Fact Check: Old Video of Pakistan–Afghanistan Clash in Sharjah Falsely Linked to Asia Cup 2025 Final

India clinched ninth Asia Cup title with a tense five-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in a dramatic final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Pakistan crumbled to 146 all out in 19.1 overs, with spinner Kuldeep Yadav leading India’s bowling charge. Chasing 147, India lost early wickets but recovered through a match-winning unbeaten 69 from Tilak Varma, ably supported by Shivam Dube. The winning runs came with just two balls to spare, sealing a memorable triumph.

However, the post-match scenes were marred by controversy as the Indian team refused to accept the trophy and medals from Asian Cricket Council chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister. 

Meanwhile, a video is going viral on social media claiming Pakistani fans went on a rampage inside Dubai Stadium causing vandalism and damage at the venue after losing the Asia Cup final. The posts further claim that the Dubai government is preparing to take strict action against Pakistanis in response.

Factcheck: 

The claim is misleading. The viral video is old and unrelated to the Asia Cup 2025

We conducted a reverse image search of the viral video’s keyframes using Google Lens which traced it back to an X post by journalist Aditya Raj Kaul from September 8, 2022. His caption stated, “And finally, Afghan fans who were abused, mocked, and taunted by Pakistani fans, in reaction, attacked Pakistani fans at the stadium”. This confirms that the footage is old and not related to the Asia Cup 2025 final.

On further keyword search, we found several news reports on the incident. In September 2022, tensions flared during the Asia Cup match between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Sharjah, as fans from both sides engaged in violence and vandalism inside the stadium, The Hindu reported. According to Arab News, Pakistan’s cricket chief, Ramiz Raja, condemned the disorder, calling it hooliganism unbecoming of the sport, and announced that the Pakistan Cricket Board would formally protest to the ICC. The unrest reportedly followed a heated on-field exchange and escalated to the stands, where seats were torn and thrown. 

The viral video was also featured in a visual story on Indiatimes’ YouTube channel, posted on September 8, 2022. The clip shows scenes of chairs being thrown and fights breaking out after Pakistan’s win over Afghanistan, sparking a violent clash between fans of both sides at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium during the 2022 Asia Cup.

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The viral video shared with the claim that Pakistani fans vandalized Dubai Stadium after losing the Asia Cup 2025 final to India is misleading. The video shows the clash between Pakistan - Afghanistan fans during Asia Cup 2022.