Ingrid Alexandra: Who is Norway's future queen in the viral clip showing her hugging shirtless Erling Haaland after Brazil win?

Norway's fairy-tale World Cup run has a second storyline running alongside Erling Haaland's goals, and it belongs to the country's future queen. A clip doing the rounds on social media, shared widely after Norway's stunning 2-1 win over Brazil, appears to show Princess Ingrid Alexandra sharing a hug with a shirtless Haaland amid the wild celebrations at New York New Jersey Stadium. The video has racked up massive engagement, with fans calling it a "royalty meets royalty" moment. Princess Ingrid Alexandra and her brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, attended the Norway vs Brazil match and were seen celebrating enthusiastically throughout the match.

Who is Norway Princess Ingrid Alexandra?

Born in January 2004, Princess Ingrid Alexandra is the elder child of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and she stands second in the line of succession to the Norwegian throne, behind her father. Under Norway's constitution, which follows absolute primogeniture, she is set to become Norway's first reigning queen since the 14th century once her father eventually ascends the throne, and after him, she is expected to succeed as monarch in her own right.

She has largely stayed away from the spotlight while completing her education, having enrolled at the University of Sydney in Australia to study international relations before her mother's health emergency brought her back to Norway. She is also central to a proposed change to Norway's constitution that would allow her to formally act as regent when required, underlining her growing public role as she edges closer to adulthood-defined royal duties.


Along with her brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, she has increasingly been seen representing the monarchy at high-profile events, and this World Cup has turned into her most visible outing yet on the global stage.

Norway beats Brazil in World Cup 2026

Haaland scored twice in the closing stages at New York New Jersey Stadium to send Brazil crashing out of the tournament in the round of 16, Brazil's earliest World Cup exit in 36 years. He rose above Brazil's defence to head in a cross from Andreas Schjelderup before slamming home a left-footed strike from outside the box to make it 2-0. Neymar, playing what is widely seen as his final World Cup match, converted a stoppage-time penalty to make the final score 2-1, but it was not enough to spare Brazil the upset. Norway goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland had earlier saved a first-half penalty from Bruno Guimarães, a moment that proved decisive.

The win puts Norway into the quarterfinals of a World Cup for the first time in the nation's history. They will face the winner of the England on July 11 in Miami. Haaland's brace also took him level with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé at the top of the Golden Boot race, with seven goals apiece.

The Royal Norway Siblings In The Stands

Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus were seated in the stands throughout the match, wrapped in Norway scarves over formal clothing, and were seen celebrating enthusiastically as the goals went in. This was not their first World Cup outing this summer, the siblings had already attended Norway's group-stage win over Senegal in June, an appearance that came about somewhat unexpectedly.

Their father, Crown Prince Haakon, had originally been scheduled to travel to the United States with Prince Sverre Magnus for that Senegal match. He pulled out after a family health matter, and Princess Ingrid Alexandra stepped in for him, joining her brother instead. It marked their first joint royal engagement together outside Norway.

Why This Summer Has Been Difficult For The Norwegian Royals

The World Cup celebrations have arrived at a bittersweet time for the family. Crown Princess Mette-Marit, the princess's mother, underwent a lung transplant in Oslo in June and has remained in hospital recovering in the weeks since. Ingrid Alexandra had reportedly returned home early from her studies in Australia to be with her mother in the lead-up to the surgery. Against that backdrop, her appearances at Norway's matches have given the royal family, and the country, a rare and welcome dose of good news to rally around.