Norwegian Air has changed its Instagram logo to say "British Airways" after losing a fun bet with British Airways. This happened after England beat Norway 2-1 in extra time during the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.
The airline made this playful change in a statement on Sunday. They said the bet was made before Saturday's match, which saw England win and move on to 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.
Norwegian Air also shared a picture with the words "British Air" and the message: "It is coming home. Well played, England and British Airways."
British Airways liked the change and responded, "We love this new look on you. Well played, thanks for all the fun @flynorwegian and here’s to our new friendship."
This light-hearted exchange quickly got a lot of attention online. Football fans praised both airlines for turning a World Cup loss into a fun show of sportsmanship and smart marketing.
One fan said, "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 commented, "Losing the match but winning at good sportsmanship, respect Norwegian."
Others admired the creativity of the campaign. One person said, "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. Others called the stunt "genius" and praised the airlines for capturing the spirit of the tournament.
The friendly bet came after England ended Norway’s historic World Cup run with a 2-1 extra-time win on Saturday.
Norway, in their first-ever World Cup quarter-final, surprised England when Andreas Schjelderup scored first in the Miami heat. However, Jude Bellingham equalized before half-time and later scored the winning goal after a mistake by goalkeeper Orjan Nyland in extra time, sending the Three Lions to the semi-finals.
Norway also had what could have been a second goal cancelled after a VAR review for a foul by Erling Haaland before Bellingham’s decisive strike ended Norway’s dream run.
Even though Norway’s World Cup journey ended, the post-match fun between the two airlines got a lot of praise. Supporters called it one of the tournament’s best examples of respect beyond the pitch.
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