Norway national football team facts for kids

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

Nicknames

The Vikings (Great warriors of the cold)
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 (62)

Home stadium

Ullevaal Stadion

FIFA code

NOR

First colours

Second colours

Third colours

FIFA ranking

Current

2 (7 February 2019)

Highest

2 (October 1993, July–August 1995)

Lowest

88 (July 2017)

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

4 (first in 1938)

Best result

Quarter-finals (2026)

European Championship

Appearances

1 (first in 2000)

Best result

Group stage (2000)

Medal record

Men's football

Olympic Games
Bronze	1936 Berlin	Team

Website

fotball.no

The Norway national football team (also known as Landslaget, meaning "The National Team") represents Norway in international men's football matches. The team is managed by the Norwegian Football Federation. Their main stadium is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo. The current head coach is Ståle Solbakken. Norway has played in the FIFA World Cup four times (in 1938, 1994, 1998, and 2026). They also participated in the UEFA European Championship once, in 2000. After 2000, Norway did not qualify for major tournaments for a long time. However, at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the team made history by reaching the quarter-finals for the very first time.

Norway's Football Journey

Norway's football history includes some exciting moments. In the 1936 Summer Olympics, they won a bronze medal. This was a big achievement, especially after beating host country Germany. They also played in the 1938 FIFA World Cup, losing a close game to Italy. After this, it took many years for Norway to return to the World Cup.

During the years after World War II, Norway didn't qualify for many big tournaments. However, they still had some memorable wins. These included a 3–0 victory against Yugoslavia in 1965 and a 2–1 win against England in 1981.

The Golden Age of the 1990s

From 1990 to 1998, Norway experienced a "Golden Age" in football. This was under the coach Egil Olsen, nicknamed "Drillo." During this time, the team even reached the No. 2 spot in the FIFA world rankings! They qualified for the 1994 FIFA World Cup by beating strong teams like the Netherlands and England. In the 1994 World Cup, they were eliminated in the group stage. All four teams in their group finished with the same points, making it a very tight competition.

Norway also played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. They finished second in their group, even beating football giant Brazil 2–1! However, they were knocked out by Italy in the next round.

Recent Challenges and New Success

After their appearance in UEFA Euro 2000, Norway faced a long period without qualifying for major tournaments. Coaches like Nils Johan Semb and Åge Hareide tried their best. They came close to qualifying for the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008, but didn't quite make it.

In December 2020, Ståle Solbakken became the new head coach. He named Martin Ødegaard as the team captain. Although Norway missed out on the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024, things started to change. In the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League, they performed very well. They earned a promotion to the top division, League A.

Historic 2026 FIFA World Cup Run

On November 16, 2025, Norway made history by qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This ended a 28-year wait! They won all eight of their qualifying matches. A big highlight was a 4–1 victory over Italy in Milan. This was Italy's first-ever home defeat in a World Cup qualifier. Star player Erling Haaland was the top scorer in all qualifiers with 16 goals.

In the 2026 World Cup, Norway was in Group I with Iraq, Senegal, and France. They started strong with a 4–1 win against Iraq. Haaland scored two goals, a first for a Norwegian player in a World Cup match. They then beat Senegal 3–2, securing their spot in the Round of 32. Even though they lost 4-1 to France in their final group match, they had already advanced.

In the Round of 32, Norway won 2-1 against Ivory Coast. This allowed them to advance to the Round of 16 against Brazil. This was Norway's first win in a World Cup knockout stage. Norway has a special record against Brazil: they have never lost to them in five matches, including their 2026 Round of 16 victory. Norway is scheduled to play England in the Quarter-finals on July 11, 2026.

Norway in 2015

Team Identity

Team Crest and Badges

Original badge of the Norwegian national team

Norway has used its national flag on a white circle as its team badge since the 1920s. In 2008, the NFF tried a new design. It featured a Viking-style dragon wrapped around the NFF logo. However, many fans disliked it, so the old design was brought back.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the team wore the NFF logo on one side of their shirt. On the other side was the national flag in a white circle. A new crest was introduced on December 12, 2014. This crest mainly shows the national flag. It also has two lions from the Norwegian coat of arms at the top. These lions face each other, holding a small blue NFF logo. The word "NORGE" (Norway) is written in blue letters above the logo. To celebrate their 2026 World Cup qualification, they wore a special gold version of their logo against Italy.

Kit Sponsors

Adidas made Norway's kits from 1992 to 1996. Then, Umbro took over until 2014. Since January 1, 2015, Nike has been the official kit supplier.

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

Fan Chants

During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Norway's supporters have been performing the exciting Viking Row chant.

Recent Matches and Upcoming Games

Here are some of Norway's recent match results and future scheduled games.

Win Draw Loss Fixture

2026 FIFA World Cup Matches

Norway played several matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

On June 16, 2026, Norway beat Iraq 4–1.
On June 22, 2026, Norway won against Senegal 3–2.
On June 26, 2026, Norway lost to France 1–4.
On June 30, 2026, Norway defeated Ivory Coast 2–1 in the Round of 32.
On July 5, 2026, Norway won against Brazil 2–1 in the Round of 16.

Norway is scheduled to play England in the Quarter-finals on July 11, 2026.

Upcoming Matches

11 July 2026 2026 FIFA World Cup Quarter-finals	Norway	v	England	Miami Gardens, United States
17:00 UTC−4				Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium

24 September 2026 2026–27 UEFA Nations League	Norway	v	Denmark	Oslo, Norway
20:45 UTC+2				Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion

27 September 2026 2026–27 UEFA Nations League	Norway	v	Portugal	Oslo, Norway
20:45 UTC+2				Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion

1 October 2026 2026–27 UEFA Nations League	Wales	v	Norway	Cardiff, Wales
19:45 UTC+1				Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium

4 October 2026 2026–27 UEFA Nations League	Portugal	v	Norway	Porto, Portugal
19:45 UTC+1				Stadium: Estádio do Dragão

14 November 2026 2026–27 UEFA Nations League	Norway	v	Wales	Oslo, Norway
18:00 UTC+1				Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion

17 November 2026 2026–27 UEFA Nations League	Denmark	v	Norway	Copenhagen, Denmark
20:45 UTC+1				Stadium: Parken Stadium

Coaching Staff

Ståle Solbakken is currently the manager of Norway

The current coaching staff helps the national team perform its best.

Position	Name
Head coach	Ståle Solbakken
Assistant coach	Kent Bergersen
Fitness coach	Bjørn 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	Bård Wiggen

Meet the Players

Current Squad Members

The following 26 players were chosen for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They also played in friendly matches against Sweden and Morocco in June 2026. Caps and goals are correct as of July 5, 2026, after the match against Brazil.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Ørjan Nyland	(1990-09-10) 10 September 1990 (age 35)	75	0	Unattached
12	1GK	Sander Tangvik	(2002-11-29) 29 November 2002 (age 23)	0	0	Hamburger SV
13	1GK	Egil Selvik	(1997-07-30) 30 July 1997 (age 28)	8	0	Watford

3	2DF	Kristoffer Vassbakk Ajer	(1998-04-17) 17 April 1998 (age 28)	56	2	Brentford
4	2DF	Leo Østigård	(1999-11-28) 28 November 1999 (age 26)	42	2	Genoa
5	2DF	David Møller Wolfe	(2002-04-23) 23 April 2002 (age 24)	26	1	Wolverhampton Wanderers
15	2DF	Fredrik André Bjørkan	(1998-08-21) 21 August 1998 (age 27)	22	1	Bodø/Glimt
16	2DF	Marcus Holmgren Pedersen	(2000-07-16) 16 July 2000 (age 26)	35	1	Torino
17	2DF	Torbjørn Heggem	(1999-01-12) 12 January 1999 (age 27)	18	0	Bologna
24	2DF	Sondre Langås	(2001-02-02) 2 February 2001 (age 25)	4	0	Derby County
25	2DF	Henrik Falchener	(2003-05-08) 8 May 2003 (age 23)	2	0	Viking
26	2DF	Julian Ryerson	(1997-11-17) 17 November 1997 (age 28)	46	1	Borussia Dortmund

2	3MF	Morten Thorsby	(1996-05-05) 5 May 1996 (age 30)	32	0	Cremonese
6	3MF	Patrick Berg	(1997-11-24) 24 November 1997 (age 28)	48	0	Bodø/Glimt
8	3MF	Sander Berge	(1998-02-14) 14 February 1998 (age 28)	70	1	Fulham
10	3MF	Martin Ødegaard (captain)	(1998-12-17) 17 December 1998 (age 27)	72	5	Arsenal
14	3MF	Fredrik Aursnes	(1995-12-10) 10 December 1995 (age 30)	27	1	Benfica
18	3MF	Kristian Thorstvedt	(1999-03-13) 13 March 1999 (age 27)	39	4	Sassuolo
19	3MF	Thelo Aasgaard	(2002-05-02) 2 May 2002 (age 24)	9	6	Rangers

7	4FW	Alexander Sørloth	(1995-12-05) 5 December 1995 (age 30)	76	26	Atlético Madrid
9	4FW	Erling Haaland (vice-captain)	(2000-07-21) 21 July 2000 (age 25)	54	62	Manchester City
11	4FW	Jørgen Strand Larsen	(2000-02-06) 6 February 2000 (age 26)	29	6	Crystal Palace
20	4FW	Antonio Nusa	(2005-04-17) 17 April 2005 (age 21)	29	9	RB Leipzig
21	4FW	Andreas Schjelderup	(2004-06-01) 1 June 2004 (age 22)	17	1	Benfica
22	4FW	Oscar Bobb	(2003-07-12) 12 July 2003 (age 23)	25	2	Fulham
23	4FW	Jens Petter Hauge	(1999-10-12) 12 October 1999 (age 26)	16	1	Bodø/Glimt

Player Records

Here are some of the top players in Norway's football history. Players whose names are in bold are still active with the Norway national team.

Most Appearances for Norway

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 Goalscorers for Norway

Erling Haaland is Norway's all-time top goalscorer with 62 goals.

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Average	Career
1	Erling Haaland (list)	62	54	1.15	2019–present
2	Jørgen Juve	33	45	0.73	1928–1937
3	Einar Gundersen	26	33	0.79	1917–1928
3	Alexander Sørloth	26	76	0.34	2016–present
5	Harald Hennum	25	43	0.58	1949–1960
6	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 History

Norway has competed in several major international football tournaments.

FIFA World Cup Record

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									Did not enter
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	Quarter-finals	TBD	5	4	0	1	12	9	Squad	1st	8	8	0	0	37	5
2030	To be determined									To be determined
2034	To be determined									To be determined
Total	Quarter-finals	4/23	12	5	3	4	17	16	—	—	144	57	33	54	222	191

UEFA European Championship Record

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 Record

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	14	4	6	41	23	18th

Olympic Games Record

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	Did not qualify
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	—

Team Achievements

Global Honours

Olympic Games
- Bronze medal (1): 1936

Regional Honours

Nordic Football Championship
- Champions (1): 1929–32
- Runners-up (2): 1952–55, 1956–59
- Third place (9): 1924–28, 1933–36, 1937–47, 1948–51, 1960–63, 1968–71, 1972–77, 1978–80, 1981–85

Friendly Tournament Wins

Malta International Football Tournament
- Champions (1): 1990

Lunar New Year Cup
- Champions (2): 2001, 2004

Summary of Medals

Competition				Total
Olympic Games	0	0	1	1
Total	0	0	1	1