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Viral World Cup bet: Norwegian swaps Instagram logo for British Airways after England win
The airlines placed a simple wager — whichever nation loses the World Cup match will see its airline swap its Instagram profile logo for its rival’s for one day
- PUBLISHED: Sun 12 Jul 2026, 1:42 PM
England’s victory over Norway in their Fifa World Cup clash secured their place in the semi-finals and also settled a pair of light-hearted social media bets.
The playful, viral wagers were agreed before the July 12 clash as British Airways and Norwegian embraced the sporting rivalry online. Norwegian first challenged British Airways on Instagram, writing: “If Norway wins, you have to switch to our logo on Instagram on Sunday (one day). And vice versa. Deal?” British Airways confidently accepted, replying: “Don’t make bets you can’t win.”
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After England booked its place in the next round, British Airways celebrated the win and the friendly rivalry in an Instagram post, congratulating the England team and thanking Norwegian for challenging it to the bet. Norwegian then honoured its side of the deal, temporarily replacing its Instagram profile picture with the British Airways logo for 24 hours after Norway's defeat.
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Check out Norwegian's "new" Instagram logo:
The friendly competition also spread beyond the aviation industry. Inspired by the airlines’ exchange, Den norske kirke (the Church of Norway) challenged the Church of England with: “Ready to risk your logo?” The Church of England responded: “We know our logo will look great on you.”
After England's win, both churches also followed through on their wager, with the Church of Norway changing its Instagram logo to that of the Church of England.
British Airways invites Norwegian's social media team to visit London
British Airways shared a carousel post celebrating the friendly competition, writing: “Congratulations England! Commiserations Norway. We did try to warn you. Just like Haaland and Bellingham, we feel a blossoming friendship between our two airlines.”
The airline also invited Norwegian’s social media team to visit London, adding: “We’d love to offer your social media team some return tickets on a British Airways flight over to London to explore our home. We’ll be in touch.”
The airline also joked about its temporary takeover of British Airways’ Instagram identity, writing: “Waaaait… does this mean I can write anything I want for the next 24h and people will think I’m you?"
Check out the exchange below:
