Norway may have fallen to England in the World Cup 2026 quarterfinals, but Erling Haaland still delivered an incredible tournament, scoring 7 goals, among the highest tallies of any player. It was a surreal run for both Haaland and the Norwegian Giants.
Norway made their country proud, and one nation is celebrating Haaland’s performance in a strange but funny way of its own.
Peru did not qualify for this year’s World Cup, though they reached the quarterfinals back in 1970 and 1978. Even without a team in Dallas, Peruvians found their own way to honor Norway’s star, naming their newborns after him.
Stats are coming out now and Peru has spoken loudly, with 559 babies being named after Haaland. 468 are named only Haaland and 91 have been named Erling Haaland.
Fans were absolutely stunned after seeing such stats as its not common for a family to name their child after a famous footballer, let alone a whole country naming their kids after the Norwegian Machine.
Reniec spokesperson Iván Torres humorously remarked that “Haaland is Peruvian too,” highlighting the cultural impact of the Norwegian star despite having no familial or national ties to the South American nation.
Fans reacted shockingly as to how much impact Football and the World Cup has brought to the world.
This is not the first time Peru has shocked the world with their naming culture.
Peruvians have also named their kids after pop culture giants Pokemon, with kids having names like Onix, Haunter, and Gollem.
Peruvian naming culture is deeply influenced by football, with parents frequently using global stars’ names to honor their passion for the sport. According to Peru’s National Registry of Identification and Civil Status (RENIEC), Neymar remains the most popular choice, with 33,809 Peruvians bearing the name, followed by Lionel Messi with 3,402 namesakes.
With this World Cup almost coming to a glorious end, fans can only wait for the next one to see which footballer would the next generation of Peru will be named after.
