Viral videos do not show Moroccan fans rioting in Paris; they are old clips from unrelated incidents
The viral videos are old from two different incidents and do not show Moroccan fans rioting. Screen grab
Multiple users, including Indian propaganda accounts, have been sharing multiple visuals on social media platforms X and Facebook since July 10, 2026, claiming that it shows Moroccan fans rioting in Paris after losing to France in the FIFA World Cup. However, the videos are old and unrelated.
Morocco faced a 2-0 quarter-final defeat to France on July 10, 2026. Morocco was the last African team left in the 2026 World Cup and became the first nation from the continent to reach the quarter-finals in consecutive tournaments.
How it started
On July 10, an X user, who appears to be a football fan based on his previous posts, shared a collage of videos showing people protesting with the following caption: “Paris right now. Morocco fans have taken to the streets of Paris after losing the World Cup to France.”
The post racked up 945,000 views.
An Indian propaganda account based on its past posts shared the same collage with the following caption: “Breaking: Moroccan migrants are rioting in Paris after losing 2-0 to France in the World Cup knockouts.”
It garnered 706,000 views.
The same clip was shared by another Indian propaganda account based on its past posts with a similar caption, accumulating 48,200 views.
An Indian propaganda page, The Jaipur Dialogues, also posted the same collage with the following caption: “Morocco Migrants riot in France after World Cup loss of 2-0 against France.” It gained 28,500 views.
The posts by the propaganda accounts had many people commenting in agreement, showing a high level of believability.
Several other X users also shared the same video, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, and here; collectively gaining 11,000 views.
Similarly, a different video of the alleged rioting was also being shared on X.
On July 9, an account shared a video, allegedly showing people vandalising Paris and setting vehicles on fire with the following caption: “Today sees France play Morocco in the World Cup. Regardless of the result, it’s inevitable that French Cities everywhere will end up looking like this by the end of the night again. This is Paris. This is Europe now. ”
The post gained 227,700 views.
On July 10, another user on X shared the same video with the caption: “Fierce riots in Paris with overturned and set-on-fire vehicles, vandalised bus stops, broken windows, debris littering the streets, and groups of criminals smashing everything in their path during the France-Morocco match. Muslims gear up to set Paris ablaze. ”
The post gained 525,100 views.
Another account on X, which frequently shares Islamophobic content based on its previous posts, shared the same video on the same day with similar captions, gaining 64,500 views.
The same video was subsequently shared by several other users on X, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, collectively gaining 20,000 views.
Methodology
A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in the FIFA World Cup 2026.
A keyword search was conducted to check whether any local French or International media had reported on any of the viral videos in question, which yielded several news outlets, such as Phile News, Sports TV, Mirror Now, reporting on clashes and celebrations in Paris after Morocco lost to France in the World Cup. However, none shared the same viral videos.
For the first video, a reverse image search was conducted on the keyframes that yielded one of the clips from the video shared on May 31, 2026, by a football fan page on Facebook with the caption: “Fires and clashes near Parc des Princes after PSG beat Arsenal in the Champions League. Scooters and bikes torched, riot police deployed. Familiar scene after major PSG wins.”
According to the Facebook post, the video shows violent clashes and fires that erupted near the Parc des Princes in Paris following Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) beating Arsenal in the Champions League. Radical groups and rioters hijacked legitimate celebrations. These crowds clashed with law enforcement by torching e-bikes, setting off flares, and vandalising property.
The video carried a Wall Street Journal logo. A keyword search yielded the same video compilation shared by the Wall Street Journal on its website on June 1, 2026, with the title: “Soccer glory in France spurs violence again — and political backlash”.
According to the news article, the capital erupted on May 31 with honking car horns and fireworks as thousands of soccer fans took to the streets waving PSG flags after the Parisian team won its second successive title in Europe’s premier club competition, defeating London-based Arsenal in a penalty shootout in Budapest.
A further keyword search yielded several mainstream media outlets, such as El Canciller, BBC, Reuters, and Deutsche Welle, reporting Champions League riots in Paris on May 31, 2026, with similar visuals.
For the second video, a reverse image search yielded the same clip shared by British journalist Remy Buisine on X on December 24, 2022, with the following caption: “Chaos in the centre of Paris, vehicles overturned and set on fire. Clashes ongoing.”
The post shows the viral video is old and unrelated to the current chaos in Paris.
The same video was also shared by a Paris-based French media outlet, Brut, on its official Facebook page on December 25, 2022. The caption translates: “Violent clashes in the heart of Paris, the day after the attack outside a Kurdish cultural centre. Footage by Rémy Buisine, reporting on the scene for Brut.”
A keyword search conducted to further corroborate the claim yielded several international media outlets such as News.com.au, Voice of America, Al Jazeera, France 24, The New York Times, and BBC reporting the same with similar visuals on Dec 24-25, 2022.
According to news articles, a 69-year-old man was arrested on Dec 9, 2022, after two men and a woman were shot dead at a Kurdish cultural centre and nearby Kurdish cafe in Paris. The killings stunned a community and prompted protests that led to clashes with police.
Fact-check status: False
The claim that viral clips show Moroccan fans rioting in Paris after losing to France in the football world cup is false.
The videos are old from two different incidents and do not show Moroccan fans rioting.
This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.
