Norway national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Norway women's national football team.

Quick facts for kids
Norway

Nickname(s)

Røde, Hvite, Blå (Red, White and Blue)
Landslaget (National Team)
Drillos

Association

Norges Fotballforbund (NFF)

Confederation

UEFA (Europe)

Head coach

Ståle Solbakken

Captain

Martin Ødegaard

Most caps

John Arne Riise (110)

Top scorer

Erling Haaland (42)

Home stadium

Ullevaal Stadion

FIFA code

NOR

First colours

Second colours

FIFA ranking

Current

2 (7 February 2019)

Highest

2 (October 1993, July–August 1995)

Lowest

88 (July 2017)

Elo ranking

Current

22 (3 March 2019)

Highest

6 (June 2000)

Lowest

91 (May–June 1976)

First international

Sweden 11–3 Norway

(Gothenburg, Sweden; 12 July 1908)

Biggest win

Norway 12–0 Finland

(Bergen, Norway; 28 June 1946)

Biggest defeat

Denmark 12–0 Norway

(Copenhagen, Denmark; 7 October 1917)

World Cup

Appearances

3 (first in 1938)

Best result

Round of 16 (1938, 1998)

European Championship

Appearances

1 (first in 2000)

Best result

Group stage (2000)

Medal record


Olympic Games
Bronze	1936 Berlin	Team

Website

fotball.no

The Norway national football team represents Norway in men's international football. It is controlled by the Norwegian Football Federation, which is the main group for football in Norway. The team's home stadium is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo. Their head coach is Ståle Solbakken.

Norway has played in the FIFA World Cup three times (in 1938, 1994, and 1998). They have also played in the UEFA European Championship once, in 2000. Norway is one of only four national teams that have a winning record against Brazil. They are also the only team, along with Senegal, that has never lost to Brazil. They have two wins and two draws against Brazil.

Team History and Achievements

Early Days and Olympic Success

Norway's football team has usually been less strong than its neighbors, Sweden and Denmark. However, they had a great period in the late 1930s. An Olympic team won a bronze medal at the 1936 Olympics. They even beat host country Germany in that tournament. Norway also played in the 1938 FIFA World Cup. They lost 2–1 in extra time to Italy, who went on to win the World Cup. This was Norway's last World Cup appearance for 56 years.

The "Drillo" Era: 1990s Golden Age

From 1990 to 1998, Norway had its most successful time under coach Egil "Drillo" Olsen. At its best in the mid-1990s, the team was ranked No. 2 in the world. Olsen's time as coach started with a big 6–1 win against Cameroon in 1990. It ended after a 0–1 loss to Italy in the 1998 World Cup.

For the 1994 World Cup, Norway finished first in their group. They were ahead of the Netherlands (who had won the European Championship) and England (former World Cup winners). Norway beat both of these strong teams.

In the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Norway was knocked out in the group stage. All four teams in their group finished with the same points and goal difference. Norway was eliminated because they scored fewer goals. In the 1998 World Cup in France, Norway again lost to Italy in the first knockout round. They had drawn against Morocco and Scotland, and famously won 2–1 against Brazil.

The national football team of Norway in 2015

Recent Years and Future Goals

After Euro 2000, the national team has not qualified for a major international tournament. This includes both the UEFA European Championship and the FIFA World Cup. They are working hard to change this and get back to playing in big tournaments.

Team Look and Kits

Team Crest

Original badge of the Norwegian national team

For many years, Norway used the national flag as their team badge. In 2008, the NFF tried a new badge with a Viking-style dragon. But many people did not like it, so it was removed.

On December 12, 2014, a new badge was introduced. This badge mainly shows the national flag. It also has two lions from the Coat of arms of Norway. The lions face each other and hold a small NFF logo. Above them, it says "NORGE" (Norway).

Kit Suppliers

Norway's football kits have been made by different companies over the years. From 1996 to 2014, Umbro supplied their kits. Before that, Adidas made them from 1992 to 1996.

Since January 1, 2015, Nike has been the official kit supplier for the Norwegian team.

Kit provider	Period
Le Coq Sportif	1976–1980
Hummel	1981–1991
Adidas	1992–1996
Umbro	1996–2014
Nike	2015–present

Recent Matches and Schedule

This section shows Norway's match results from the last year and upcoming games.

Win Draw Loss Fixture

2024 Matches

6 September 2024 2024–25 Nations League	Kazakhstan	0–0	Norway	Almaty, Kazakhstan
20:00 UTC+6				Stadium: Almaty Central Stadium Attendance: 23,173 Referee: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)

9 September 2024 2024–25 Nations League	Norway	2–1	Austria	Oslo, Norway
20:45 UTC+2	Myhre 9' Haaland 80'		Sabitzer 37'	Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion Attendance: 23,171 Referee: Nikola Dabanović (Montenegro)

10 October 2024 2024–25 Nations League	Norway	3–0	Slovenia	Oslo, Norway
20:45 UTC+2	Haaland 7', 62' Sørloth 52'			Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion Attendance: 23,341 Referee: Manfredas Lukjančukas (Lithuania)

13 October 2024 2024–25 Nations League	Austria	5–1	Norway	Linz, Austria
20:45 UTC+2	Arnautović 8', 49' (pen.) Lienhart 58' Posch 62' Gregoritsch 71'		Sørloth 39'	Stadium: Raiffeisen Arena Attendance: 16,500 Referee: Tamás Bognár (Hungary)

14 November 2024 2024–25 Nations League	Slovenia	1–4	Norway	Ljubljana, Slovenia
20:45 UTC+1	Šeško 21' (pen.)		Nusa 9', 54' Haaland 45' Hauge 82'	Stadium: Stožice Stadium Attendance: 15,308 Referee: Michael Oliver (England)

17 November 2024 2024–25 Nations League	Norway	5–0	Kazakhstan	Oslo, Norway
18:00 UTC+1	Haaland 23', 37', 71' Sørloth 41' Nusa 76'			Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion Attendance: 23,458 Referee: Jasper Vergoote (Belgium)

2025 Matches

22 March 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Moldova	0–5	Norway	Chișinău, Moldova
19:00 UTC+2			Ryerson 5' Haaland 23' Aasgaard 38' Sørloth 43' Dønnum 69'	Stadium: Zimbru Stadium Attendance: 9,342 Referee: Matej Jug (Slovenia)

25 March 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Israel	2–4	Norway	Debrecen, Hungary
20:45 UTC+2	Abu Fani 55' Turgeman 90+3'		Møller Wolfe 39' Sørloth 59' Ajer 65' Haaland 83'	Stadium: Nagyerdei Stadion Attendance: 1,200 Referee: Chris Kavanagh (England)

6 June 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Norway	3–0	Italy	Oslo, Norway
20:45 UTC+2	Sørloth 14' Nusa 34' Haaland 42'			Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion Attendance: 25,796 Referee: José María Sánchez Martínez (Spain)

9 June 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Estonia	0–1	Norway	Tallinn, Estonia
21:45 UTC+3			Haaland 62'	Stadium: Lilleküla Stadium Attendance: 11,577 Referee: Srđan Jovanović (Serbia)

4 September 2025 Friendly	Norway	v	Finland	Oslo, Norway
				Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion

8 September 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Norway	v	Moldova	Oslo, Norway
20:45 UTC+2				Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion

11 October 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Norway	v	Israel	Oslo, Norway
18:00 UTC+2				Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion

14 October 2025 Friendly	Norway	v	New Zealand	Oslo, Norway
				Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion

13 November 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Norway	v	Estonia	Oslo, Norway
18:00 UTC+1				Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion

16 November 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Italy	v	Norway	Italy
20:45 UTC+1

Coaching Team

Ståle Solbakken is currently the manager of Norway

The coaching staff helps the team play its best. Here are some of the key people:

Position	Name
Head coach	Ståle Solbakken
Assistant coach	Kent Bergersen
Fitness coach	Björn Vidar Stenersen
Match analysts	Andy Findlay Pål Fjelde
Sports coordinator	Brede Hangeland
Physiotherapist	Mario Pafundi
Sports scientist	Johannes Marthinussen
Chief instructor	Bryant Lazaro
Team manager	Bard Wiggen

Player Information

Current Squad Members

These players were chosen for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches in June 2025.

Caps means how many games a player has played for the national team.
Goals means how many goals they have scored.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Ørjan Nyland	(1990-09-10) 10 September 1990 (age 34)	62	0	Sevilla
12	1GK	Mathias Dyngeland	(1995-10-07) 7 October 1995 (age 29)	1	0	Brann
13	1GK	Egil Selvik	(1997-07-30) 30 July 1997 (age 28)	4	0	Watford

3	2DF	Kristoffer Ajer	(1998-04-17) 17 April 1998 (age 27)	43	2	Brentford
4	2DF	Leo Skiri Østigård	(1999-11-28) 28 November 1999 (age 25)	31	1	Rennes
5	2DF	David Møller Wolfe	(2002-04-23) 23 April 2002 (age 23)	12	1	Lille
14	2DF	Julian Ryerson	(1997-11-17) 17 November 1997 (age 27)	34	1	Borussia Dortmund
15	2DF	Jostein Gundersen	(1996-04-02) 2 April 1996 (age 29)	2	0	Bodø/Glimt
16	2DF	Marcus Holmgren Pedersen	(2000-07-16) 16 July 2000 (age 25)	29	0	Torino
17	2DF	Torbjørn Heggem	(1999-01-12) 12 January 1999 (age 26)	7	0	West Bromwich Albion
	2DF	Colin Rösler	(2000-04-22) 22 April 2000 (age 25)	1	0	Malmö FF

2	3MF	Morten Thorsby	(1996-05-05) 5 May 1996 (age 29)	26	0	Genoa
6	3MF	Patrick Berg	(1997-11-24) 24 November 1997 (age 27)	34	0	Bodø/Glimt
8	3MF	Sander Berge	(1998-02-14) 14 February 1998 (age 27)	56	1	Fulham
10	3MF	Martin Ødegaard (captain)	(1998-12-17) 17 December 1998 (age 26)	65	3	Arsenal
18	3MF	Thelo Aasgaard	(2002-05-02) 2 May 2002 (age 23)	1	1	Rangers
19	3MF	Aron Dønnum	(1998-04-20) 20 April 1998 (age 27)	14	2	Toulouse
20	3MF	Antonio Nusa	(2005-04-17) 17 April 2005 (age 20)	15	5	RB Leipzig
21	3MF	Andreas Schjelderup	(2004-06-01) 1 June 2004 (age 21)	3	0	Benfica
22	3MF	Oscar Bobb	(2003-07-12) 12 July 2003 (age 22)	10	2	Manchester City
23	3MF	Lasse Berg Johnsen	(1999-07-18) 18 July 1999 (age 26)	3	0	Malmö FF
	3MF	Felix Horn Myhre	(1999-03-04) 4 March 1999 (age 26)	3	1	Brann

7	4FW	Alexander Sørloth	(1995-12-05) 5 December 1995 (age 29)	63	24	Atlético Madrid
9	4FW	Erling Haaland (vice-captain)	(2000-07-21) 21 July 2000 (age 25)	43	42	Manchester City
11	4FW	Jørgen Strand Larsen	(2000-02-06) 6 February 2000 (age 25)	21	3	Wolves

Players Recently Called Up

These players have also been part of the Norway squad in the last year.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Viljar Myhra	(1996-07-21) 21 July 1996 (age 29)	0	0	OB	v. Kazakhstan, 17 November 2024

DF	Andreas Hanche-Olsen	(1997-01-17) 17 January 1997 (age 28)	21	0	Mainz 05	v. Israel, 26 March 2025 ^INJ
DF	Stian Rode Gregersen	(1995-05-17) 17 May 1995 (age 30)	11	0	Atlanta United	v. Israel, 26 March 2025 ^INJ
DF	Sondre Langås	(2001-02-02) 2 February 2001 (age 24)	2	0	Derby County	v. Israel, 26 March 2025 ^INJ
DF	Warren Kamanzi	(2000-11-11) 11 November 2000 (age 24)	0	0	Toulouse	v. Kazakhstan, 17 November 2024
DF	Fredrik André Bjørkan	(1998-08-21) 21 August 1998 (age 26)	14	1	Bodø/Glimt	v. Austria, 9 September 2024
DF	Jesper Daland	(2000-01-06) 6 January 2000 (age 25)	0	0	Cardiff City	v. Kazakhstan, 6 September 2024 ^INJ
DF	Fredrik Sjøvold	(2003-08-17) 17 August 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Bodø/Glimt	v. Kazakhstan, 6 September 2024 ^INJ

MF	Jens Petter Hauge	(1999-10-12) 12 October 1999 (age 25)	13	1	Bodø/Glimt	v. Israel, 26 March 2025
MF	Kristian Thorstvedt	(1999-03-13) 13 March 1999 (age 26)	31	4	Sassuolo	v. Kazakhstan, 17 November 2024 ^INJ
MF	Hugo Vetlesen	(2000-02-29) 29 February 2000 (age 25)	6	1	Club Brugge	v. Slovenia, 14 November 2024 ^INJ

FW	Erik Botheim	(2000-01-10) 10 January 2000 (age 25)	2	0	Malmö FF	v. Israel, 26 March 2025
FW	Sindre Walle Egeli	(2006-06-21) 21 June 2006 (age 19)	1	0	Nordsjælland	v. Austria, 9 September 2024
^INJ Withdrew due to injury ^PRE Preliminary squad / standby ^RET Retired from the national team ^SUS Serving suspension ^QUA Placed in mandatory quarantine ^WD Withdrew due to non-injury issue. ^EX Player expelled from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Player Records

Players in bold are still playing for Norway.

Most Games Played

John Arne Riise is Norway's most capped player with 110 appearances.

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	John Arne Riise	110	16	2000–2013
2	Thorbjørn Svenssen	104	0	1947–1962
3	Henning Berg	100	9	1992–2004
4	Erik Thorstvedt	97	0	1982–1996
5	John Carew	91	24	1998–2011
5	Brede Hangeland	91	4	2002–2014
7	Øyvind Leonhardsen	86	19	1990–2003
8	Morten Gamst Pedersen	83	17	2004–2014
8	Kjetil Rekdal	83	17	1987–2000
10	Steffen Iversen	79	21	1998–2011

Top Goal Scorers

Erling Haaland is Norway's all-time top goalscorer with 42 goals.

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Average	Career
1	Erling Haaland (list)	42	43	0.98	2019–present
2	Jørgen Juve	33	45	0.73	1928–1937
3	Einar Gundersen	26	33	0.79	1917–1928
4	Harald Hennum	25	43	0.58	1949–1960
5	Alexander Sørloth	24	63	0.39	2016–present
5	John Carew	24	91	0.26	1998–2011
7	Ole Gunnar Solskjær	23	67	0.34	1995–2007
7	Tore André Flo	23	76	0.3	1995–2004
9	Gunnar Thoresen	22	64	0.34	1946–1959
10	Steffen Iversen	21	79	0.27	1998–2011

Tournament Records

FIFA World Cup History

Norway has played in the FIFA World Cup three times. Their best result was reaching the Round of 16 in 1938 and 1998.

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Result	Pos.	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Pos.	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Did not enter									Declined invitation
1934	Did not enter									Did not enter
1938	Round of 16	12th	1	0	0	1	1	2	Squad	1st	2	1	1	0	6	5
1950	Did not enter									Did not enter
1954	Did not qualify									3rd	4	0	2	2	4	9
1958										3rd	4	1	0	3	3	15
1962										3rd	4	0	0	4	3	11
1966										2nd	6	3	1	2	10	5
1970										3rd	4	1	0	3	4	13
1974										3rd	6	2	0	4	9	16
1978										2nd	4	2	0	2	3	4
1982										5th	8	2	2	4	8	15
1986										5th	8	1	3	4	4	10
1990										4th	8	2	2	4	10	9
1994	Group stage	17th	3	1	1	1	1	1	Squad	1st	10	7	2	1	25	5
1998	Round of 16	15th	4	1	2	1	5	5	Squad	1st	8	6	2	0	21	2
2002	Did not qualify									4th	10	2	4	4	12	14
2006										2nd (P/O)	12	5	3	4	12	9
2010										2nd	8	2	4	2	9	7
2014										4th	10	3	3	4	10	13
2018										4th	10	4	1	5	17	16
2022										3rd	10	5	3	2	15	8
2026	To be determined									In progress	4	4	0	0	13	2
2030										To be determined
2034										To be determined
Total	Round of 16	3/22	8	2	3	3	7	8	—	—	142	55	33	54	198	190

UEFA European Championship History

Norway has qualified for the UEFA European Championship once, in 2000, where they reached the group stage.

UEFA European Championship record										Qualifying record
Year	Result	Pos.	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	Pos.	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1960	Did not qualify									R16	2	0	0	2	2	6
1964										PR	2	0	1	1	1	3
1968										4th	6	1	1	4	9	14
1972										4th	6	0	1	5	5	18
1976										4th	6	1	0	5	5	15
1980										5th	8	0	1	7	5	20
1984										4th	6	1	2	3	7	8
1988										5th	8	1	2	5	5	12
1992										3rd	8	3	3	2	9	5
1996										3rd	10	6	2	2	17	7
2000	Group stage	9th	3	1	1	1	1	1	Squad	1st	10	8	1	1	21	9
2004	Did not qualify									2nd (P/O)	10	4	2	4	10	10
2008										3rd	12	7	2	3	27	11
2012										3rd	8	5	1	2	10	7
2016										3rd (P/O)	12	6	1	5	14	13
2020										3rd (P/O)	11	4	5	2	20	13
2024										3rd	8	3	2	3	14	12
2028	To be determined									To be determined
2032	To be determined									To be determined
Total	Group stage	1/17	3	1	1	1	1	1	—	133	50	27	56	181	183

UEFA Nations League History

The UEFA Nations League is a newer competition. Norway has been promoted to League A for the next season.

UEFA Nations League record
Season	Division	Group	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	RK
2018–19	C	3	6	4	1	1	7	2		26th
2020–21	B	1	6	3	1	2	12	7		22nd
2022–23	B	4	6	3	1	2	7	7		24th
2024–25	B	3	6	4	1	1	15	7		12th
2026–27	A	To be determined
Total			24	10	3	5	41	23	18th

Olympic Games Football

Norway won a bronze medal in football at the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Olympic Games record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1908	Did not enter
1912	Quarter-finals	1	0	0	1	0	7	Squad
1920	Quarter-finals	2	1	0	1	3	5	Squad
1924	Did not enter
1928	Did not enter
1936	Bronze medal	4	3	0	1	10	4	Squad
1948	Did not enter
1952	Round of 16	1	0	0	1	1	4	Squad
1956	Did not enter
1960	Did not qualify
1964	Did not enter
1968
1972
1976
1980	Qualified, but later withdrew
1984	Group stage	3	1	1	1	3	2	Squad
1988	Did not qualify
Since 1992	Olympic football has been an under-23 tournament
Total	Bronze medal	11	5	1	5	17	22	—