Norwegian World Cup star Erling Haaland is dominating Norway’s Spotify charts: thanks to a decade-old teenage rap track.
Following Norway’s historic World Cup 2026 quarter-final run, the Manchester City striker unexpectedly secured the country’s No. 1 spot with “Kygo Jo” – a song he recorded in 2016 at age 15 under the moniker Flow Kingz – alongside youth international teammates Erik Botheim and Erik Tobias Sandberg.
Originally a tribute to Norwegian DJ Kygo, the track went viral after Kygo promised an official remix if Haaland scored against Brazil in the Round of 16. Haaland scored twice, and the subsequent release of “Kygo Jo (Kygo Remix)” quickly climbed to the top of Norway’s streaming charts.
This is a great example of reactive marketing and creating a full-circle cultural momentum where music and sports thrive together.
How have other artists engaged with the World Cup 2026?
Creative streaming. To promote their latest album, the Rolling Stones have used a clever football tie-in – with band members assigned 10 countries each, challenging fans in these countries to stream any Rolling Stones songs on Spotify “to help your home nation earn points”.
Music’s Queen of Football: Shakira has a long history of releasing songs around the World Cup, as well as performing at big football ceremonies, and it seems it’s paying off in her streaming numbers. Spotify reports Shakira’s overall catalogue listens are up 21.6% during the World Cup so far, helping her to become the first female Latin artist to reach 100 million monthly listeners on the platform.
