Norwegian airline pays up after England win, swaps Instagram logo for British Airways

Norwegian has honoured its friendly World Cup wager with British Airways after England defeated Norway 2-1 in the quarter-finals, temporarily replacing its Instagram logo with that of the British flag carrier.

Ahead of Saturday’s knockout clash, the Norwegian airline had challenged British Airways on Instagram with a playful bet: “If Norway wins, you have to switch to our logo on Instagram on Sunday (one day). And vice versa. Deal?”

With England advancing to the semi-finals after extra time, Norwegian kept its word.

“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 wrote on Instagram, alongside an image reading, “It’s coming home” featuring the British Airways logo.

The light-hearted exchange quickly won praise on social media, with users applauding Norwegian for embracing the defeat in good spirit.

Norway’s World Cup campaign ended with the loss to England, but thousands of supporters still took to the streets of Oslo into the early hours of Sunday, celebrating the team’s historic run with their now-famous “Viking row” and chants of optimism for the future.

First Published: 

Jul 12, 2026 9:54 AM

IST