Over 500 Peruvian Babies Named After Norway’s Erling Haaland

The Erling Haaland craze hasn’t just taken over Norway or the countries where the 2026 FIFA World Cup is set. It has also taken over Peru.

Yes, the South American country, who did not qualify for this World Cup, is nonetheless celebrating the tournament. Or at least the new parents in Peru are celebrating one of the World Cup’s breakout stars, Norway’s forward Erling Haaland. And they’re doing so in the most Latin American way possible, by naming their kids after him.

That’s right, in the days since the World Cup started, there have been 559 babies named after the player. That includes 468 babies with the surname Haaland, and 91 babies bearing the full name Erling Haaland. At least everyone will know what your parents named you for. “Different football stars serve as inspiration for Peruvians to register their children with these names,” registry spokesperson Ivan Torres told Panamericana Television.

This is far from the first time this has happened in Peru. In fact, the RENIEC (National Registry of Identification and Civil Status) reports 3,402 people in the country have the name Messi, with 292 called Lionel Messi. There are also 1,185 Peruvian Cristiano Ronaldo’s and 1,241people named Yamal after Spain’s Lamine Yamal. But that’s nothing compared to the 33,809 that are named after Brazil’s Neymar.

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And Peru isn’t the only place where this is happening. Mexico just registered a baby with a most unusual name, one that celebrates not just the World Cup but three different players: Quiñona Ysisidra Morita Haaland Guevara 

The baby is not just named after Haaland and Mexico stars Julián Quiñones and Gilberto Mora; her middle name is a reference to the “¿Y Si Si?” (“What if?”) phrase Mexican fans made their calling card during the competition.

Let it never be said that Latin America doesn’t live and breathe fútbol.