Haaland’s Viral Lookalike Hosts Miami Matchday Event

What started as a simple hairstyle choice has turned into a full-blown football sideshow in Miami.

Content creator Willman says she is still trying to process how braiding her hair has led to millions of people comparing her to Erling Haaland. Speaking to People, she described the whirlwind as “so surreal” and admitted she “never expected braiding my hair to turn into millions of people comparing me to Erling Haaland.”

The internet did the rest. Side-by-side clips, memes, and edits pushed the resemblance into viral territory, and then came the moment that changed everything for her: Haaland himself noticed.

“It’s been amazing to watch the internet have so much fun with it, and seeing Erling comment on my video made the whole thing feel even more unreal,” she said. “As a creator, you never know what’s going to resonate, so I’m just grateful people have embraced it and had fun along the way.”

Now the online joke is spilling into real life.

Willman is heading to Miami, Florida, where Haaland’s Norway face England in a World Cup quarter-final on Saturday (local time). She’s not just going as a spectator. She’s hoping to meet the man she’s been dubbed a “twin” of.

Erling Haaland, for his part, has leaned into the fun. Asked about the viral lookalike, he told People: “It would be pretty funny if our paths crossed in real life after all of this.”

The stage is set for that possibility. On the day of the game, Willman is hosting an Erling Haaland lookalike contest in Miami, with a serious prize on the line: tickets to the quarter-final.

On Instagram, she laid down the challenge to fans who have heard the comparison themselves. “If you have ever been told you look like Haaland and are a Norway fan, you’re in for a surprise!” she wrote. Partnering with @kalshi, she’s inviting entrants to “an Erling Haaland lookalike contest right before the game on Saturday for 2 FREE TICKETS TO THE GAME!”

The instructions are simple. Turn up at the designated Miami location. Channel your inner Haaland. “Meet us at the location [in Miami], and bring your best Haaland moves! See you there and good luck!” she added.

A World Cup quarter-final, a global superstar, and a viral doppelgänger turning matchday into a live casting call for Haaland clones — Miami might just witness the most unusual pre-game buildup of the tournament.