Instagram influencer goes viral as World Cup fans find Erling Haaland lookalike

Emma Kate Willman, who FIFA World Cup fans say is a doppleganger for Norway star striker, has seen her followers nearly double.

Published Jul 10, 2026  •  Last updated 17 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

Influencer Emma Willman (left) and Norway striker Erling Haaland. Instagram, Getty Images

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One day Emma Kate Willman was posting hair tutorials on social media — the next she was being compared to a Viking hero.

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The U.S. influencer has seen her follower count on Instagram explode after FIFA World Cup fans noticed her striking resemblance to Norway’s superstar striker Erling Haaland.

Willman, who is from Charleston, S.C., began receiving thousands of comments when this summer’s tournament kicked off and Haaland began scoring at will for his country.

“I think that I’ve had probably over 100,000 comments in the last two hours saying how much I look like (Erling Haaland),” Willman said in a post earlier this week.

“First of all, the best doppelganger you give me is a male soccer player? Really? Can’t we just go back to when you guys were calling me (Swedish singer) Zara Larsson?

“No offence to Haaland at all, but I am very much just a little girl from Charleston.”

How many new followers does Willman have?

Things seriously kicked off when Haaland himself commented on one of her posts, writing a simple “Hi” along with a thumbs-up emoji.

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Willman’s post has now generated more than 1.4 million likes.

“Great two goals against Brazil today!” one user commented on Sunday after Norway defeated 2-1 Brazil to advance to the quarterfinals.

“Yo nice brace vs Brazil congrats on getting to the quarter finals,” another wrote.

“Haaland’s long lost sister?” a third user asked.

Since the beginning of the FIFA World Cup last month, Willman’s follower count on Instagram has exploded.

According to InsTrack, a website that tracks follower growth on the social media site, Willman has seen an increase of more than 2,200% over the past 90 days.

The site also noted that Willman has gained more than 82,000 followers in just the past five days.

Willman said that she had gotten the Haaland doppelganger comments before, but they seriously kicked it up a notch during this summer’s tournament.

She also said that she has received looks comparisons to Taylor Swift (which she said she didn’t understand) and Millie Bobby Brown.

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But the big one always had been Haaland and now she’s leaning into it.

What is Willman doing now?

On Thursday, Willman demonstrated how to get Haaland’s signature slicked-back ponytail look, although she admitted that he does it much better than she could.

The influencer has teamed up with prediction market site Kalshi to host a lookalike contest in Miami ahead of Saturday’s match between Norway and England.

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“I was sitting in bed last night and I had the craziest idea: What if we put everybody who looks like Haaland in the same room?” she said in a post announcing the event, which she will be hosting.

The winner of the contest will score two tickets to the quarterfinal match at Hard Rock Stadium, which Willman also will be attending in order to “see if the Haaland rumours about herself are true.”

She also has scored a paid partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings and posted a clip of herself waiting for her “twin” to show up for a meal and to watch a match.

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