At a Glance:
Arsenal won the Premier League title on Tuesday night.
The Gunners’ triumph has sparked wild celebrations across the globe.
In Botswana, a fake notice was put out regarding a public holiday as a result of Arsenal’s title win.
Arsenal’s first Premier League title in 22 years has already produced one of the strangest follow-up stories of the day.
A fake notice claiming Botswana had granted Arsenal supporters a public holiday spread widely enough on Wednesday that the country’s government had to step in and publicly shut it down.
The Gunners were crowned champions on Tuesday night after Manchester City slipped up away at Bournemouth, meaning Mikel Arteta’s men sit four points clear at the top of the league with just one match left to play. Thousands of Arsenal fans flooded the streets of North London to celebrate what was arguably the greatest night in the English club’s modern history.
The Arsenal. Your Premier League champions. pic.twitter.com/gNnfzesrhP
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 19, 2026
Botswana national holiday for Arsenal fans
The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that a fabricated statement circulated online claiming Botswana president Duma Boko had declared a day off for Arsenal supporters after the club’s Premier League triumph.
According to AP, Botswana’s government then posted the forged notice on X with a clear fake warning, stating that there was no holiday for Arsenal fans.
The detail that really undercuts the hoax is simple enough. AP noted that the fake notice was dated Sunday 17 May 2026, two days before Arsenal were actually confirmed as champions. That does not make the story important in a football sense, but it does make it a clean, source-led snapshot of just how fast Arsenal’s title win travelled once the drought finally ended.
For Gunners supporters, this matters less because of Botswana’s public calendar and more because of what it says about the reach of this club and this title. Arsenal have always had a huge support base beyond north London, and Wednesday’s fake-holiday saga is another reminder that the emotional impact of this win has stretched far beyond England.
There is an Arsenal-positive read here. After years of hearing that the club’s biggest days were all in the past, this title has produced a genuinely global reaction, and not only in the usual media markets. A government having to deny a fake celebratory holiday is an absurd detail, but it also underlines how deeply Arsenal’s success still lands with supporters across the world.
A title win celebrated around the world 🌍 @Arsenal pic.twitter.com/8q82xQ3Nl9
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 20, 2026
The wider context for Arsenal
Arsenal’s title was officially sealed only on Tuesday night, and the club are still in the early phase of a celebration that has mixed relief, release and disbelief after 22 years without the league crown.
Martin Odegaard will officially lift the trophy after Sunday’s final-day trip to Crystal Palace before the squad head into the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Placed against that backdrop, the Botswana hoax is not major news, but it is a fresh and honest way of showing how unusual Arsenal’s reaction cycle has become. In one sense, it is a misinformation story. In another, it is proof that this title did not stay local for very long.