During the 2026 World Cup, Norwegian striker Erling Haaland is everywhere but often not real. A deepfake video showing him reflecting on a puddle was quickly debunked, yet it continued to spread virally. The clip, originally a slapstick skit by Chinese comedian Jin Long on TikTok, was repurposed by fans to superimpose Haaland's face, becoming a symbol of how artificial intelligence is reshaping the relationship between celebrities and the public.
Deepfake embraced as a form of fan art
Public reaction to the fake video was surprising. Instead of outrage, many users embraced the content, recognizing that AI can amplify an athlete's charisma. Haaland, already known for his eccentric off-field personality, has become an open-source character, fueled by a global community creating memes, songs, and videos. This dynamic marks a departure from traditional deepfake panic, suggesting that a significant portion of the audience is willing to suspend disbelief as long as the content is entertaining and consistent with the perceived character.
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Haaland's rise in China and the birth of an AI ecosystem
The phenomenon has deep roots in China, where Haaland has been a meme icon for months. After starring in a commercial for a Chinese herbal drink and attempting Mandarin, fans nicknamed him “Habao” and began producing a steady stream of AI content. The puddle video is just one of countless artifacts from this cottage industry, demonstrating how AI can generate lore autonomously, without the real athlete.
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How sports fandom evolves with AI
According to a recent report by WSC Sports, Gen Z feels more connected to individual athletes than teams, and social media content is the primary driver of their sports engagement. AI now allows fans to create visual fan fiction that seamlessly integrates into the character's narrative. This phenomenon is not new: the @deeptomcruise account on TikTok in 2021 and the AI-generated Drake and The Weeknd song in 2023 already showed how audiences prefer entertainment over authenticity. Haaland also benefits from this trend, becoming the tournament's unlikely main character thanks to his unconventional personality, far from the typical media-trained footballer.
The Haaland case fits into a broader context of digital transformation in football, where the lines between reality and fiction become increasingly blurred. As noted in a related article on the impact of social media, platforms amplify these phenomena, turning athletes into public characters managed by the audience itself.
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For more on the role of social media in amplifying such content, see the analysis on Meta and social media addiction. Additionally, the link between AI and sports also emerges in the chip industry, where AI bonuses are transforming the job landscape in South Korea, as reported in this article. Finally, for a general overview of deepfakes, consult the Wikipedia entry on deepfakes.
Source: https://www.wired.com/story/erling-haaland-is-everywhere-at-the-world-cup-most-of-it-is-ai
