World Cup rules graphic not from Qatari government

A supposed list of rules for attendees to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar next month racked up hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok. But the list is fake and didn’t come from event organizers or the Qatar government. Let’s look at the facts.

Quick Look

No
This is not an official list of rules for attending the 2022 World Cup.
Yes
Both FIFA, the international soccer governing body, and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Qatar’s World Cup organizers, released statements confirming the list is fake.
Yes
This poster was spread by a Qatari citizen group that encourages tourists to abide by the country’s conservative customs.
No
This group is not in charge of making rules at the World Cup.

The Takeaway

When in doubt, check the source.

Videos claiming that these were official rules set to be implemented at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar received hundreds of thousands of views in October 2022, but these videos weren’t produced by FIFA or hosted on its website. They also weren’t shared or verified by any governing bodies in Qatar or by credible news organizations. Fact-checkers at Reuters confirmed this list of rules was posted by the Qatari citizen group, which has no ties to FIFA. In fact, the graphic includes the group’s logo in the upper left corner.

The fake rules likely went viral because they “felt” true to those who think Qatar is a poor choice to host this global event due to the Muslim-majority country’s conservative positions on homosexuality, alcohol and other items listed in this meme. Since the rules appeared to confirm those beliefs, many people shared the post. This is an example of confirmation bias.

Editor's note, Nov. 18, 2022: The original headline of this entry — "Rules don't prohibit dating, alcohol at World Cup" — was updated after the Qatari government abruptly banned the sale of alcohol at the FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium.

The 5 Factors

We’ve determined that this viral rumor is misleading or false based on its failure to pass the following credibility factors. Please note that these factors do not represent degrees of falsehood. A post that fails a single factor is generally just as false as a post that fails all five.

Snapshot

Authenticity
Source
Evidence
Context
Reasoning

Authenticity

Is it authentic?

No.

This is not an official set of rules from FIFA or Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.

Source

Has it been posted or confirmed by a credible source?

No.

The organizations responsible for organizing the World Cup have both issued statements labeling this set of rules as fictitious.

Evidence

Is there evidence that proves the claim?

No.

While we did not find evidence this list was real, we found statements from Qatar and FIFA confirming that it was not.

Context

Is the context accurate?

No.

This set of rules was widely spread on social media as if it were an official list from FIFA or a governing body of Qatar. But that’s not the case. In its original context, this list shows a set of unofficial rules that a Qatari citizen group would like to implement

Reasoning