The Image of Pakistani Team Receiving Grand Welcome in Sri Lanka Is AI-Generated

Multiple discrepancies and detection tools showed that the viral image was indeed AI-generated.

Fact-Check | The image is generated using the help of AI and does not show a real visual.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

An image that purportedly shows Pakistani cricket team receiving a grand welcome at an airport is being circulated on social media platforms as a recent visual from Sri Lanka ahead of the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

What did the user say?: An X (formerly Twitter) handle shared the photo with a caption that said, "This is How real heros are welcomed in Sri Lanka. My #Indian friends plz don't count everything in terms on money - it's the dignity the honor that matters. Thank U #SriLanka (sic)."

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

This post on X had clocked over eight lakh views at the time of writing this report. You can view other similar claims here, here, and here.

What's the truth?: The image has been generated using the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and does not show a real visual.

Discrepancies in the viral image: We noticed several inconsistencies that pointed towards the possibility of the viral image being an AI-generated visual.

• One can see that a person's left hand seems to be merging with his right hand in the background.

• We also noticed a watermark that said "Watred Warriors".

The image had several glaring inconsistencies.

(Source: Viral image/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)

About the account: We searched "Watred Warriors" on Google and found a Facebook handle with the same name. The viral image was also uploaded on it on 2 February.

• On going through the account, we found that the user regularly posts such AI-generated visuals.

• You can view some of these posts here, here, and here.

What did the detection tools show?: Team WebQoof passed the image through two AI detection tools namely — 'Hive Moderation' and 'SightEngine' to further verify its authenticity.

• The first tool showed 100 percent probability of the image was generated using AI.

• The second tool gave 99 percent chances of the viral image being an AI-generated one.

• (Swipe right to view all results.)

The first tool showed 100 percent probability of the image was generated using AI.

The second tool gave 99 percent chances of the viral image being an AI-generated one.

Conclusion: The image was AI-generated and did not show a real visual of Pakistani team being welcomed at an airport in Sri Lanka.

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