​Thousands of foreign nationals have been repatriated from South Africa amid protests by locals demanding the expulsion of undocumented migrants. The country’s recent World Cup setback sparked online mockery as social media users circulated footage they claimed showed South Africa’s flag-bearer stumbling and falling during the opening ceremony of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The clip, however, was generated with artificial intelligence, and no such incident occurred on air during the event.
An X post published on June 13, 2026, claimed: “A South African flag-bearer dramatically fell during the opening ceremony just before the South Africa vs Mexico match and the clip instantly went viral online.” The post included screenshots depicting a person wrapped in the South African flag rolling on the pitch inside a stadium. AFP noted an AI symbol on the image, indicating the content was not from real footage. Reactions to the post were mixed, with some users suggesting it was karma for the unrest gripping the country.
Similar hoaxes circulated in French, sharing a 16-second clip of a man carrying the South African flag. In that scene, he stumbles, falls, gets up, and continues walking. The purported moment also sparked ridicule on social media in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria. The posts appeared in the wake of the World Cup’s kickoff on June 11, when host Mexico defeated South Africa at the Estadio Azteca, a match now archived online. The opening loss prompted a wave of online celebration among many, reflecting a broader resentment as xenophobic violence targeting non-nationals within Africa resurfaced (archived materials available for reference).
Across South Africa, crowds organized marches and door-to-door outreach urging undocumented migrants to depart by June 30. Several countries, including Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria, and Mozambique, began repatriating their citizens before the unofficial deadline (archived materials available for reference).
Despite the viral clip claiming to show the flag-bearer’s fall during the official World Cup flag ceremony, there is no evidence supporting its authenticity. A thorough search of credible coverage of the tournament did not reveal any such incident. If a stumble of that magnitude had occurred on a global stage, it would have been widely documented and broadcast.
FIFA’s official YouTube channel presents footage of the flag ceremony that differs markedly from the viral clip. In the official video, the beige carpet used for the flag parade is bordered by blue stripes on both sides, whereas the AI-generated clip features a carpet with a single, noticeably narrower blue stripe. In the authentic footage, South Africa’s flag is carried by a woman whose hair is pulled back into a bun, while the misleading clip shows a man wearing a hat. The same flag-bearer appears in AFP photographs, reinforcing the discrepancy between the fabricated clip and verified imagery from the ceremony.