Erling Haaland returned home to Norway to a hero’s welcome after the country’s best World Cup run ended in painful fashion against England, but one unexpected detail stole attention almost immediately: the Manchester City striker stepped off the plane carrying a stuffed raccoon.
Erling Haaland was seen arriving back in Norway carrying a Dolce & Gabbana bag over one shoulder and a stuffed raccoon in his left hand
The Norway star and his team-mates were greeted by King Harald at the Royal Palace in Oslo
Thousands of fans lined the streets to celebrate Norway’s best ever World Cup performance
Norway landed at Oslo Airport on Monday after their 2-1 extra-time quarter-final defeat by England in Miami. The result ended a remarkable campaign in which Haaland had become one of the standout figures of the tournament, scoring seven goals in five matches and helping Norway reach heights they had never previously managed at a World Cup.
The reception made clear that the nation saw the campaign as a triumph rather than a failure. Fire engines sprayed water over the team plane to form a rainbow as players and staff arrived back from the United States. Thousands of supporters later lined the streets of Oslo, determined to celebrate a team that had taken Norway back to the centre of world football after years away from the biggest stage.
Haaland, however, delivered the strangest image of the homecoming. He was pictured carrying a Dolce & Gabbana bag over one shoulder and a taxidermied raccoon in his left hand. The raccoon, mounted on a wooden base with its paws wrapped around an empty whiskey bottle, was reportedly bought from Wild Bill’s Western Store in Dallas during Norway’s World Cup stay.
The souvenir, known as the ‘Whiskey Raccoon’, is said to cost around £560 and has since sold out on the store’s website. Haaland had visited the shop after Norway’s last-32 victory, originally looking for a cowboy hat. The store has since leaned into the attention, using images of the striker in cowboy boots and a Western-style shirt to promote its merchandise.
Away from the viral raccoon moment, Norway’s players were treated like national heroes. The squad visited the Royal Palace in Oslo, where they were received by King Harald and Queen Sonja. Haaland was seen shaking hands with the King before the team continued their public celebration through the capital on an open-top bus.
Norway boss Stale Solbakken waves after Norway touched down at Oslo airport on Monday
Fire engines sprayed water over the aircraft to form a rainbow to celebrate the team’s run
One fan holds up a banner in tribute to Haaland as fans waited for a public celebration
Norway saw their World Cup dream ended by England at the quarter-final stage
Players travelled on an open top bus through the capital city and performed a Viking Row
The emotional centre of the celebration was the Viking Row, the rowing-style chant and movement that became one of Norway’s defining images of the tournament. Fans and players performed it together outside the Royal Palace, with Crown Prince Haakon beating the drum as thousands joined in. For a team that had waited since 1998 to return to the World Cup, the moment carried huge symbolic weight.
Norway’s dream had ended in frustration, though. England advanced thanks to two goals from Jude Bellingham, overturning Andreas Schjelderup’s first-half opener. Haaland was forced off before the second period of extra time and watched the decisive moments from the bench, a painful end to a tournament in which so much had revolved around his brilliance.
Jude Bellingham scored twice to send England through against Norway at the weekend
Footage of the goalkeeper’s kick leading to Jude Bellingham’s controversial goal is from the Spidercam itself – it would have shaken had a cable been struck
The acceleration magnitude and the gyroscope magnitude – rotations per minute – did not change while the ball was in mid-air
The quarter-final defeat also carried controversy. Norway complained that Bellingham’s equaliser should not have stood because the ball may have struck an overhead spidercam cable in the build-up. They were also angered when a potential goal was ruled out after Haaland was judged to have pushed Elliott Anderson before a corner was taken.
FIFA has since reviewed the spidercam incident and maintained that the ball did not hit any cable. According to available evidence, the ball’s sensor showed no extra contact, no change in rotation and no impact spike. Footage from the spidercam itself reportedly showed no wobble, while other angles suggested the ball followed a natural flight path.
That explanation may not fully satisfy Norway supporters, but it has not changed the atmosphere at home. Their team returned not as losers, but as history-makers. They pushed England to the edge, gave their supporters unforgettable memories and announced Norway as a serious force on the world stage.
For Haaland, the campaign ended with exhaustion, heartbreak and one very unusual souvenir. But after seven goals, a quarter-final run and a thunderous welcome in Oslo, the message from Norway was unmistakable: this team did not come home in shame. They came home as heroes.
