A December 2024 video of fireworks from the 26th Gulf Cup opening ceremony in Kuwait is falsely linked to the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy semi-final on 04 March 2025
Update (10 March 2025): The same video (archive) is being shared on social media, claiming that it shows fireworks at the Dubai stadium after India won the ICC Champions Trophy final match against New Zealand on 09 March 2025. However, as debunked in the article below, the video actually shows fireworks at Kuwait’s Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium during the opening ceremony of the 26th Gulf Cup on 21 December 2024 and is unrelated to the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
On 04 March 2025, India defeated Australia by four wickets in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final, securing a spot in the final. Meanwhile, a video circulating on social media (here, here, here, and here) claims to show fireworks at a stadium in Dubai following India’s semi-final victory. Let’s verify the claim made in the post through this article.
Claim: Video shows fireworks in a Dubai stadium after India’s ICC Champions Trophy semi-final win over Australia on 04 March 2025.
Fact: The video shows fireworks at Kuwait’s Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium during the opening ceremony of the 26th Gulf Cup on 21 December 2024. It is unrelated to India’s ICC Champions Trophy semi-final win over Australia on 04 March 2025. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of the keyframes from the viral video led us to multiple social media posts featuring the same video (here and here), claiming it was from Kuwait and posted in December 2024. This confirms that the video is unrelated to the India vs Australia semi-final match in the ICC Champions Trophy on 04 March 2025.
Taking clues from the posts, we used relevant keywords and found a news article (archived) on the Al Rai Media Group website titled “Fireworks Light Up Jaber Stadium at the Opening of Gulf Zain 26,” featuring images of a stadium resembling the one in the viral video. We also found an Instagram post by Al Rai Media Group, dated 21 December 2024, confirming it is from the 26th Gulf Cup opening ceremony.
We found an X post by the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), dated 21 December 2024, featuring similar visuals of fireworks at a stadium. The post stated, “Artistic and heritage shows during the opening ceremony of the Arabian Gulf Cup Football Championship.”
We also found reports from multiple media outlets covering the same event (here, here, and here). According to these reports, The Arabian Gulf Football Cup, “Khaleeji Zain 26,” kicked off on 21 December 2024 with a grand opening ceremony at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait. Attended by Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the event featured artistic performances celebrating Gulf heritage and unity. The ceremony highlighted the region’s maritime and desert traditions, aligning with the tournament’s theme, “The Future is Gulf.” The competition brings together top Gulf football teams, promoting both sporting excellence and regional solidarity.
A Google keyword search helped us geolocate the stadium as the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait. On comparing elements in the viral video with Google Maps images, we confirmed the location to be Kuwait. The comparison can be seen below.
To sum up, a December 2024 video of fireworks from the 26th Gulf Cup opening ceremony in Kuwait is falsely linked to the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy semi-final on 4 March.