Norway captured hearts worldwide during the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup. The Norwegian men hadn’t qualified for the World Cup since 1998 and had never won a knockout stage match.
That all changed over the past month, with “Viking Row” celebrations galore.
Led by captain Martin Odegaard and all-world striker Erling Haaland, Norway reached the quarterfinal and came so close to upsetting England in Miami on Saturday, July 11.
Andreas Schjelderup buried a beauty to give Norway a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute. England’s Jude Bellingham found the equalizer just before halftime, and for a brief moment early in the second half, it looked like Norway pulled ahead again off a corner kick. But VAR review resulted in a foul on Haaland, disallowing the goal.
That came back to bite Norway. While the game was pushed to extra time, it didn’t take long after that for Bellingham to find the back of the net, sealing England’s 2-1 victory.
After a bitter end, Odegaard attempted to sum up what just happened.
“I think it’s been incredible for us,” Odegaard, also Arsenal‘s captain, said, per FOX Sports. “First time in the tournament for so long, and to perform like we’ve done, it’s just unbelievable. I think nobody expected that. But, yeah, disappointed with today.
“I felt like we were quite close to winning the game and feel like it could have gone our way. It’s a tough one to take, but at the same time, we have to be so proud of everything we’ve done and how much we’ve given to our people [at] home.”
“This group is just unbelievable,” Odegaard added. “We’re a group of friends traveling around and playing football. As you say, all our people backing us and supporting us from home, from here, and also the people out here. I think everyone really appreciated what we’ve done and the football we’ve played.”
All the headlines have been about Haaland, who scored seven goals at his debut World Cup, so Odegaard somehow flew under the radar. Put plainly, he was fantastic, with four assists in five matches. It has been one hell of a year for Odegaard. On top of Norway’s all-time World Cup, Arsenal won the Premier League title for the first time since 2004.
There is no shame in Norway going out in the quarterfinal, regardless of the country’s history at the World Cup, when considering the world-football behemoths that remain.
France and Spain will meet in one semifinal on Tuesday, July 14, and England will get either defending champion Argentina or Switzerland in the other semifinal on Wednesday, July 15. The World Cup final will take place at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, July 19.