Haaland sues Norwegian airline over unauthorised use of likeness

Manchester City and Norway striker Erling Haaland has sued Norwegian Air Shuttle over the alleged unauthorised use of his likeness in the airline’s World Cup promotion.

Haaland’s lawyer, Thomas Hagen, told AFP that the case concerns what he described as the airline’s unlawful use of the footballer’s “distinctive signs” to promote flight tickets during the 2026 World Cup.

The dispute reportedly centres on a social media post featuring a Norwegian aircraft with a ponytail added to its design, an apparent reference to Haaland’s trademark hairstyle before he recently cut his hair.

The post carried the caption, “We’ve never looked more Norwegian.”

Norwegian Air Shuttle confirmed that it had received the lawsuit but said it was difficult to understand the legal action.

The airline said it had supported Norway’s national team during the World Cup and described the post as a spontaneous social media publication inspired by online trends.

“Like almost all of Norway, we supported the national team this summer, through a few spontaneous posts inspired by trends on social media,” Norwegian spokeswoman Catharina Solli told AFP.

She said the airline regretted that its support had resulted in legal action and expressed hope that both sides could resolve the dispute through dialogue.

Haaland played a key role as Norway reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1998 before losing 2-1 to England.

According to Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang (VG), the airline has since removed the disputed image from its social media accounts.

The case is scheduled to come before the Oslo District Court on October 9.