'Howdy!' Norwegian star Erling Haaland celebrates winning goal in Dallas with new boots and a hat

Norway advanced to the Round of 16 with a 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast Tuesday, largely thanks to striker Erling Haaland.

But Haaland’s fun didn’t end on the pitch.

After the win Haaland posted a photo and TikTok video inside Wild Bill's Western Store in downtown Dallas' West End with the caption, "Howdy!"

He could also be seen wearing a Stetson, cowboy boots, and shirt that reads, "Y’all can kiss my Dallas."

The store highlighted Haaland's drop-in on social media, with the caption: "Well, this just happened."

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues into its knockout round, a new crop of international players and fans have descended onto North Texas — and apparently, into the region’s western stores — reveling in barbecue, Tex-Mex, and of course, Bucc-ee's.

Haaland's goal against Ivory Coast, one of the nine African teams to make it to the World Cup’s knockout stage, was his fifth so far. He's among the top goal-scorers of the tournament, which means he could add another boot to his collection: the Golden Boot, awarded at the end of the player who scores the most goals overall.

Haaland's performance performance on the field is, arguably, only outdone by his presence online. His recent World Cup vlog on YouTube garnered millions of views.

Haaland's Texas adventures come ahead of a difficult game for Norway. The team competes on July 5 against Brazil, which has won more World Cup tournaments than any other team and sits 16 spots ahead of Norway in the FIFA rankings at No. 5.

But, like Haaland, Norway fans aren’t letting the daunting match ruin their vibes.

Ava Thompson is a KERA audience producer. Got a tip? Email Ava at athompson@kera.org.

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