Haaland returned from the USA with a taxidermied raccoon: an unusual souvenir marked the Norwegian internationals' homecoming
Erling Haaland returned to Norway after the national team's historic performance at the 2026 World Cup, but it was not only his sporting role that attracted attention as he stepped off the plane. The Manchester City striker was carrying a taxidermied raccoon holding a glass bottle, a souvenir purchased during his stay in Dallas. Photographs from Oslo Gardermoen Airport quickly spread across social media, and Haaland further fuelled the reactions with a brief joke that the animal had "followed him home". The unusual sight became a symbol of his more relaxed public appearances during the tournament, in which he was simultaneously one of the most prolific strikers and one of the most closely followed personalities away from the pitch. His return with the raccoon therefore, at least briefly, softened the disappointment following the quarter-final defeat by England.
The Norwegian national team landed at Gardermoen Airport on Monday, 13 July 2026, at 7:06 p.m., according to the Norwegian newspaper VG. The players and coaching staff were welcomed by a red carpet, a water salute for the aircraft and assembled supporters, while the team's return was organised as a public tribute to the most successful World Cup performance in the history of Norway's men's national team. According to VG's report, Haaland stepped off the plane holding a taxidermied animal whose paws were positioned around a bottle. He had previously shown the same item in a video recorded during a visit to Wild Bill’s Western Store in Dallas, where he also bought other objects associated with Texas cowboy culture. What had been part of a relaxed city tour in the United States became, upon his arrival in Norway, one of the most recognisable images from the end of the national team's journey.
The raccoon from Dallas became an internet phenomenon
Wild Bill’s Western Store sells the item on its website under the name "Whiskey Raccoon H-MT-F". According to the store's official listing, it costs 750 US dollars, and the product was marked as sold out following the wave of attention. In the description, the raccoon is called Rickie, while details about the bottle itself are not specified. Norwegian media covering the national team's arrival were also unable to confirm what was inside the bottle or whether it contained any liquid at all. It is therefore most accurate to describe it as a taxidermied raccoon with a glass bottle, although the item is commercially presented as a "whiskey raccoon".
After landing, Haaland posted a photograph on the social network X with a message saying that the raccoon had "followed him home", deliberately continuing the humorous tone that had accompanied his stay in the United States. According to People magazine, he then launched an Instagram poll about the souvenir's name. The proposed options included "Cowboy", "Ranger", "TEX" and "R.O.W.", an abbreviation he explained as "Raccoon on Wheels". The final option also recalled a Norwegian supporters' choreography and the rowing celebration that had marked the national team's performances. This combination of self-irony, local symbols and direct communication with the audience further increased the post's reach.
The sight also attracted attention because it differed sharply from the usual images of sports teams returning from major tournaments. Instead of a medal or trophy, one of the world's best-known footballers was carrying an eccentric item from a Texas souvenir shop. That contrast turned an ordinary departure from an aircraft into a globally shared story. At the same time, the raccoon was not an isolated incident but a continuation of a series of Haaland's posts featuring cowboy hats, boots and clothing with local motifs. His off-field appearances during the tournament were less controlled than typical promotional campaigns, and that was precisely why they appeared more convincing to a large part of the audience.
Norway's historic result despite defeat by England
The unusual souvenir arrived after a sporting achievement that held far greater significance for Norway than an internet joke. The national team returned to the World Cup for the first time since 1998, according to UEFA, and reached the quarter-finals for the first time in its history. Ståle Solbakken's team opened the tournament with a 4-1 victory over Iraq, then defeated Senegal 3-2 and completed the group stage with a 4-1 loss to France. In the first match of the knockout stage, Norway beat Ivory Coast 2-1, before eliminating Brazil by the same score in the round of 16. FIFA described the victory over the five-time world champions as a historic breakthrough through which the Norwegian national team secured a place among the last eight for the first time.
The quarter-final against England was played in Miami on 11 July. According to FIFA's official match report, Andreas Schjelderup gave Norway the lead in the 36th minute, but Jude Bellingham equalised in first-half stoppage time. The match went into extra time, and in the 93rd minute Bellingham converted a rebound following a shot by Morgan Rogers to score the decisive goal for a final result of 2-1. Norway continued searching for another equaliser until the end, and Kristoffer Ajer struck the crossbar, but England preserved its advantage and advanced to the semi-finals. The defeat ended a Norwegian run that, in just a few weeks, had changed the way the international public viewed the team.
Haaland was unable to continue his goalscoring streak in the quarter-final. He had scored seven goals in four appearances before the match against England, according to FIFA statistics, and had been rested against France. He scored twice against Iraq, twice against Senegal, netted the winning goal against Ivory Coast and beat Brazil's goalkeeper twice. Against England, he made his fifth appearance of the tournament but failed to score and was substituted during extra time. Solbakken explained after the match that the striker was exhausted and had received a blow to the leg in the second half, while Haaland described his first appearance at the global tournament as a life-changing experience.
From a sporting symbol to a global media personality
Even before the World Cup, Haaland was globally recognised as one of the most dangerous strikers of his generation, but the international tournament provided him with a different kind of stage. Club football associates him with Manchester City, the Premier League and the Champions League, while his appearances for Norway brought the story of a country that had waited 28 years to compete at the biggest tournament. Each of his goals therefore carried broader national significance, and the victory over Brazil made him the central figure in Norway's greatest World Cup achievement. After that match, FIFA highlighted that Norway had reached the quarter-finals for the first time, while supporters selected Haaland's second goal against Brazil as the best goal of the round of 16. His sporting performance was the foundation of the entire phenomenon; without seven goals and a historic finish, the posts from the shop in Dallas would hardly have received the same international response.
Nevertheless, the way Haaland communicated during the tournament demonstrated that the public's relationship with athletes is no longer built solely on results. His short videos, local expressions, cowboy clothing and humorous messages created a parallel story that accompanied the matches. Instead of presenting only the serious image of a professional athlete, he portrayed himself as a visitor enjoying the local culture and unconcerned about whether every choice appeared conventional. The taxidermied raccoon became the most visible example of that approach precisely because it was unexpected, visually striking and sufficiently unusual to provoke discussion far beyond football circles. Supporters' reactions were largely amused, and numerous posts highlighted the contrast between his physical dominance on the pitch and his playful behaviour away from it.
Such spontaneity, however, should not be mistaken for complete privacy. Haaland is one of the most valuable figures in sports marketing, and every one of his public posts can create an extraordinary commercial effect. Following the viral wave, Wild Bill’s official website displayed the product as sold out, demonstrating how quickly attention directed towards a single athlete can transfer to a small local product. There is no public confirmation that this was a paid partnership, so according to the available information, the visit to the shop and the purchase of the souvenir should be regarded as a personal choice. The absence of an obvious advertising message probably contributed to the impression of authenticity and increased public interest.
A homecoming that combined disappointment and celebration
The national team's arrival in Norway carried a dual tone. The players were returning after a painful defeat in a match in which they had led and come close to reaching the semi-finals, but they were simultaneously welcomed as the team that had achieved the best result in the history of Norway's men's football team at the World Cup. According to VG's report, the aircraft passed through a water salute, while Norwegian F-35 fighter jets also accompanied the homecoming. After landing, the team continued towards Oslo, where a royal audience and a public celebration were planned. Such a reception demonstrated that the quarter-final defeat had not altered the perception of the tournament as a major sporting success.
In that atmosphere, Haaland's raccoon served as an unexpected transition between the sadness of elimination and the celebration of what had been achieved. Instead of a solemn farewell image, the public received a moment that allowed for a lighter, more cheerful view of the end of the competition. The striker had previously bid farewell to the United States with a message describing the experience as emotional and thanking the public for its support during the tournament. His later joke about the souvenir continued the same line of communication: the result was accepted without diminishing the disappointment, but the defeat was not allowed to define the entire memory of the tournament. For Norway, the more important fact remained that it had returned to the world's leading national teams and gained experience upon which it could build during the next cycle.
For Haaland, the tournament also brought a new kind of popularity. His goalscoring performance was expected given his club reputation, but his ability to become a central figure at the tournament even in moments without the ball expanded his public image. The taxidermied raccoon from Dallas will probably never carry the sporting significance of a match ball or national-team shirt, but it became a recognisable object associated with one special summer. It combined American local folklore, Norway's footballing rise and Haaland's fondness for unusual humour. As a result, an item that was originally merely an eccentric souvenir ended up becoming a kind of epilogue to Norway's historic campaign.
What remains after Norway's tournament
Norway finished the tournament among the eight best national teams, with victories over Ivory Coast and Brazil and a total of seven goals from Haaland. Such a result sets new standards for a team whose primary objective before the tournament was to confirm that it could compete on equal terms on the biggest stage. According to FIFA and UEFA data, the quarter-final finish surpassed all of Norway's previous World Cup appearances. At the same time, it raised the question of whether a generation led by Haaland, Martin Ødegaard, Antonio Nusa, Sander Berge and other internationals can maintain continuity at future major tournaments. The answer will depend on sporting results, but the 2026 tournament has already transformed expectations.
Within that broader story, the raccoon is not important because of its material value but because of the way it encapsulated Haaland's performance. On the pitch, he was the team's key goalscorer as it made history, while away from it he was a figure who understood the rhythm of social media without relying on excessively polished communication. His message that the animal had "followed him home" was simple but effective enough to direct global attention towards the Norwegian striker once again. After weeks of goals, major victories and a dramatic elimination, the tournament ended for Haaland with an image that nobody had expected. That is precisely why the taxidermied raccoon from Dallas remained one of the most striking details of the Norwegian national team's homecoming.
Sources:
- FIFA – official report, result and statistics from the Norway – England quarter-final match (link)
- FIFA – data on Haaland's goals and Norway's historic finish following the victory over Brazil (link)
- UEFA – overview of Norway's performance at the 2026 World Cup and its return to the tournament after 28 years (link)
- VG – report on the national team's arrival at Gardermoen Airport and Haaland's taxidermied raccoon (link)
- Wild Bill’s Western Store – official page for the "Whiskey Raccoon H-MT-F" product, price and availability status (link)
- People – Haaland's post about the raccoon, the naming poll and his farewell messages following the World Cup (link)
- Associated Press – statements by Haaland and Solbakken following the defeat by England (link)