The 2026 FIFA World Cup takes place from 11 June to 19 July across the United States, Canada and Mexico. It will be the biggest edition of the tournament yet, with 48 teams and 104 matches.

For football fans in Norway, this one feels different. Norway’s men have not appeared at a World Cup since France 1998, meaning an entire generation of supporters has grown up without seeing the national team on this stage.

That is set to change this summer. Norway will face Iraq, Senegal and France in the group stage, with games in the Boston and New York areas. Because of the North American host cities, the kick-off times vary from very convenient to decidedly late.

Whether you plan to watch at home, in a pub, or as part of a big-screen public event, here’s what to know about watching the 2026 World Cup in Norway.

Watching the World Cup on TV in Norway

The 2026 World Cup will be shown in Norway by NRK and TV 2, who are sharing the rights to the tournament.

Together, the broadcasters plan extensive coverage across television, streaming, radio, podcasts and online highlights. NRK will show 51 matches on TV, including two of Norway’s group games, a potential Norway round-of-16 match, the bronze final and the final itself.

TV 2 will open its coverage with the tournament’s first match, Mexico against South Africa, on 11 June. TV 2 will also show Norway’s first group-stage match against Iraq.

For viewers in Norway, that means the simplest way to follow the tournament is through NRK, NRK TV, TV 2, TV 2 Play and the broadcasters’ digital platforms. Some TV 2 content may depend on your TV package or TV 2 Play access, so it is worth checking this before the tournament begins.

NRK will also cover every match live on NRK Sport radio. This could be useful if you are travelling around Norway during the tournament, although the commentary will of course be in Norwegian.

Watching Broadcasts From Your Home Country

If you are visiting Norway during the World Cup, or you live in Norway but want to follow coverage from your home country, you may prefer to watch the broadcasts you are used to.

These broadcasts often include familiar presenters, commentary teams and pre-match build-up focused on your own national team.

However, many streaming services restrict access based on location. If you try to open your usual TV streaming app while travelling in Norway, you may find that live sport is blocked or unavailable.

A VPN can sometimes help travellers access their usual online services while abroad by allowing them to connect through their home country. This can be useful if you already pay for a TV package or streaming service and want to follow the World Cup with the commentary and coverage you know best.

Before using one, it is worth checking the terms of your streaming provider and making sure you have the right to access the service. Broadcast rights vary by country, and availability can change from one match to another.

For most people in Norway, NRK and TV 2 will be the simplest way to watch the World Cup. But for international fans who want coverage from home, a reliable VPN may be worth considering before the tournament begins.

Norway’s Group Stage Matches

Norway’s group-stage matches are spread across three very different kick-off times in Norwegian time.

Norway v Iraq will be shown by TV 2 and kicks off at midnight, technically the night of 16 June into 17 June in Norway.

Norway v Senegal will be shown by NRK and kicks off at 02:00 on 23 June Norwegian time.

Norway v France will also be shown by NRK and kicks off at 21:00 on 26 June Norwegian time.

That final group-stage match against France is likely to be the easiest one for families and casual fans to watch together. The first two matches, however, will require either a late night, an early alarm or a very flexible workplace the following morning.

What About the Late Kick-Offs?

The time difference is one of the biggest practical issues for anyone watching the 2026 World Cup in Norway. Many matches will be played in the evening in North America, which means late evening, midnight or early-morning kick-offs in Norway.

At home, this simply means planning ahead. If you want to watch every Norway game live, you may need to treat the first two group matches like a mini night shift.

In bars and public venues, the situation is more complicated. Norwegian alcohol rules and local licensing arrangements vary by municipality, so not every venue will be able to stay open for late-night games or serve alcohol throughout the night.

Some cities are preparing for this. Bergen, for example, has been working on special arrangements for extended opening and serving hours during the tournament. Even so, visitors should not assume that every pub will show every late-night game.

The safest approach is to check directly with the venue, book a table where possible, and pay close attention to the actual kick-off time in Norway rather than the local time listed by FIFA.

Watching the World Cup on Big Screens in Norway

Norway’s return to the World Cup has already sparked plans for major public screenings across the country.

In Oslo, is planning events at Ullevaal Stadion and in Kongens gate. Ullevaal is especially symbolic, as it is the home of Norwegian football, while the city-centre screenings should appeal to visitors and locals who want a more festival-like atmosphere.

Bergen is also preparing for a busy World Cup summer. by AdO Arena is advertising big screens inside and outside, along with a food court, bars, quizzes and live shows. The organisers say the event will include thousands of seats across indoor and outdoor areas, with free entry and the option to reserve a table.

Trondheim has several planned options too. Trondheim Spektrum is advertising Fotballfest i Spektrum from 11 June to 19 July, with plans to show matches in a large arena setting. Another VM-Festen event at Clarion Hotel Trondheim on Brattøra is also being promoted as a large indoor football venue.

In Stavanger, DNB Arena has announced plans for a major indoor World Cup event, while other local venues including sports bars are also expected to show matches.

There are also listings for public screenings, sports bars and big-screen events in places such as Ålesund, Jessheim, ������������ٰ�ø��, Askim, Tromsø and ���ǻ�ø, amongst others.

Interest will be high, especially for the France match at 21:00 on 26 June. That is the one group-stage game that lands at a convenient evening time in Norway, making it ideal for big-screen events, after-work gatherings and pub viewings.

Tips for Visitors in Norway During the World Cup

If you are visiting Norway during the tournament, the World Cup could be a fun way to experience local culture. Norwegians are often passionate football followers, but major national team tournaments have been rare for the men’s side in recent decades.

Sports bars in the bigger cities are the easiest option for international visitors. Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger all have venues used to showing Premier League, Champions League and international football.

For fans of other nations, it is worth checking expat-friendly pubs and Irish or British-style sports bars, especially for England, Scotland, Germany, Brazil, Argentina and other well-supported teams. Just remember that late kick-offs may affect what is actually shown.

If you are travelling outside the cities, watching on NRK TV or TV 2 Play may be simpler than trying to find a venue. Good internet access is widespread in Norway, but if you are staying in a cabin, remote hotel or campsite, check the Wi-Fi before relying on streaming.

If you want to watch coverage from your home country, make sure you test your streaming service, subscription and VPN setup before kick-off.

A World Cup Summer Norway Has Waited 28 Years For

Football is hardly unusual in a Norwegian summer. The domestic season is in full swing, children’s tournaments take over pitches across the country, and many Norwegians follow club football closely throughout the warmer months.

But this summer will feel different. For many people in Norway, the 2026 World Cup will be the first time they have ever watched the Norwegian men’s team at the tournament.

The country’s last appearance came in 1998, long before Haaland, Ødegaard and many of today’s fans were old enough to remember it. That alone will give the tournament a special atmosphere, whatever happens on the pitch.

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I still remember sitting at Aspmyra on 13 March 2016 for ���ǻ�ø/Glimt against Sogndal. It was the opening weekend of the league season. Glimt won 2–0. A solid start, a friendly atmosphere.

If you had leaned over to me that afternoon and said, “In less than ten years this club will beat Manchester City, Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan in the Champions League within the space of a few weeks,” I would not just have laughed. I would have roared.

Yet here we are. A 3–1 win has given Glimt a genuine shot at making the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

As a ��å�������Բ��� supporter, I have watched this rise with equal parts frustration, jealousy and admiration. I have seen them dismantle my team more times than I care to count.

And yet I also remember our 6–0 win at Valle and that victory towards the end of 2025 that ultimately cost Glimt the league title. Norwegian football has a long memory, and I, like all fans, love to grasp at straws!

But in a football world increasingly dominated by sovereign wealth, billionaire owners and multi-club empires, the more interesting question is this:

How has a relatively small club from north of the Arctic Circle managed to build something this formidable?

The 2016 Relegation That Changed Everything

The answer does not begin with Manchester City. It begins with failure.

Later in 2016, ���ǻ�ø/Glimt were relegated from Eliteserien, the Norwegian Premier League. For many clubs, relegation triggers panic: rushed signings, short-term thinking, a revolving door of managers. Instead, Glimt used it as a reset.

The club committed to a long-term sporting plan. They aligned recruitment, coaching, and player development around a clearly defined identity. The language that repeatedly appears in Norwegian coverage is “stein på stein” – stone by stone. This was not a miracle season. It was construction work.

Promotion came quickly. The league title in 2020, the club’s first, followed. But the foundations were laid in the year they went down, not the year they lifted silverware.

A Clear Identity, Relentlessly Applied

Under head coach Kjetil Knutsen, ���ǻ�ø/Glimt developed one of the clearest footballing identities in Scandinavia.

High tempo. Aggressive pressing. Quick transitions. Wide players stretching the pitch. Midfielders drilled to understand distances and movement.

What makes it remarkable is not just how well it works, but how stubbornly it is applied. Glimt do not radically change their personality depending on the opponent. They tweak. They adapt details. But the core remains.

That consistency means new players enter a system rather than being asked to invent one. It also means opponents face the same intensity whether they are visiting from Tromsø or Turin.

A key element behind Glimt's success beyond a single season is how they have managed to keep hold of Kjetil Knutsen, despite interest from big clubs abroad such as Celtic. That consistency has been critical.

Selling Stars Without Selling the Soul

A common assumption in Norwegian football used to be that success would inevitably be followed by collapse. Sell your best players and the model falls apart. Glimt have repeatedly disproved that theory.

Key figures have left for larger leagues. Yet the team keeps functioning. That is because recruitment is system-first. The club looks for players who fit the physical and tactical demands of the model. Role clarity matters more than reputation.

That the model works is clear from the players who have stepped outside it. A number left for bigger leagues, failed to replicate their form, then returned to Glimt and thrived again. Patrick Berg, Jens Petter Hauge and Håkon Evjen offer telling examples.

Europe Changed the Self-Belief

European nights accelerated everything.

The 6–1 win over Roma in 2021 was the first moment the . But what has followed since has been more important than that single shock result.

Regular European group stages brought experience. Experience brought composure. Prize money brought financial stability and better infrastructure. Better infrastructure supported the sporting model. It became a feedback loop.

By the time Glimt walked onto the pitch against Manchester City in the Champions League, they were not wide-eyed underdogs. They were a team used to testing themselves against elite opposition.

Beating Atlético Madrid away from home punctured the lazy narrative that Glimt are only dangerous on artificial turf at Aspmyra. Beating last year's finalists to set up what will surely be a dramatic second leg demonstrated something else: this is now a club that expects to compete.

Aspmyra and the Arctic Factor

It would be naive to pretend geography plays no role. Aspmyra is compact. The crowd is close. The Arctic climate can be unforgiving. Visiting teams are not always comfortable.

I've attended Aspmyra twice as an away fan and have not enjoyed the experience, regardless of the result. It's an environment that is far from comfortable, with extremely limited facilities.

But Madrid is not ���ǻ�ø. When Glimt win away from home in Europe, the explanation has to go deeper than wind chill and synthetic grass.

The real advantage is cultural. The club has grown comfortable being underestimated. It has turned “small northern club” into an identity rather than an apology.

One interesting question for the future is how ���ǻ�ø/Glimt's will change things. It will still be relatively small, but could the added comfort actually be an advantage for visiting teams?

A Different Model in a Billionaire Era

Modern European football often feels closed off with wealth concentrated at the top. The same clubs dominate the latter stages of major competitions. ���ǻ�ø/Glimt have not smashed that structure entirely, but they have stretched it.

Of course, it would be wrong to pretend there is no money in ���ǻ�ø. Sponsorship, broadcasting revenues and prize money from European runs have flooded in over recent years. But, that money is being used wisely.

They show that clarity of purpose can compete with chaos and that continuity can outlast hype. That a well-coached collective can unsettle squads assembled for hundreds of millions.

For those of us who follow Norwegian football closely, this rise has not been sudden. We have seen it building year by year. We have felt the irritation when they dismantle our own teams. We have grudgingly acknowledged how coherent they look.

But even with all that context, there is still something faintly surreal about watching a club from ���ǻ�ø trade blows with Europe’s elite.

On that March afternoon in 2016, it would have sounded absurd. Now, it feels almost logical, and that may be the most astonishing part of all, regardless of what happens in the San Siro next week.

I'm considering a project to tell Glimt's story in much greater depth. Let me know in the comments if you'd be interested!

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When Ada Hegerberg became the first woman ever to lift the Ballon d’Or in 2018, she did more than make history. She sent a message.

At just 23 years old, the Norwegian striker stood on world football’s biggest stage and showed that women’s football deserved equal recognition, respect, and reward.

That moment was a turning point for the sport, even if it was briefly overshadowed by the now-infamous comment from the ceremony’s host .

Hegerberg’s dignified response (she simply said “no” and carried on) came to define her as much as her goals: calm, determined, and unafraid to challenge the status quo.

From Sunndalsøra to the World Stage

Born in 1995 in the small town of Sunndalsøra in western Norway, Hegerberg grew up kicking a ball around with her older sister, Andrine.

Read more: Learn more about the popularity of women's football in Norway

The pair were inseparable on the pitch, joining their first team together and quickly outpacing the boys they trained with.

Their parents, both keen amateur footballers, encouraged their passion. When the family later moved to Kolbotn near Oslo, the sisters joined Kolbotn IL and Ada’s goal-scoring instincts began to shine.

She finished her debut season as the league’s top scorer at just 16, picking up the Young Player of the Year award.

After a short spell at ���ٲ���æ�� and a season in Germany with Turbine Potsdam, Hegerberg made the move that would define her career: signing for Olympique Lyonnais in 2014.

A Goal Machine at Lyon

When Ada Hegerberg joined Olympique Lyonnais in 2014, the French club was already a powerhouse in the women’s game. But what followed was a golden era, with Hegerberg at its heart.

Her debut season was extraordinary: 26 goals in 22 league appearances and Lyon’s ninth straight Division 1 Féminine title. From then on, her goals came in torrents. Across her first five seasons, she scored more than 200 times in all competitions.

It was a staggering strike rate that made her one of the most prolific forwards in modern football.

At Lyon, she developed into a complete striker: quick off the ball, ruthless in front of goal, and lethal with both feet. She had an instinct for being in the right place at the right time, turning half-chances into goals with effortless composure.

Her dominance extended beyond France. In European competition, Hegerberg became the all-time leading scorer in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, surpassing even legends who had played far longer.

By 2025, she had scored more than 60 goals in the tournament, including a stunning hat-trick in the 2019 final against Barcelona, . That night, she didn’t just win another trophy, she truly defined an era.

Under her influence, Lyon captured five consecutive Champions League titles between 2016 and 2020 and continued their reign as the undisputed queens of European football. Few teams in history have ever dominated with such consistency.

Then, in early 2020, disaster struck. A serious anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury sidelined her for more than a year and a half. For an athlete whose identity was bound up in performance, it was a brutal pause. But Hegerberg’s recovery showed the same discipline that had made her a star.

She returned to the pitch in early 2022 to a standing ovation and scored within minutes of her comeback. A few months later, she was back in the Champions League, adding yet another goal to her record tally.

Hegerberg Standing Up for Equality

Hegerberg’s career has always been about more than football. In 2017, she made global headlines when she stepped away from the Norwegian national team, citing deep frustration at the unequal treatment of female players compared to their male counterparts.

At the time, Norway was one of the few countries to have a professional women’s league and a proud history of success in women’s football, including a World Cup win in 1995.

But Hegerberg argued that progress had stalled. “We’ve stopped talking about development,” she told The Guardian. “Other countries have overtaken us.”

Her stance sparked national debate, helped accelerate change within the Norwegian Football Federation, and became a symbol of the wider fight for gender equality in sport.

In 2018, Norway became the first country in the world to agree to pay its men’s and women’s national teams equally. It was a step that many credited to the pressure Hegerberg helped create.

She eventually returned to the national side in 2022, scoring in her comeback match and later representing Norway at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

A Cultural Icon Beyond Sport

In Norway, Ada Hegerberg is part of the country’s broader conversation about fairness, representation, and what it means to use your platform responsibly.

She has spoken openly about confidence, mental health, and the pressures faced by young women in elite sport.

Her advocacy has extended to global campaigns promoting equality and participation in women’s football, including partnerships with UEFA and Nike aimed at inspiring girls to play.

Off the pitch, she’s become a role model for a new generation of Norwegian footballers. She's outspoken, authentic, and unwilling to accept “good enough” when it comes to equality.

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��å�������Բ���’s return to Norway’s top flight should have been a celebration. Instead, as the 2025 season kicked off at Intility Arena, something was off. Østblokka—the gathering point for the club's most boisterous fans—was silent, empty, and defiant.

Thousands of fans remained outside, refusing to enter until the 15-minute mark in a coordinated protest against one thing: video assistant referees, or VAR.

Although I wasn’t at that particular game, as a regular ��å�������Բ��� fan I felt the message loud and clear through the TV coverage.

It wasn’t just Oslo. Across the country, fans from all 16 top-flight clubs—and many from the division below—coordinated similar protests. Some walked out after kick-off. Others sat in silence.

From chants and banners to fishcakes and flares, Norwegian football fans are taking an unusually loud stand against VAR. And it’s not just about technology. It’s about trust, democracy, and who really controls the game.

Norway's Anti-VAR Movement

It started last season with hurled onto pitches.

This year, fans have opted for a more disciplined but no less passionate form of protest: silence, walkouts, and banners like Nei til VAR (“No to VAR”) and Forsvar medlemsdemokratiet (“Defend member democracy”).

Supporters clubs from all 16 Eliteserien clubs—and many from the division below—are united in their opposition to the video assistant referee system.

Unlike many countries where football clubs are private businesses, Norwegian clubs are member-run. So when fans feel like their voices aren’t being heard, it cuts deeper.

And that’s really the heart of the matter. This isn’t just about a few marginal offside calls or delays to celebrating goals. It’s about how the technology was introduced, and how attempts to remove it have been blocked.

A Democratic Farce?

In January, clubs in Norway's top two divisions voted 19–13 in favour of scrapping VAR as soon as possible. It felt like a watershed moment, but the Norwegian FA were quick to take alternative action.

The majority decision of the clubs that VAR actually impacts was ultimately overruled in a national vote of all 450 member clubs, many of which will never play a match involving VAR. The result? 321 to 129 in favour of keeping it.

Somewhat incredibly, Lise Klaveness, president of the NFF, says the process has been “transparent and democratic”—and that referees overwhelmingly support keeping the technology.

Critics say this was a tactical move by the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) to dilute the influence of elite clubs and their members. For many fans, it was a total stitch-up.

What’s So Bad About VAR?

Let’s face it—VAR hasn’t exactly improved the experience of watching football. It’s slow. It’s inconsistent. And worst of all, it kills the joy of celebrating a goal in the moment.

It’s not just fans who feel it. Players and coaches have spoken out, too — albeit more cautiously. Some are in favour. Others say they understand the supporters’ frustrations.

As a ��å�������Բ��� supporter, I want to enjoy football again. I want to celebrate a goal without checking the screen first. It has sucked all the joy out of football.

Is There Still Hope?

Not all Norwegian fans are anti-VAR. A few clubs, like Fredrikstad and ���ǻ�ø/Glimt, have openly supported the technology. Their argument is that VAR, while flawed, helps get big decisions right and protects referees from abuse.

But the protests aren’t going away. New actions are planned throughout the season. For many, this has become about more than football. It’s about who really controls the game in Norway—the members, or the federation.

VAR might not be going away anytime soon, but neither are the protests. Whether it’s silence, sarcasm, or fishcakes, Norwegian football fans are making themselves heard—even when they’re quiet.

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���ǻ�ø/Glimt’s fairytale continues with another Eliteserien title heading to the Arctic city. But this season hasn’t all been sunshine and rainbows in the north, with Glimt struggling for form in recent months.

Ultimately, the title was decided last weekend when Brann, the closest rivals for the title, fell to a 2-1 defeat at Molde. That defeat handed the initative back to Glimt, and, despite struggling in the final run-in, Glimt just needed to beat ������������ٰ�ø�� on the final day to secure the title once again.

Title Celebrations in ���ǻ�ø

������������ٰ�ø�� threatened to spoil the party by taking an early lead in ���ǻ�ø. However, the home side had turned it around by half-time to lead 2-1. ������������ٰ�ø�� struck again just after the break, but Glimt quickly hit back, eventually going on to win 5-2.

“It tastes absolutely fantastic, just like all the others. They say it gets harder and harder every year, and it does,” said Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen at full-time.

In the end, Brann drew with Viking 1-1 in torrential rain in Bergen, so a draw would have been enough for Glimt. Despite dropping points in the final two games, it was an impressive season for Brann, who take second place ahead of Viking.

The Return of Brann

Brann’s successful return to the top flight after a year in the OBOS League in 2022 surprised noone. Following their surprise relegation, the Bergen club won all but four of their games for an immediate return to Eliteserien.

But few other than hardcore Brann fans would have expected such a strong follow-up. The team finished second to Glimt in the 2023 season, and have repeated the feat in 2024, closing the gap from nine points last season to just three points this season.

Whether Brann can keep up the momentum and challenge for the title once again in 2025 remains to be seen.

Eliteserien 2024

The Norwegian Eliteserien in the top level of Norwegian football, and it’s often referred to in English as the Norwegian Permier League.

At the bottom end of the table, the relegation of Odd comes as no surprise. Following a couple poor seasons, the Skien club never looked like anything other than relegation certainties throughout the season.

Also joining Odd in the OBOS League next year will be ������������ٰ�ø��, who managed to win just 7 of 30 games.

Rubbing salt in the ������������ٰ�ø�� wound is the fact that local rivals ��å�������Բ��� will return to the Eliteserien next season. The Oslo club comfortably won the OBOS League following their relegation the previous season.

Following their third-from-last finish, Haugesund must play-off against Moss from the OBOS League for a place in Eliteserien 2025.

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A few days ago, Erling Haaland bagged a hat-trick in a 3-0 friendly win against Kosovo. It was a positive attacking performance, but it left a bitter taste in the mouth of supporters of Norway’s men’s national team.

In recent years, the rise of Haaland and Ødegaard to the top of the Premier League has sparked new interest in Norwegian football.

Erling Haaland topped the goalscoring charts two seasons running, while Ødegaard came within a whisker of captaining Arsenal to their first Premier League title in 20 years. Yet it's been 24 years since Norway last played in a major tournament.

So, the question Norwegians and many football fans around Europe are asking themselves is, even with the expansion of Euro 2024, how did Norway once again fail to qualify for a major tournament?

It's a head scratcher for sure. But let's try to figure out what has gone wrong, and if we can expect something different from the upcoming qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup.

A Disastrous Qualification Campaign

With the expansion of Euro 2024 from 16 to 24 teams, many people expected this to be the year that Norway would end their major tournament absence. The draw, while not easy, wasn't as difficult as it could have been.

The problem was that Norway found themselves on the back foot from the word go. A comprehensive 3-0 defeat in Spain in the opening game wasn't a disaster with Spain strong favourites to win the group.

However, a few days later Norway dropped more points by only managing a 1-1 draw in Georgia. Picking up just one point from the opening games meant Norway were playing catch-up for the rest of the tournament.

The real kicker though came in the third match. A must-win game at home to Scotland seemed to be going well, an Erling Haaland penalty giving Norway the lead.

With a few minutes to go in the Oslo sunshine, Norway seemed well set to push on in the qualification campaign. But in the last couple of minutes turned three points into none in the blink of an eye.

Despite a string of wins in the following games, it was too little too late, and Norway's inevitable failure to qualify was confirmed with a 1-0 home defeat by Spain.

National team manager Ståle Solbakken said it's “agony” when he thinks about Euro 2024 taking place without Norway, and that he fully understands that Norway's absence is being discussed.

“I don't find that surprising. We have players like Martin and Erling, who dominate international news day in and day out. They are players that the press and football fans in other countries would want to see in a final tournament,” he said to .

Norwegian Players Starring in European Leagues

Previously, I would've said the issue is simple. A team needs more than two superstars to function as a team. But right now the Norwegian national team has, arguably, more talent than in decades.

Julian Ryerson recently played in the Champions League final for Dortmund. Alexander Sørloth almost became top scorer in La Liga this season, and scored four goals in one game against the Champions, Real Madrid.

Jørgen Strand Larsen has also scored goals in La Liga, while goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland is a regular for Sevilla. Then there's Oscar Bobb and Antonio Nusa, considered two of Europe's most promising talents.

The Balance Isn’t There

The friendly win against Kosovo was so frustrating for Norway fans largely because of Haaland’s hat-trick.

The big Norwegian has been accused of ‘going missing’ when it matters most, something that has also haunted his time at Manchester City, despite his goalscoring records.

Lars Lagerbäck coached the Norwegian national team from 2017 to 2020, before Solbakken took over. Lagerbäck told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet he thought Norway would do significantly better.

Although many criticise Norway’s goalscorers, Lägerback said the problem is too often in defence rather than scoring goals: “Solbakken must try to find a better balance than he has so far.”

Although many of Norway’s forward-minded players are household names across Europe, few would be able to name any of the defenders.

“It doesn't help if you concede more goals than you score. Then you win no football matches, it's as simple as that,” added Lagerbäck.

Will Solbakken Turn to Norway's Youth?

The line-up against Kosovo was the youngest Ståle Solbakken has fielded during his time as national team coach, with an average age of 25.5 years. NRK expert Carl-Erik Torp said it was “a fantastic attack, built on the future of Norwegian football.”

One of the talented young crop of players, Antonio Nusa is optimistic about the future following his short stint with the national team so far: “What I've seen is a team that is very exciting, with lots of potential and really wants to move forward.”

However, this doesn’t solve Norway’s defensive problems and inability to hold on to leads.

Solbakken has some time to prepare before the qualifying campaign for the next World Cup begins, however, assuming he remains in the post.

Norway will face Austria, Kazakhstan, and Slovenia in the 2024-25 Nations League. Qualifying for the 2026 World Cup begins in March, 2025.

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Since moving to Norway, I’ve gradually got more and more interested in Norwegian football. It took me a while, but now I rarely watch any games back in England, preferring instead to watch games in person.

More recently, I’ve watched women’s football games for the first time in person, too. Last year, I watched ‘my team’ play in Oslo, Bergen, and Trondheim.

Toppserien, the top level of women’s football in Norway, is a competitive league that has attracted more interest in recent years, thanks in part to a game being broadcast live every week by NRK.

Attendances at games are still relatively low, but they are creeping up. It’s also very apparant that interest in the youth game is growing. At Toppserien games, there’s so many girls wearing tracksuits adorned with the name of their local club.

If you’re interested in watching women’s football games in Norway, whether on TV or in person, read on for your complete guide to Toppserien.

Introducing Norway’s Toppserien

Founded in 1984, Toppserien is the top level of Norwegian football for women. It is a UEFA-affiliated league, so the best teams qualify to participate in UEFA club tournaments. Toppserien takes place between April and November.

The format is relatively simple. There are ten teams that play each other three times per season, so each team plays a total of 27 games. This also means that some teams play another team once at home and twice away, and vice versa.

Promotion and relegation takes place each season between Toppserien and the next level, known as the first division.

The reigning Toppserien champions are ��å�������Բ���. In 2023, ��å�������Բ��� topped the table with 59 points, one point ahead of closest rivals Rosenborg. Both teams qualified for the first round of the UEFA Champions League.

The Controversial Play-Off Experiment

In 2022, a controversial new format was introduced. Rather than crowning the league winner as the champions, the league was split into two after each team had played each other twice.

The top four teams then entered a second phase of the league to decide the overall Toppserien winner. The bottom six teams entered a similar phase.

Supporters groups of Norway’s four biggest clubs issued a joint statement condemning the decision, and called on supporters to boycott the play-off games. This had a big impact, as the format was scrapped after just one season.

Toppserien Clubs in 2024

Anyone interested in the men’s game will recognise some familiar names in Toppserien. However, the history of many of these clubs is a complicated one.

Of the ten clubs competing in Toppserien 2024, six are from the Oslo region, and three come from the Bergen region. Here are the clubs, in alphabetical order:

�����Բ�-����ø���Բ���: One of three clubs from the Bergen area playing in Toppserien, �����Բ�-����ø���Բ��� finished last in 2023. However, because of the , �����Բ�-����ø���Բ��� were given a reprieve and will play the 2024 season in Toppserien.

Brann: The successor club to Sandviken, which won Toppserien in 2021. As Brann, the club won Toppserien for the first time in 2022. They attracted attention for their good run in the UEFA Champions League in the 2023/24 season, which ended in a quarter-final defeat by Barcelona.

Kolbotn: With three league titles, Kolbotn is one of the more successful women’s clubs in Norway, and are back in Toppserien for the 2024 season. In 2023, Kolbotn comfortably won the first division title with 14 wins from 18 matches.

������������ٰ�ø��: The successor club to both Setskog/Høland and Team Strømmen. ������������ٰ�ø�� won the league title in six consecutive seasons between 2014 and 2019, but have been trophyless since then.

Lyn: Based in the west side of Oslo, Lyn have played in Toppserien since 2018. They play their home games at Kringsjå.

Rosenborg: The successor club to Trondheims-Ørn, one of Norway’s most successful women’s football clubs. In 2020, the club became part of Rosenborg men’s football club. Since then, it finished in second place in Toppserien in 2020, 2021, and 2023.

��ø��: Based in western Oslo, ��ø�� enjoyed a lot of success between 2004 and 2011, but has struggled in recent years. Nevertheless, ��ø�� has spent every season except one in Toppserien since its promotion in 2000.

���ٲ���æ��: The team from Bærum began life by taking many of the players from Asker, following the club’s downfall in 2008. ���ٲ���æ�� are well established in Toppserien, but have struggled to challenge for the title in recent years.

��å�������Բ���: Since achieving promotion by winning the first division in 2011, ��å�������Բ��� have spent every season in Toppserien.

The club won its first title in 2020, and followed that up with the title in 2023. The team play its home games at Oslo’s Intility Arena, the same stadium used by ��å�������Բ���’s men’s team.

Å�����Ա�: The club from the Bergen region achieved promotion in the 2022 season. In 2023, the team’s 25 points were enough to secure its Toppserien status for a second year. Å�����Ա� plays at the Å�����Ա� Arena, also used by the men’s club.

Watching Toppserien Games

Are you interested in attending a game in person? Or perhaps you want to check out the league on TV first? Either way, here’s how to start watching Toppserien games in Norway.

Toppserien Matches on TV

NRK is your friend if you’re interested in watching women’s football in Norway. Each weekend, NRK broadcasts a match live, on NRK1 or NRK2. Other games are broadcast live by TV2 Sport, which is also accessible with a TV2 Play subscription.

Toppserien Matches in Person

Attending Toppserien matches in person is a family-friendly activity well worth giving a try. That’s especially true if you live in the Oslo or Bergen region, where you are spoilt for choice in terms of live games.

The atmosphere at women’s games is generally a friendly one, with many women and children of all ages in attendance. A kiosk selling pølser, snacks, coffee, and sodas will usually be available.

The best starting point for planning a trip is to take a look at the , where you’ll find the fixture list for the season. Bear in mind that some games later in the year may be moved for TV.

Once you’ve decided on a fixture, check the home team’s website for details on location and tickets. Usually, it’s no problem to find tickets, but it’s a good idea to buy them in advance anyway.

Have you watched any Toppserien games in Norway? I’d love to hear about your experience down in the comments.

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In 2023, ���ǻ�ø/Glimt secured their third Eliteserien title in four years, finishing the season nine points clear of closest rivals Brann and Molde. Their run of nine wins in their first 10 games put them in a position they were never likely to lose.

The title win caps a fantastic few years for the club from the small Norwegian city north of the Arctic circle. The club has also performed well on the European stage, drawing admiring glances from pundits in other countries.

Glimt will understandably start the 2024 edition of Eliteserien as favourites to win the title again. But there are many clubs raring to go for a chance to knock them off their perch.

Watching Football in Norway

You could be forgiven for thinking football in Norway is nothing more than the English Premier League. On a typical weekend, you’ll see Liverpool and Manchester United flags on housing estates up and down the land.

Despite the obsession with English football in Norway, interest in the domestic game is definitely growing. Attendances are up, and some high-profile player sales have drawn interest from abroad.

It took me a while to get into Norwegian football, but now I watch games from other countries far less frequently than I once did.

Watching live football is so much better than watching the game on TV, while supporting a club helps you to understand Norwegian culture and even helps you learn the language faster.

So if you’ve moved to Norway and you’re keen to discover Norwegian football, or perhaps you’re a groundhopper planning a trip to Norway, read on for a complete guide to Eliteserien, the top level of men’s professional football in Norway.

Eliteserien and the Norwegian Football System

First things first, football in Norway is a summer sport. While there are plenty of indoor facilities and artificial pitches, competitive football always takes place between April and November.

Eliteserien (the Elite Series) is the top level of football in Norway. Sixteen teams compete for the title, playing each other home and away for a total of 30 games. Games are mostly played on Sunday evenings.

Below Eliteserien sits the first division, currently known because of sponsorship as OBOS-ligaen. Below this, the football system is regional.

The two teams finishing with the fewest amount of points in Eliteserien are automatically relegated to OBOS-ligaen, and replaced with the best two teams from OBOS-ligaen. The third-worst team must play-off with the winners of a play-offf competition from OBOS-ligaen for the right to play in Eliteserien the following year.

At the time of writing, the Eliteserien champions enter the qualifying rounds for the UEFA Champions League, while the clubs finishing second and third enter the qualifying rounds for the UEFA Conference League.

This is subject to change depending on how Norwegian clubs perform in Europe, and the performance of Norway’s national team.

Eliteserien in Recent Years

Despite both clubs coming from relatively small Norwegian cities, ���ǻ�ø/Glimt and Molde have dominated Eliteserien in the past few seasons.

���ǻ�ø/Glimt won the league in 2023. Molde's title win in 2022 came after successive titles for Glimt in 2020 and 2021. In 2019, Molde won the title, which brought to an end a run of four successive titles for Rosenborg.

Despite the success of these two teams in recent years, Rosenborg is by far the most successful club in Norway with 26 title wins.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, the club won an astonishing 13 consecutive titles, as part of a run of 16 out of 19 titles between 1988 and 2006. Rosenborg also recorded a handful of Norwegian Cup wins during that era.

A History of Eliteserien

Eliteserien's birth can be traced back to 1937 as Norgesserien. Before its inception, Norway only had regional leagues and the Norwegian Cup.

Initially structured with teams from eight districts, Norgesserien champions were crowned through playoffs or finals. The first victory went to Fredrikstad in the 1937-38 season, who defeated Lyn with a 4-0 aggregate score.

World War II halted the plans to transform district leagues into a national competition.

Post-war, in 1948, the Hovedserien emerged, with 16 top teams divided into two groups. By 1963, after a lengthy transitional season called the Maratonserien, the league evolved into 1. divisjon, a single division format.

Restrictions placed on teams from Northern Norway were lifted in the 1970s, creating a truly national league for the first time.

By 1990, with sponsorship from Norsk Tipping, the league adopted the name Tippeligaen. From the 2017 season onwards, the league has been referred to without a sponsor name as just Eliteserien.

Norway’s Eliteserien in numbers

The top flight of Norwegian football has seen many teams come and go. So, it’s always interesting to dive into the history by looking at some facts and figures.

Eliteserien title wins

Which clubs are the most successful? Seventeen different clubs have won the title since the league’s creation in 1937.

They are: Rosenborg (26), Fredrikstad (9), Viking (8), ������������ٰ�ø�� (5), Molde (5), ��å�������Բ��� (5), Brann (3), Larvik Turn (3), ���ǻ�ø/Glimt (2), Lyn (2), Start (2), Strømsgodset (2), Fram Larvik (1), Freidig (1), Moss (1), Skeid (1), and ���ٲ���æ�� (1).

Are you a fan of Norway’s Eliteserien? Let us know your experiences of watching games in the comments below.

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Recent plans for a European Super League shocked many football fans across the continent. Protests notably in England saw the plans quickly fall apart. But the concept of a league featuring teams from multiple countries is nothing new.

There are the existing European tournaments of course, and pre-season tournaments in Spain and the Middle East. Plus there were some previous attempts at cross-Europe competitions such as the Intertoto Cup. But there was also a lesser-known attempt in Scandinavia.

Football or soccer is a popular sport throughout the Nordic region, but the region's reputation on the European stage is not exactly stellar. That’s especially true for Norwegian football, despite the emergence of Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard.

Although recent good performances from Denmark’s national team have attracted attention, many European football fans would struggle to name more than a handful of clubs from the region.

It could have been very different had Scandinavia's Royal League lasted more than three seasons.

The story of the Royal League

The premise of the Royal League was a good one. Give the best teams from Norwegian football together with Denmark and Sweden a chance for glory, while giving the players a chance to impress to a wider base of football fans.

Launched in November 2004, the Royal League was planned to be an annual football tournament involving the best four teams from the three Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

However, despite initial excitement, the tournament suffered from a general lack of interest from all involved. There are striking similarities with the UEFA Nations League of today.

Some clubs played reserve and youth team players, which in turn hit attendances. Interest from media both in and out of the region was indifferent.

The timing of the tournament didn't help. It started immediately after the season ended in Norway and Sweden, traditionally a time when players take a hard-earned break. Meanwhile in Denmark, it came in the already packed mid-season period.

After three seasons, the failure to secure a TV deal saw the fourth season of the Royal League cancelled. In future years there were attempts to revive the tournament, potentially involving teams from Iceland and Finland, but they came to nothing.

Royal League 1: 2004-05

The inaugural tournament had an unusual format involving two group stages. The top two teams from the first stage involving three groups of four progressed. In the second group stage, the two group winners contested the final.

Norway's four representatives in the tournament were ��å�������Բ���, Rosenborg, Tromsø and Brann.

Despite three of the six teams making it through to the second group stage being from Norway, the final was contested between Sweden's IFK Göteborg and Denmark's FC Copenhagen.

After a 1-1 draw, the Danes won an epic penalty shoot-out 11-10 to take the first Royal League title.

Royal League 2: 2005-06

The tournament's second outing saw a simplified format, with the second group stage replaced with a more traditional knockout tournament. The two best third-placed teams joined the first and second-placed sides from the group stage to contest the knockout phase.

Norway's representatives in the second season were ��å�������Բ���, Start, ������������ٰ�ø�� and Lyn.

������������ٰ�ø�� made it all the way to the final, where they faced the tough challenge of playing FC Copenhagen on their home ground of Parken. A late goal secured the title for the Danes, although the attendance of 13,617 showed the tournament was struggling.

Royal League 3: 2006-07

Norway's representatives in the third season were Brann, Rosenborg, ������������ٰ�ø�� and ��å�������Բ���. All except Rosenborg made it through to the knockout phase, but all three sides fell at the quarter final stage.

The final was a Copenhagen derby between Brøndby and FC Copenhagen, held at Brøndby's home ground. A first half penalty was enough for Brøndby to secure the title against their city rivals.

The end of the Royal League

Initially when the 2007–08 tournament was cancelled for financial reasons, there had been plans to continue. But in October 2008, it was announced that the following season's tournament would also be cancelled as the TV rights had not been sold.

Might the Royal League make a comeback?

Many Scandinavian teams have good relationships with one another, often playing games in pre-season. But there seems to be little appetite for a return of the Royal League.

sums up the tournament's number one issue nicely: “Rarely is a new competition ever viewed in the same way as ones that have existed since the beginning of the sport. Winning the Royal League was much like lifting the Nations League. Hey, at least the intentions were good!”

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Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard were rarely out of the headlines during the 2022-23 football season. For many months it looked as if Arsenal captain Ødegaard would lift the Premier League trophy. In the end, his fellow Norwegian Erling Haaland got his hands on the trophy.

Whether you call it football, soccer, calcio or fotball–as the Norwegians do–the beautiful game is both enjoyed and played in most countries around the world.

For players from countries where the game is played at a lower level, the only real chance to shine is by moving abroad to play for one of the big European clubs. While Norwegian football seems to be increasing in popularity, the best Norwegian players have enjoyed great success in other countries over the years.

Nowhere is that more true than in England. Haaland and Ødegaard might be making the headlines today, but so did a group of talented Norwegians back in the 1990s.

Why Norwegians succeed in England

There are a few good reasons why Norwegians often find themselves playing football in England. Firstly, the harsher climate in Scandinavia makes them more accustomed to the conditions in the English winter, where cold temperatures make playing slightly more tricky.

Players that sign for English clubs from warm countries in Africa and South America often find that the winters, or at least the first one, come as a complete shock as they’ve never encountered temperatures so low before!

People of Norway learn to speak English to fluency, removing one of the big barriers to playing sport in a foreign country. Players can hit the ground running and understand most of what the coach is telling them without an interpreter.

Finally, Norway and England are geographically pretty close and, in terms of timezones, only separated by one hour. That means if any problems occur, it’s not too difficult to head home to spend time with family or consult professionals in their own country.

“We were kind of pioneers at the time,” Lars Bohinen told . He was one of the stars of the ‘first wave' of Norwegians who played in English football in the 1990s.

“We didn’t make any waves, we were just constantly being professional and producing performances. I think that’s why we had so many players doing well in England,” he added.

A game of two Norsemen

The 2022-23 English Premier League was clearly dominated by two Norwegian players. Manchester City and Arsenal finished as the top two teams. With Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard as vital members of their respective teams, you could say it was a Two-Norse Race!

But whilst these two youngsters have enjoyed huge success in the EPL this season, they’re far from the first to do so. In fact, since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, an amazing 74 Norwegian players have graced Europe’s most exciting league.

Some are barely remembered, of course, in careers that never really took off. Others, however, will be remembered fondly by fans of their clubs – and some by fans of all clubs – as true footballing greats.

Both players are still closer to the start of their careers than the end. Join me as I take a look at the success they’ve enjoyed so far and how they compare to their parents’ generation of Norse exports.

Erling Haaland

Medal winner and breaker of all the records, Erling Haaland enjoyed a phenomenal first season in England. A scoring record of 52 goals from 51 games across all competitions is virtually unrivalled in the game. He has taken the record for most Premier League goals in a season beating Alan Shearer’s 34 in 1994-5.

More amazingly, he’s taken a record from 1931! The record of 50 goals across all competitions was set by Aston Villa’s Tom ‘Pongo’ Waring and looked unlikely to ever be broken. But with one EPL game left, plus the FA Cup final and Champions League Final, he’s already smashed that with 52 goals and could potentially put it even further out of reach.

Born in Leeds (on which, more later) Erling grew up mostly in Bryne, near Stavanger. At the age of 17 he made his debut for Molde and scored a modest 14 goals from 39 games. This was enough to tempt Red Bull Salzburg, where in a single season he amassed 17 strikes from 16 appearances.

This attracted the attention of Borussia Dortmund, who gave him 62 games in two great seasons, and he rewarded them with 67 goals. Finally, the Premier League came knocking and Manchester City signed him and he had the stellar season described above!

Martin Ødegaard

By comparison, Martin Ødegaard’s season might sound tame. He’s ‘only’ scored 15 goals from 36 appearances – much less than Erling’s 36! But that still places him at number 7 on the goalscoring charts for the season. And there’s one more important difference: Martin Ødegaard is not a striker but a midfielder!

In that context it’s a great season. He’s Arsenal’s top scorer – ahead of their two main strikers – and is the highest scoring midfielder in the league. In goal contributions (goals plus assists) he’s on 23, equal with Kevin de Bruyne who is arguably the best midfielder in the EPL.

Martin was born in Drammen, south-west of Oslo, in 1998. At the age of 11 he joined Stromsgodset’s youth team and over the next few years worked his way up through the ranks. When he was 17, he caught the eye of Real Madrid, who bought him for around €3m.

He enjoyed great success in their reserve team – Real Madrid Castilla – but Madrid then sent him out on a series of loans.

In 2020-21, Martin played only 8 times for Real Madrid and in the January transfer window made it clear that he’d like to leave. Madrid loaned him to Arsenal, where he found fairly instant success. He’d found a club that wanted him and knew how to play to his strengths.

At the end of the season, Arsenal bought him outright from Real Madrid for around €35m – not a bad profit for a few years of doing nothing!

After a great first season at Arsenal, Martin was made club captain ahead of the 2022-23 season and, as you can see, paid them back with their best season for years!

Norwegians in the 90s

Erling and Martin are not the only two Norwegians playing in Britain, but they are streets ahead of all others. It harks back to the first great influx of Scandinavians into English football back in the 1990s.

There were too many players to list them all here, so we'll just take a look at some of the biggest names.

Alf-Inge Haaland

Known affectionately as Alfie, Alf-Inge Haaland joined Nottingham Forest in 1993. His transfer took such a long time that it was started under manager Brian Clough and only completed under his successor, Frank Clark!

Mostly playing as a full-back and right-sided midfielder, his spell at Forest was successful and he was signed by Leeds United. He then went on to play for Manchester City who were, at the time, just recovering from a long period bouncing between the EPL and Championship.

His time in English football will mostly be remembered for a feud with Roy Keane. In a match early in his Leeds career, he taunted Keane on the ground, claiming he was feigning to get a penalty, when in fact he’d suffered a cruciate ligament injury.

Three years later, when they next met on the field, Roy Keane launched studs first into Alfie’ right thigh in what he later described as a pre-meditated attack due to the earlier incident!

But Alfie’s biggest contribution to English football is still evolving. In 2000, while he was still playing in Leeds, his wife gave birth to a son. That son they named Erling and, as you read earlier, he’s currently doing rather well for one of his dad’s old clubs, Manchester City.

Steffen Iversen

When it comes to kids outdoing their famous fathers, Erling Haaland is not alone! Steffen Iversen’s father, Odd Iversen was a highly prolific striker during his 18 year career in Norwegian football.

It’s hard to know how Odd would have fared abroad but if he was anything like his son then the answer would be very well! After a successful first season for Rosenborg at the age of 19, Steffen joined Tottenham Hotspur in 1996 for £2.3m. His debut came only 4 days after his last Rosenborg game!

In 1998-99, Steffen helped Spurs win their first major trophy for almost a decade, providing the assist for the Danish striker Allan Neilsen’s injury time winner. Steffen had also scored the winning goal in the semi-final against Wimbledon. He was top scorer that season, and the next, before a couple of years marred by injury.

In 2003 he joined Wolverhampton Wanderers on a one-year deal but he failed to regain his form, scoring only 4 times in 18 games. After that he returned to Norway for 7 years where he found instant success with ��å�������Բ��� and then Rosenborg. He then returned to England for one last season, this time with Crystal Palace, but unfortunately the story was similar to the one at Wolves.

Lars Bohinen

Currently managing Norwegian Premier League side ���ٲ���æ��, Lars Bohinen is best known among English football fans for his spells at Nottingham Forest, Blackburn Rovers and Derby County.

Known as a midfielder who chipped in with more than his fair share of goals, Bohinen also played for the national side. He scored 10 goals in his 49 appearances for Norway.

His managerial career has been less impressive, but he has managed several clubs in Norway's top tier including Sandefjord, Aalesund, Sarpsborg 08 and ���ٲ���æ��. His son, Emil, followed his father into professional football and currently plays for Italian Serie A side Salernitana.

Henning Berg

One of the happiest accidents in Blackburn Rovers’ history, the manager Kenny Dalglish attended an international match between England and Norway in 1992 intending to check out Tore Pedersen.

He was injured, so Henning Berg took his place. Dalglish was so impressed he made buying him a priority, signing him in January 1993 for £400,000. Tore Pedersen ended up signing for Oldham Athletic.

Henning quickly made himself a key member of the Blackburn Rovers defence. He was part of the side that won the Premier League title in 1994-95, in what to date is Blackburn Rovers’ finest achievement in football.

Two years later, Manchester United came calling and Henning moved there for £5 million – a joint-record at the time for a defender. He quickly settled into the side and enjoyed a season of being a regular before the arrival of Jaap Stam restricted his appearances. But when Manchester United won the league title in 1999, Henning Berg became the first player to win the Premier League with two different clubs.

Shortly afterwards, Henning returned to Blackburn, initially on loan, and enjoyed three more seasons, helping them win promotion back to the Premier League and then winning the league cup the following season. He then went on to join Rangers in the Scottish Premier League where he played his final season of professional football.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær

Saving the best for last, in my opinion by far the most successful Norwegian player of the older generation was Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

In the same year that Newcastle paid a then-record £15 million to secure the striking services of Alan Shearer, Manchester United quietly bought the unknown 23-year old whose success at Molde had gone unnoticed by most.

The media expected Ole to play second fiddle to Cantona and Cole but scoring on both his debut as a substitute and his debut start, it soon became clear that Ole was not just there to make up the numbers.

He ended his debut season as Manchester United’s top scorer with 18 goals from 33 appearances. This earned him the nickname of the ‘baby-faced assassin’ for his youthful looks and ruthless finishing.

Over his eleven years at Old Trafford, Ole scored 91 goals in his 235 appearances in the league as well as 19 from 77 in the Champions League. He won every competition including a continental treble (League, FA Cup and Champions League) during a period where Manchester United were almost unrivalled in English football.

After retiring from playing in 2007, Ole spent 3 years coaching Manchester United’s reserves before joining Molde as manager where he found instant success. He briefly returned to England to attempt to save Cardiff City from relegation in 2014 but failed and returned to Molde.

Then, in December 2018, with Manchester United sacking Jose Mourinho after a poor run of results, Ole was announced as caretaker manager.

Ole’s time in charge of Manchester United was reasonably successful in some ways but failed to yield any trophies, or the kind of success that Manchester United fans demand.

Luckily for Ole he’ll always hold a place in their affections thanks to scoring the winning goal to secure the Champions League, and thus the continental treble, against Bayern Munich in 1999.

With success coming very early in their Premier League careers, it’s likely that Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard will go down in the history books as two of the greatest Norwegian footballers in the Premier League.

But it’s important to remember the players that went before them and blazed the trail that allowed them to follow.

Have you enjoyed watching any of these players play in the English Premier League? Let us know in the comments below.

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