Norwegian Air Shuttle is facing a lawsuit from the country’s most famous soccer player, as the airline is accused of using the star’s likeness during the World Cup.
The Ad That Started It All
During the 2026 World Cup, Norwegian Air Shuttle posted a picture to its social media channels showing one of the carrier’s Boeing 737s with a big ponytail, with the caption reading “we’ve never looked more Norwegian.” This was an obvious reference to Erling Haaland, the Norwegian soccer player who is known for his ponytail look.
Norwegian’s social media post that resulted in a lawsuit
In response, Haaland filed a lawsuit against the airline, claiming the picture commercially exploited his identity without permission. The soccer player’s lawyer noted that “the case concerns Norwegian’s unlawful use of Haaland’s distinctive signs in its promotion of plane tickets during the football World Cup.”
A spokesperson for Norwegian Air Shuttle explained that “like almost all of Norway, we supported the national team this summer, through a few spontaneous posts inspired by trends on social media,” and that this was just intended as a lighthearted way of doing that.
The case is expected to be heard in Oslo District Court on Friday, October 9, 2026.
Legally There’s Probably Merit to the Case, But…
While Norwegian law has its own nuances, Haaland and his legal team appear to have a reasonable argument. Norwegian Air Shuttle is unmistakably referencing Haaland’s likeness in these social media posts, since virtually everyone in the carrier’s intended audience would have known exactly what the post was referring to.
That said, it’s worth noting that from the airline’s perspective, this likely wasn’t conceived as a formal commercial ad campaign, but rather a spur-of-the-moment social media post riding on trends during the tournament. That doesn’t excuse using his likeness without permission, though the intent was presumably to build goodwill around national pride rather than to profit directly from his image.
During the World Cup, there’s a great sense of national pride and competitive excitement, and the post was clearly intended to lean into that sentiment.
Bottom Line
Erling Haaland is suing Norwegian Air Shuttle over a World Cup social media post in which the airline put a ponytail on a Boeing 737 and declared it had “never looked more Norwegian.” Haaland’s legal team argues the airline unlawfully exploited his likeness, while Norwegian claims the post was a harmless show of support for the national soccer team. The Oslo District Court will have the final say.
What do you make of this lawsuit?
