A Dubai schoolboy travelled 7,000 miles to watch his idol play at the FIFA World Cup 2026, all because of a two-word comment on Instagram.
Qasim Qadir, a player at Manchester City Football Schools in Dubai, posted a video telling Erling Haaland that if he liked the post, his father would take him to the World Cup. Haaland did more than like it.
“See you there,” the Norway and Manchester City striker replied in the comments.
Qasim’s father, Shujah, said the moment the notification landed on his phone stopped him in his tracks.
“The video itself went viral very quick. I remember saying to my wife this is absolutely insane,” he told a foreign media outlet.
“It hit 200,000 views and that’s when the Haaland comment came through. At first, we thought it wasn’t him, but it turned out to be true. We just couldn’t believe it,” he added.
Shujah then flew Qasim from Dubai to Boston, where Norway faced Iraq in their first World Cup appearance since 1998. Haaland scored twice as Norway won 4-1, with Qasim watching from the stands.
