Norwegian Air and British Airways delight football fans with playful World Cup bet on Instagram

Norwegian Air and British Airways delight football fans with playful World Cup bet on Instagram "It's coming home. Well played, England and British Airways," the Norwegian low-cost airline wrote after Norway lost to England in the World Cup quarter-finals. It's FIFA World Cup season, but it's not just national teams embracing the spirit of competition – airlines are getting in on the fun too. Norwegian Air temporarily swapped its Instagram profile logo for British Airways' on Sunday (Jul 13), honouring a playful bet between the two carriers after England defeated Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals to secure a place in the semi-finals. The friendly wager began on Jul 8, shortly after Norway booked its place in the quarter-finals with a win over Brazil. In an Instagram reel, Norwegian Air challenged British Airways, writing: "@british_airways, ready to risk your logo?" In the caption, the Norwegian low-cost airline added: "Do you wanna make a bet? If Norway wins, you have to switch to our logo on Instagram on Sunday for one day. And vice versa. Deal?" British Airways replied: "Don't make bets you can't win." – a comment that has since received more than 100,000 likes. The post has since attracted more than 318,000 likes and thousands of comments, including responses from several airlines. Malaysia Airlines joked: "We'll be watching with our satay in one hand and signature drink in the other," while Indonesia's flag carrier Garuda Indonesia wrote: "We'll be cheering with an ice-cold Martebe in hand." Swiss Air, Qatar Airways, Icelandair, Air India, Skyscanner and Flightradar24 also joined in with playful comments. The banter continued in the days leading up to the match. British Airways posted a video showing a letter being sent to Norway with the caption "It's coming home" – a well-known chant among England football fans – before asking: "Got our logo ready?" Norwegian Air responded: "Ready... hovering over the delete button." After England's victory, Norwegian Air wasted little time fulfilling its side of the bargain. Within hours, the airline replaced its Instagram profile logo with British Airways' and wrote: "While the tournament is over for us, this friendly bet will forever live in all our hearts. We wish England and @british_airways all the best in the semi-final, and we sincerely hope you'll get to bring football home!" The post has since surpassed one million likes, alongside more than 32,000 comments and over 260,000 shares. The fun did not stop there. The airline also launched a flash sale on flights from England to destinations in Norway, including Oslo. Commenting on British Airways' posts while using its logo, Norwegian Air also joked: "Does this mean I can write anything I want for the next 24 hours and people will think I'm you?" In another post, Norwegian Air wrote: "Thank you for a great match and a really fun few days! Now bring this World Cup all the way home! We are forever thankful that you were cool enough to accept our bet. Let's make this friendship grow even bigger." After 24 hours, the airline restored its original Instagram logo on Monday, posting: "Finally, everything is back to normal. Our social media team can rest now." Fans praised the exchange throughout the past week, while others have begun encouraging similar social media challenges between the remaining teams in the World Cup competing during the semi-finals, including France, Spain, and Argentina. "They may have lost the bet, but Norwegian Air won the internet," one user commented.