The Haaland Effect: Why more Mumbai women are watching FIFA World Cup 2026

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Argentina has defeated England in the semifinal to book its place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final and Messi is at the centre of the win. 

However, many fans are sad – not because his counterpart Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t make it this far, but because Erling Braute Haaland is not in the tournament anymore. The 25-year-old player from Norway — a team that returned to the tournament after 28 years — has found unexpected fandom not only around the world but also in Mumbai, particularly among women who don’t follow the sport religiously. 

Messi may go ahead and win the tournament, but Haaland has won the hearts and attention of many Mumbai women who are now watching football because of him and have turned into fans. It’s not entirely because of his football skills, nor is it because of his looks, contrary to the stereotype held by some hardcore male fans that women support football primarily for a player’s appearance. Female fans often find themselves having to prove their football knowledge whenever they speak about their favourite player or team. It is because many of these fans admire Haaland’s goofy nature and off-field antics and consider him to be a ‘green flag’.

Blame the algorithm for showing them more of Haaland but the fact that he has become more popular than Messi, Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, and Jude Bellingham reflects the impact the Norwegian has had on many fans. One of the striking aspects of this is the song ‘Haaland Haaland’ that has been trending on social media, and helped revive interest in the 1979 song ‘Moskau’ as it borrows the tune. The Cold War-era track by German Eurodisco group Dschinghis Khan was banned by Soviet authorities, but is now popular because of the football player.

In fact, the football player, who plays for Manchester City in the English Premier League, has gained more than 20 million followers on Instagram since the tournament started, to reach more than 69.6 million followers, surpassing his club’s followers too. Such is the effect of Haaland that when he returned to Oslo after the World Cup campaign with a USD 750 souvenir of a raccoon clutching a whiskey bottle, it was sold out soon after is also now sold out. While his luxurious lifestyle is also grabbing the eyeballs, Mumbai’s female football fans are falling in love with his personality. 

With love, from Mumbai 

Althea Dsouza is one of the many Mumbai women who absolutely loves him. While her husband has always played, loved, and followed football, Dsouza has been at an arm’s distance with the sport. However, Haaland’s presence in this World Cup has made her become a new fan of the game. 

“I wouldn’t really call myself a football fan, but my husband follows the sport religiously and plays it, too. So I ended up watching almost all the FIFA matches with him. Somewhere along the way, I just started rooting for Norway, and a lot of that was because of Erling Haaland. I love watching him play, his mannerisms on the field, and the humility he seems to carry despite being such a huge star,” she shares. 

While Haaland was the catalyst, the team he plays for did more to pull her into the game than any other team has done in the tournament. 

She adds, “The Norwegian Roar also really caught my attention; there’s something so powerful about the entire team and their supporters doing it together in sync. Norway has often been underestimated as a team and watching them play so well with Haaland as their star made me really want them to lift the trophy this year. I was genuinely heartbroken when England knocked them out, but I’m still Team Norway — and definitely Team Haaland!”

It’s not only Dsouza but also city-based artist Ashveta Budhrani who has been watching the FIFA World Cup religiously. 

“I have been playing football for some time, but this is the most football I have ever watched in my life,” she laughs.” 

Budhrani is quick to point out that it’s not just women who currently like Haaland . 

“He is everyone’s current favourite because he is in the joke with everyone else. That’s what makes him charming. He is a meme icon in China because many fans say he resembles an anime character who eats people.”

Personally, she adds, “I find him hilarious and funny. It’s pure joy to watch him play because he looks like he is having fun, and his interviews are also fun.” 

While she was excited to see Mbappe till the semifinal against Spain, she’s now rooting for Spain’s Yamal. 

However, she adds, “It was most fun watching Haaland on the field.”

While Dsouza and Budhrani are the newest entrants among many other women in the city, Kimberly Fernandez, a Mazgaon-based sports professional who is into sports consulting, and runs her own sports academy, has also seen this rise in interest. 

She shares, “I believe there is just more inclusivity now. Women are also now taking part in events and consuming content around the World Cup that aren’t necessarily hardcore football centric.” 

The 29-year-old Mumbaikar also gives credit to content creators who she believes are a big part of the storytelling as they influence and bring in new audiences, and being one of them, she carries that responsibility with pride as she takes football to the masses with over 18,500 followers on Instagram. 

Fernandez has met Messi and even watched him win the last World Cup live, making it a dream come true for her. However, she is also a big fan of other stars such as Englishmen Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham. However, she does give credit where it is due. 

“Haaland and his personality have a big pull because it kind of highlights the contrast of a big strong Viking man who scores bangers but is also posting relatable content on Snapchat,” explains Fernandez, who admits that she isn’t particularly a fan, but loves his personality. 

She has also been a part of the wave, sharing content about FIFA World Cup 2026 and its players with her friends in the past few weeks. 

Asked whether she believes fans are moving past Messi and Ronaldo, she says, “I think we are getting there, but football is starting to win.”

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