&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "FIFA World Cup 2026: Norway's Erling Haaland returns home with a raccoon")
Norway’s dream run at the FIFA World Cup 2026 came to an end in the quarter-finals, but striker Erling Haaland grabbed attention after returning home with an unusual souvenir from the United States. When Norway’s team landed at Oslo’s Gardermoen Airport on Monday, fans were surprised to see Haaland carrying a stuffed raccoon worth USD 750. The taxidermied animal was holding a whisky bottle, making it one of the most eye-catching arrivals at the airport.
The Manchester City forward later posted photos of himself with the raccoon on social media, jokingly writing, “It followed me home.”
How Haaland got the raccoon
The unusual purchase happened earlier this month while Norway were based in Texas during the World Cup. During some free time, Haaland visited Wild Bill’s Western Store in Dallas, where he embraced the American Southern culture by buying a black cowboy hat, leather boots and a T-shirt.
While looking around the shop, he also spotted the quirky taxidermy display and decided to buy the stuffed raccoon, known as the “Whisky Raccoon,” which is mounted holding a liquor bottle.
The store celebrated Haaland’s visit by sharing his photo on its website. Soon after, the USD 750 raccoon sold out online, with the shop receiving a surge in orders from around the world and expanding its international shipping options.
Norway’s memorable World Cup campaign
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How fast can the Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet really fly?
)
Did China ask its people 'not to respond to aliens'? Origin of bizarre claim on social media
)
MS Dhoni-CSK Fallout? Report claims failed stake sale talks triggered rift
)
Scientists reveal the SAFEST COUNTRY when catastrophe strikes the planet
)
Serial killer on the loose in South Korea's Jeju Island? Fourth body found in three days as more than a dozen people go missing
)
2/3rd of glacier detached, collapsed: ISRO satellite images reveal what triggered Nepal floods
)
Trump once again claims without him there would be ‘no Israel right now’
)
Foreign espionage attacks against German companies surge to 37%, Bitkom report reveals
)
Blake Lively wins partial legal fee from Justin Baldoni after $8M request
)
Why is Pakistan deploying Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones near India border?
)
'OH MY GOD! We've found other agents!': Investigators discover not one or two, almost 700 OpenAI AI agents went rogue, hacked Hugging Face
)
Lunar eclipse 2026: India timings, places to see and more. August Blood moon factsheet
)
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on global outreach tour
)
Both pilots killed as training aircraft crashes in Lucknow – What we know
)
16-year-old charged with preparing terror attack on kindergarten in Norway
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How the S-400 protects itself from enemy attacks
)
Nepal floods: Over 165 dead, 400 missing; US, India, China, World Bank mobilise aid
)
India's multi-layered watch: The new surveillance war
)
5 doomsday planes spotted in US skies hours after CIA director's secret trip to Russia
)
9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to finally face trial in 2028, nearly 27 years after horrific attacks
)
Islamabad hospital fire: What we know about one of the biggest facility that housed Imran Khan
)
Workers run for life while filming Nepal flash flood: Scary new visuals emerge from Rasuwa
)
Russian military planes enter South Korean air defence zone amid rising tensions with North Korea: What's happening
)
Ron Weasley Is Back! Rupert Grint set to return to Harry Potter universe on Broadway
)
400-year-old 'vampire' grave in Poland reveals non-existent genetic lineage
)
Dolly Parton, global icon and queen of country music, dies at 80
)
Nepal flash floods: Kailash Mansarovar yatra affected, close to 400 pilgrims out of contact
)
'If he is dead, they're putting on a pretty good show': Trump casts fresh doubt over Mojtaba Khamenei's fate
)
Man arrested near US Capitol with guillotine in pickup truck: What happened?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI cockpit is painted bright turquoise green
Haaland had plenty of reasons to celebrate after helping Norway enjoy their best-ever FIFA World Cup campaign, as the team reached the quarter-finals for the first time in its history, including a famous Round of 16 win over Brazil.
)
FIFA World Cup 2026 Live on Zee5 Photograph: (WION)
Norway’s journey ended with a controversial 2-1 defeat to England in the last eight, but Haaland finished as the country’s top scorer with seven goals.
Now, it remains unclear whether the stuffed raccoon will travel with him to Manchester for the new Premier League season, but it has already become one of the most memorable souvenirs from the tournament.
