AAP FACTCHECK – Social media users are falsely claiming Pride flags will be banned at FIFA’s Club World Cup next year based on a story from a popular satire website that targets conservative Americans.
The claim has been repeated widely online, including in a Facebook post with the headline: “BREAKING: Pride Flags Baппed Forever At FIFA Clυb World Cυp 2025 – ‘No More Woke Pride'”.
It features an image of a fan waving the rainbow Pride flag, which is a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community.
It also features a photo of MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, home of the New York Giants American football team.
The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will be held in the US between June and July next year with 32 football club teams competing, including Auckland City Football Club, but no Australian teams.
It will be followed by the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where teams from 48 countries will compete in Canada, US and Mexico.
MetLife Stadium will host the final of both events.
However, there will be no restrictions on Pride flags. A FIFA spokesperson has confirmed “there is no validity to this report”.
“The source is a satirical site which clearly states at the bottom of the story that it is not true,” the spokesperson told AAP FactCheck.
The claim appears to have originated from the website SpaceXMania, which published a story marked as satire on November 15.
The report claimed the US Major League Soccer had announced “a permanent ban on Pride flags during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025”.
The bottom of the story states: “NOTE: This is SATIRE, It’s Not True”.
SpaceXMania is run by The Patriots Network. AAP FactCheck has previously tracked down The Patriots Network’s operator, Pakistan-based Muhammad Shabayer Shaukat, who confirmed that the posts on both websites are satire.
He said his team used artificial intelligence, particularly Chat GPT, to create posts that drove website traffic and boosted advertising revenue.
While the original stories were labelled as satire, other websites have regularly reposted them — or variations on its stories — without mentioning that fact.
Mr Shaukat told AAP FactCheck he had nothing to do with third-party websites and took no responsibility for his fake stories being presented as real.
He said he targeted American conservatives with anything that fit their general worldview.
The pride flag ban claim has also been debunked by Reuters and AFP Fact Check.
The Verdict
False – The claim is inaccurate.
AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
All information, text and images included on the AAP Websites is for personal use only and may not be re-written, copied, re-sold or re-distributed, framed, linked, shared onto social media or otherwise used whether for compensation of any kind or not, unless you have the prior written permission of AAP. For more information, please refer to our standard terms and conditions.
