Fact Check: India wins Champions Trophy– videos of fireworks display at Dubai stadium go viral? Find the facts here

Hyderabad: The Indian cricket team won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in the finals against New Zealand by chasing a target of 252. The match was held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on March 9.

Several social media posts are sharing a video of a fireworks celebration at what seems to be a stadium, associating it with India’s Champions Trophy win.

Sharing the video on X (formerly Twitter), a user wrote, “India has won #ChampionsTrophy2025 by defeating New Zealand, Pakistan and Congress, hosted by an Islamic nation during the holy month of Ramadan.” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The fireworks celebration was organised during the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup in 2024.

Using a keyword search, we found videos showing the fireworks celebration on March 9, 2025, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium for the cricket series. We found a YouTube video uploaded on March 9, 2025, with the title, ‘ICC Champions Trophy 2025 fireworks.’ Another YouTube video of the celebration was uploaded on the same day with the title, ‘Amazing Fireworks At Dubai International Stadium India Win.’

The visuals in these videos do not match with the viral video. The fireworks pattern and the structure of the stadium are different.

Using a reverse image search of the viral video’s keyframes, we found an Instagram video shared on December 23, 2024, showing similar fireworks. The video was uploaded with the caption, “Jaber Al Ahmed stadium Fireworks #jaberalahmedstadium#gulfcup #cermoney #kuwait”

This hinted that the fireworks celebration may have been at a different stadium. We compared the photos of both stadiums and found that the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium resembled the stadium in the viral video. A comparison of both stadiums can be seen below.

With this information, a close examination of the Instagram video and the viral clip showed a trophy-like structure lit up in mid-air in both clips.

Using the information we gathered so far, we found an Aletihad photo report of the Gulf Cup at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium. The report stated that the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait hosted the opening ceremony of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup on December 21, 2024.

The report shows images from the opening ceremony of the Gulf Cup, where the drone formation of the trophy can be seen. A comparison of a screenshot from the viral video and the images from this report can be seen below.

We found social media posts with videos and images of the firework display at the opening ceremony of the Arabian Gulf Cup.

We also found an extended and slower version of the viral video uploaded on Instagram posts in December 2025. Both videos, uploaded with ‘Kuwait’ in the caption, can be found here and here.

On December 21, 2024, a Kuwait news agency report titled ‘Opening ceremony Gulf 26 dazzling artistic show reflecting Gulf past, future’ covered the opening ceremony of the Arabian Gulf Cup.

“The event conveyed powerful messages through visual displays that illustrated the unity of the Gulf’s destiny and the shared vision connecting the region’s peoples under one banner. It concluded with a stunning fireworks display that captivated the audience,” it stated.

The Arabian Gulf Cup is a biennial football tournament with participation from eight countries, including GCC nations, Iraq, and Yemen. This tournament is one of the most prominent sporting events in the region. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the opening ceremony of the tournament as the ‘Guest of Honour.'

Therefore, NewsMeter concludes that the viral claim is false. The video shows the fireworks display from the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup that happened in 2024 in Kuwait.