AI Fools Millions With Fake World Cup Stadium

A stunning, futuristic image of a football stadium perched atop a skyscraper recently took the internet by storm, with many believing it was Saudi Arabia's groundbreaking plan for the 2034 FIFA World Cup. The visual, which circulated rapidly across social media platforms and even tricked some news outlets, has been confirmed to be an AI-generated concept with no connection to the country's official plans.

The Viral Deception

In late October, posts claiming Saudi Arabia was set to build the world's first "sky stadium" began to appear. One popular sports Facebook page shared the image of the slender, trophy-shaped tower with an open-air stadium, stating it would be suspended 1,150 feet above the ground. The false claim was picked up by various Australian social media groups and even a mainstream news outlet. The misinformation spread globally in multiple languages and on various platforms, with one post on X from a user in Rwanda garnering over 3.4 million views before it was deleted.

Saudi Arabia's Real Vision

While the viral image is fictional, Saudi Arabia does have ambitious plans for an elevated stadium. The actual venue is part of NEOM, the planned futuristic megacity championed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This US$500 billion project features incredible concepts like mirror-encased skyscrapers and is central to the nation's goal of becoming a major sports and culture hub. However, a source close to the project confirmed to AFP that the viral design is "completely fabricated and bears no resemblance whatsoever to what Saudi Arabia is planning."

A review of the official X page for Neom and Saudi Arabia's official bid for the 2034 World Cup shows no trace of the skyscraper stadium design.

Unmasking the AI Creator

Investigators traced the visuals back to a TikTok video posted by an account named @hyporaultraworks, which specializes in AI-generated futuristic visuals. The account's bio clearly states: "The future, imagined and brought to life." The creator, identified in a Daily Mail article as 34-year-old Liam Hawes from Britain, also posted the clip to his Facebook and Instagram accounts, where it was labeled as an AI concept.

Hawes later clarified on his Facebook account, "What started as a simple AI concept has taken on a life of its own... It was purely an imaginative AI concept, exploring what a vertical, skyscraper-style football stadium could look like." He confirmed that his creation was a "100% AI concept" and that he had no knowledge of any specific projects in Saudi Arabia when he designed it. This incident serves as a powerful reminder of how easily AI-generated content can be mistaken for reality, highlighting the growing challenge of digital misinformation.