Haaland and his British company, York Promotions Ltd, filed the lawsuit against Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, alleging that the airline unlawfully used distinctiv...
Haaland and his British company, York Promotions Ltd, filed the lawsuit against Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, alleging that the airline unlawfully used distinctive characteristics associated with the Manchester City striker to promote airline tickets during the tournament.
The dispute centres on a social media image showing a Norwegian aircraft digitally edited with a blonde ponytail similar to the hairstyle Haaland was known for before recently cutting his hair.
The image was accompanied by the caption, “We’ve never looked more Norwegian,” and was later removed from the airline’s social media accounts. The post was published during Norway’s World Cup campaign.
Haaland’s lawyer, Thomas Hagen of Norwegian law firm Schjødt, confirmed that legal proceedings had been filed on behalf of the footballer and York Promotions.
“The case concerns Norwegian’s unlawful use of Haaland’s distinctive signs in its promotion of plane tickets during the football World Cup,” Hagen told AFP.
The legal dispute reportedly concerns Norway’s marketing rules and whether the airline’s use of the recognisable hairstyle amounted to an unauthorised commercial reference to Haaland.
However, details of the full legal claim, including the specific remedies or amount of compensation being sought, have not been publicly disclosed. Reports also indicate that no court has yet ruled that Norwegian Air breached the law.
Norwegian Air has confirmed receiving the legal action but said it was surprised by the lawsuit.
The airline said its World Cup social media activity was intended to show support for the Norwegian national team rather than commercially exploit Haaland’s identity.
“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 added that the company regretted the legal action and hoped the matter could be addressed through dialogue so that it could continue supporting Norwegian sporting figures.
The lawsuit comes after Norway’s return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998. Haaland played a central role in the team’s campaign as Norway reached the quarter-finals before losing 2-1 to England.
Haaland’s former blonde ponytail had become strongly associated with his public image during his rise to prominence with Manchester City and the Norwegian national team. He recently changed his hairstyle, making the airline’s use of the former look particularly noticeable during the World Cup campaign.
The case raises a legal question over the extent to which a company can use a recognisable feature associated with a celebrity in advertising without obtaining permission.
For Haaland’s legal team, the issue is the alleged commercial use of his distinctive characteristics in connection with the promotion of airline tickets. Norwegian, however, maintains that its posts were spontaneous expressions of support for the national team and inspired by social-media trends.
The dispute is scheduled to come before Oslo District Court on October 9, 2026. The reported proceeding is a planning hearing intended to address the next steps in the case rather than a final determination of whether Norwegian Air is liable.
Neither Haaland’s representatives nor Norwegian Air has publicly disclosed the full financial details of the claim. The court process will determine how the dispute proceeds and whether the airline’s use of the image breached Norwegian law.
For now, the case remains a legal dispute between Haaland and the airline, with both sides maintaining different positions over the purpose and legality of the World Cup social media campaign.
