Saturday, August 8, 2026

Norwegian Air changes logo to British Airways after losing World Cup bet

The 2026 World Cup marked a historic milestone for Norway because it’s the first time the Scandinavian nation reached the tournament’s quarter-finals.

• July 12, 2026

Norway’s largest airline, Norwegian Air Shuttle, has changed its logo to that of British Airways on Instagram after losing a bet on the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final match between England and Norway on Saturday. 

Ahead of the high-profile match, Norwegian Air challenged British Airways to a wager that would see the losing airline replace its Instagram profile picture with the winner’s logo for 24 hours.

“Hey @british_airways, do you wanna make

a bet? If Norway wins, you have to switch to our logo on Instagram on Sunday (one day). And vice versa. Deal?,” Norwegian Air posted on Instagram before the match. 

British Airways wasted no time accepting the friendly offer, warning the challenger against biting off more than they could chew, writing, “Don’t make bets you can’t win.”

During the match, it was the Norwegians who landed the first blow after Andreas Schjelderup opened the scoring for them in 36th minute, firing home the ball over goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who was caught off his line. 

It was looking like Norway would take the lead into the break until Jude Bellingham drove a pass from Anthony Gordon into the box before latching it into the net from close range to equalise for England. 

Neither side was able to find the net in the second half, forcing the match into extra time when Bellingham scored within its first three minutes, which ended up being the winning goal of the match to send England into the semifinals. 

Following Norway’s defeat, Norwegian Air acknowledged the result and immediately fulfilled the bet’s condition by swapping its Instagram profile picture for the logo of British Airways.

“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 said in response to losing the bet.

Also, British Airways thanked its Norwegian Airways counterpart for the challenge, assuring that both England and Norway would remain friends forever. 

“Rivals for 90 minutes, friends forever. A little competition keeps things interesting, thanks for challenging us @flynorwegian! Well done to the England team on qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals! It’s coming home!,” the airline said.

Nevertheless, the World Cup marked a historic milestone for Norway because it’s the first time the Scandinavian nation reached the tournament’s quarter-finals.

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