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Fact check: Video shows collective prayer at Russian stadium in 2019, not 2022 World Cup

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
·3 min read

The claim: Video shows a collective prayer at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

Muslim soccer players, fans and officials gathered at a nearby mosque in Qatar on Nov. 25 for the first Friday prayer of the World Cup, as the premier international tournament was held in a Muslim country for the first time.

Some social media users are sharing a video, which originated on TikTok, that they claim shows Muslims praying on a soccer field before a game as well. The video shows a large crowd kneeling in prayer while audio of an Islamic call to prayer can be heard.

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"Qatar Fifa Football World Cup 2022, before starting a prayer done (sic)," reads the caption of one Nov. 21 Facebook post that shared the video.

The TikTok amassed more than 800,000 likes in nine days while the Facebook post garnered more than 10,000 shares in a week. Similar iterations of the claim have been shared on Facebook and Twitter.

But the video is unrelated to the 2022 World Cup. It was filmed at the Kazan Arena in Russia in 2019 and shows 15,000 people breaking their daily Ramadan fast.

USA TODAY was unable to contact the TikTok user, but reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment.

Video was filmed in Russia in 2019

The word "KAZAN" is written across the bleachers in the background of the video, indicating the footage was taken at the Kazan Arena in Russia. Images of the stadium found on Google Maps match the video.

The video of the collective prayer was shared on Facebook and YouTube in June 2019.

"May 25th, 2019," reads the 2019 Facebook post's caption. "Kazan Hosted One of the Largest Breaking Fasts in Russia."

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The YouTube video references the Kazan Stadium in its title as well.

Photos of the prayer, which reportedly took place on May 25, 2019, were published by several local news outlets at the time. The event included 15,000 people participating in what was called the "seventh Republican Iftar," according to local reports.

An iftar is defined by Merriam-Webster as a meal eaten by Muslims at sundown to break the daily fast of Ramadan. The Republican Iftar has traditionally been held at the Kazan Arena, according to the Russia-Islamic World Strategic Vision Group.

The claim that the video shows a prayer at the 2022 World Cup was also debunked by Reuters.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that a video shows a mass prayer at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The video is unrelated to the 2022 World Cup. It was filmed at the Kazan Arena in Russia in 2019 when 15,000 people broke their daily Ramadan fast.

Our fact-check sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Video shows 2019 prayer at Russian stadium