Erling Haaland mania is taking over at the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Even if Norway loses its quarter-final World Cup match against England on Saturday, the team's star striker Erling Braut Haaland will exit the tournament having won the moment.

They're calling it Haaland mania. 

The 25-year-old's popularity has surged over the course of the tournament, making him one of the most well-known people on Earth.

Google Trends reveal a 900 per cent increase in searches worldwide for Haaland's name when compared to the same time last year. (That figure skyrockets to more than 5,000 per cent when you factor in searches only originating in Canada.) Even Prime Minister Mark Carney has joked about recruiting Haaland for Team Canada.

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Haaland, who plays for the Premier League's Manchester City, is already a well-known and hugely successful soccer player, having won nine major trophies with the club, including the prestigious Champions League trophy.

But the World Cup offers a platform to reach people who don't typically follow the sport. There are 1.4 million posts on TikTok that include the hashtag "Haaland," and he's gained upwards of 12 million new followers on Instagram alone since the 2026 FIFA World Cup started.

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One of those new followers is Laura Duch, 25, who started following Haaland a week and a half ago. She told CBC News that she doesn't watch soccer outside of the World Cup, but that hasn't stopped her from joining the Haaland craze.

"He's a very likeable, charismatic and talented guy. He seems very fun