Follow Us on Google
Norwegian Air has temporarily rebranded its Instagram profile as “British Air” after losing a friendly social media wager with British Airways following England’s dramatic 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.
The airline announced the light-hearted move on Sunday, saying the bet had been agreed before Saturday’s last-eight encounter, in which England ended Norway’s impressive World Cup campaign to secure a place in the semi-finals.
Sharing the temporary rebrand with its followers, Norwegian Air wrote:
“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.”
The airline also posted an image carrying the words “British Air” alongside the message:
“It is coming home. Well played, England and British Airways.”
British Airways responded in the same spirit, applauding the gesture and the growing camaraderie between both airlines.
“We love this new look on you. Well played, thanks for all the fun @flynorwegian and here’s to our new friendship.”
The exchange quickly gained traction across social media, with many football fans praising both airlines for turning a World Cup defeat into a creative marketing campaign that celebrated sportsmanship rather than rivalry.
One supporter 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.”
Another fan added:
“Losing the match but winning at good sportsmanship, respect Norwegian.”
Others also applauded the creativity behind the campaign.
“To the social media teams on both sides… take your flowers!”
Another simply wrote:
“Sportsman spirit.”
A further comment read:
“A bet is a bet! We look forward to flying with British Norwegian Airways.”
The playful wager followed England’s hard-fought 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway. Andreas Schjelderup had given the Scandinavians the lead before Jude Bellingham equalised ahead of half-time and struck again in extra time after capitalising on a goalkeeping error to send the Three Lions into the semi-finals.
Although Norway’s historic World Cup journey ended at the quarter-final stage, the post-match interaction between the two national airlines has emerged as one of the tournament’s most memorable off-the-pitch moments, earning widespread praise for its humour, creativity and respect for the spirit of the game.
