- Erling Haaland has been named global brand ambassador for WALOVI, the international label of Chinese herbal tea brand Wanglaoji (Wang Lao Ji), ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- The campaign, built around the slogan "WALOVI, WE LOVE IT!", positions the drink as a caffeine-free alternative to traditional soft drinks, with ads featuring a playful, humorous side of Haaland, including a fire-breathing scene.
- The deal marks another major addition to Haaland's rapidly expanding commercial portfolio, which now spans fintech, luxury watches, sportswear, and beverages.
Erling Haaland is the new global brand ambassador for WALOVI, the international name for Chinese herbal tea brand Wanglaoji (Wang Lao Ji).
The campaign, centered on the slogan “WALOVI, WE LOVE IT!”, promotes the drink as a caffeine-free alternative to soft drinks and has already generated strong social media buzz, including a standout ad where Haaland appears to breathe fire.
Founded in 1828, WALOVI is made from natural herbal ingredients and is registered in over 100 countries. The brand unveiled its international identity in October 2023 and has been pushing hard into global markets since, with recent launches in Australia and across North America.
This is the brand’s first major global celebrity endorsement play, and tapping Haaland, one of football’s most recognizable faces heading into a World Cup year, is a bold swing at mainstream visibility.
For Haaland, it adds another high-profile name to a portfolio that is growing fast. Just weeks ago, Revolut named him the face of its UK “Welcome to My Bank” campaign, and Breitling collaborated with him on a limited-edition Chronomat meteorite dial watch collection. He also fronted Visa’s global “Tap In” World Cup 2026 campaign alongside Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis.
On the pitch, the 25-year-old has already surpassed 300 career goals and signed a landmark nine-and-a-half-year Manchester City contract extension in January 2025, keeping him at the Etihad until 2034. He now leads Norway into the World Cup with enormous expectations.
Takeaways
This deal is a smart cultural bridge. WALOVI is a nearly 200-year-old Chinese brand trying to earn genuine shelf space in Western and global markets, not just in Asian grocery stores.
Haaland gives them that bridge. His image is clean, athletic, and family-friendly, which maps perfectly to a health-positioned herbal drink.
The humor angle in the ads is also strategic: it signals WALOVI isn’t taking itself too seriously, and that’s exactly the energy needed to win over audiences who’ve never heard of Wang Lao Ji.
On Haaland’s side, the diversity of his brand portfolio is becoming as impressive as his goal tally. Fintech, luxury watches, a Visa World Cup campaign, now herbal tea, this isn’t random, it shows a deliberate strategy to build a global, cross-demographic appeal well beyond football.
Can a Chinese heritage brand genuinely break through to mainstream Western consumers using a football star’s face? As Chinese brands increasingly use elite Western athletes to go global, what does this trend say about where soft power in sports marketing is heading?
