Fact Check: No, video doesn't show fireworks in Dubai after India's Champions Trophy win
Viral fireworks video claimed to be from ICC Champions Trophy celebrations in Dubai is actually from Kuwait’s Gulf Cup opening ceremony in Dec 2024
The Verdict False
It was filmed in Kuwait in December 2024 and shows Gulf Cup's opening ceremony, a football competition between eight countries in the Gulf region.
What's the claim?
X and YouTube users have shared a 13-second fireworks video, claiming it shows celebrations at Dubai International Cricket Stadium following India's victory over New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy on March 9, 2025. The video appears to be filmed at night from a moving vehicle, with a stadium and an elaborate fireworks display in the frame.
An X user shared the same video and claimed it shows a celebration after the semi-final between India and Australia. Archived versions of similar posts can be found here, here, here, here, and here.
Screenshot of a YouTube video claiming that the video shows a fireworks display at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium after India won the ICC Champions Trophy. (Source: YouTube/Modified by Logically Facts)
However, we found that the video was filmed in December 2024 in Kuwait. It actually shows the opening ceremony of a regional football competition known as the Gulf Cup, and the stadium seen in the video is Kuwait's Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium.
What did we find?
A reverse image search on the keyframes from the viral video led us to a longer version of the same video uploaded by an Instagram user (archived here). This video was posted on December 26, 2024, before the ICC Champions Trophy began on February 19, 2025. The video's caption suggested that it was filmed in Kuwait.
Additionally, we found another video on Instagram (archived here) with the same stadium and similar visuals, uploaded on December 22, 2024. The caption of this post mentioned that it is the opening ceremony of the Gulf Cup in Kuwait's Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium.
A comparison of the viral video with the video uploaded on social media in December 2024, before the Champions Trophy even began, show that it is the same video. (Source: X/Instagram/Modified by Logically Facts)
The Gulf Cup is a biennial football tournament between the eight member nations of the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation. These countries include Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Oman, Yemen, and Kuwait.
Taking cues from social media posts, we found several news reports about the sporting event's opening ceremony. According to these reports, the event occurred on December 21, 2024, at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait.
We also found photos of the opening ceremony by Al Rai Media Group, a Kuwaiti news media organization, which featured visuals similar to the viral video. The media group also posted a collage of the event on Instagram (archived here). In addition, we found a similar X post (archived here) by the Kuwait News Agency, an official state news wire service, featuring images from the opening ceremony. These images are similar to the visuals seen in the viral video.
Furthermore, we used images uploaded by users on Google Maps to confirm that the stadium in the video is the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait, not the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Comparing the two stadiums showed that their architecture is significantly different, with the stadium in Kuwait matching the one in the viral video.
A comparison of the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait with the stadium visible in the viral video shows that they are the same stadium. (Source: X/Google Maps/Modified by Logically Facts)
The verdict
The viral video is old and dates back to December 2024. It was filmed in Kuwait and shows the Gulf Cup's opening ceremony, filmed months before the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy commenced.
(This article was first written by logicallyfacts, and republished by Deccan Chronicle as part of the Shakti Collective Fact Check initiative)