analysed the video using Hive Moderation, an AI-detection tool, which concluded there was a 99.9% probability that the footage was either a deepfake or generated using artificial intelligence. The software further suggested that the video was likely created using Seedance 2.0, a commercial AI video-generation platform.
The original post to an Instagram account belonging to "Chiara Cleo", an apparent AI-generated influencer with more than 340,000 followers. According to the investigation, all of the images and videos published on the account display signs of AI generation.
The account primarily posts suggestive content featuring the fictional influencer and directs users towards Fanvue, a subscription platform similar to OnlyFans that allows creators to monetise AI-generated content.
Women in stadiums
The case is part of a broader trend that has emerged during the 2026 World Cup. RTBF reported finding dozens of similar videos depicting young women in stadiums, many of which appear to have been created using AI tools.
The trend reportedly originated in South Korea earlier this year after a viral clip showing a young woman at a baseball game. That video was later found to contain a watermark identifying it as AI-generated.
RTBF noted that tutorials explaining how to create such content are now widely available online. Using publicly accessible tools, creators can generate realistic videos from photographs or text prompts.
