Erling Haaland Brings Home Unique Raccoon Souvenir From Texas After World Cup Win

Norwegian football star Erling Haaland returned to Oslo with an unusual companion after his team's World Cup victory in Texas. Upon landing at Gardermoen Airport, Haaland was seen carrying a stuffed raccoon holding a whiskey bottle, a quirky souvenir he purchased at Wild Bill’s Western store in downtown Dallas. The raccoon, designed as a piece of art mounted on a wooden board to appear as if it rests its head on the whiskey bottle, quickly gained viral fame, amassing 10 million views on Haaland’s social media post alone.

The souvenir cost $750 and was bought following Norway’s win over Ivory Coast. Haaland also acquired two additional stuffed squirrels from the same store, one wearing a cowboy hat and the other leaning on a Budweiser can. Due to the sudden surge in popularity after Haaland’s viral post, the whiskey raccoon quickly sold out, with the store owner Julie Newport working to secure more stock despite the difficulty of mass-producing the handcrafted item.

Since returning to Norway, Haaland has shared photos of the raccoon on social media, captioning it "he followed me home," and has engaged his millions of followers in an Instagram poll to help name the animal. One popular suggestion is "Ro," honoring the rowing chants of the team’s fans during the tournament. This lighthearted story comes amid broader World Cup coverage, including a noted rivalry between players Yamal and Mbappe and FIFA’s consideration of expanding the tournament to 64 teams.