Norwegian Air has temporarily changed its Instagram logo to “British Airways” after losing a friendly social media bet with British Airways following England’s dramatic 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals.
The airline announced the playful rebrand in a statement shared on Sunday, revealing that the wager had been agreed before Saturday’s last-eight clash, which saw England eliminate Norway to book a place in the semi-finals.
“While the tournament is over for us, this friendly bet will forever live in all our hearts. We wish England and @british_airways all the best in the semi-final, and we sincerely hope you’ll get to bring football home,” Norwegian Air wrote.
The airline also shared an image bearing the words “British Air” alongside the message: “It is coming home. Well played, England and British Airways.”
British Airways embraced the gesture, responding: “We love this new look on you. Well played, thanks for all the fun @flynorwegian and here’s to our new friendship.”
The light-hearted exchange quickly went viral, with football fans praising both airlines for turning a World Cup defeat into a memorable display of sportsmanship and clever marketing.
One fan wrote: “Talk about an own goal! BUT a fantastic marketing campaign, well executed! Norway is leaving the World Cup having cemented itself in our collective consciousness with their fantastic post-game celebrations, super stylish striker Erling, and now this campaign from Norwegian Airlines, which is arguably one of the best of the tournament and which cost pretty much nothing to execute.”
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Others applauded the creativity behind the campaign, with one saying, “To the social media teams on both sides… take your flowers!” while another added, “Sportsman spirit.”
“A bet is a bet! We look forward to flying with British Norwegian Airways,” another fan joked, as others described the stunt as “genius” and praised the airlines for embracing the spirit of the tournament.
The friendly wager came after England ended Norway’s historic World Cup run with a 2-1 extra-time win on Saturday.
Norway playing in their first-ever World Cup quarter-final, stunned England when Andreas Schjelderup opened the scoring in the Miami heat. However, Jude Bellingham levelled before half-time and later capitalized on an error by goalkeeper Orjan Nyland in extra time to score the winner, sending the Three Lions into the semi-finals.
Norway also had what would have been a second goal ruled out following a VAR review for a foul by Erling Haaland before Bellingham’s decisive strike ended the Scandinavian nation’s dream run.
Although Norway’s World Cup campaign came to an end, the post-match exchange between the two national airlines earned widespread praise, with many supporters describing it as one of the tournament’s most memorable examples of sporting respect beyond the pitch.
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