Ahead of the England vs. Norway quarterfinal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the rivalry extended beyond the pitch as British Airways and Norwegian Air Shuttle launched a playful social media campaign tied to the match’s outcome.
Norwegian, Scandinavia’s second-largest airline, challenged British Airways on Instagram shortly after the quarterfinal pairing was confirmed.
Under the terms of the wager, the losing airline would replace its Instagram logo with the winner’s logo for one day.
British Airways accepted the challenge with a cheeky response, writing: “Don’t make bets you can’t win.”
Campaign goes viral
The two airlines later made the bet official by posting a joint video showing a symbolic handshake at British Airways’ headquarters and exchanging logos.
The campaign quickly gained traction across social media, with other airlines—including Malaysia Airlines and Austrian Airlines—joining the conversation with humorous comments.
Norwegian spokesperson Eivind Hammer Myhre said the idea originated from the airline’s social media team, adding that they never expected the campaign to attract such global attention.
According to Myhre, the posts reached tens of millions of people worldwide.
“The most important thing is that every single comment has been positive,” he said. “What started as a wager has almost turned into a collaboration between two airlines—and what feels like the entire internet.”
Before kickoff, Myhre delivered one final playful message:
“May the best Norwegian team win.”
Although betting markets and prediction platforms favored England heading into the match, the creative activation between British Airways and Norwegian emerged as one of the World Cup’s most successful brand engagement campaigns, demonstrating how major sporting events continue to create valuable marketing opportunities beyond the field.