kids encyclopedia robot

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
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Løvene (The Lions)
Association Norges Fotballforbund (NFF)
Confederation UEFA (Europe)
Head coach Ståle Solbakken
Captain Martin Ødegaard
Most caps John Arne Riise (110)
Top scorer Erling Haaland (38)
Home stadium Ullevaal Stadion
FIFA code NOR
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 48 Decrease 2 (7 February 2019)
Highest 2 (October 1993, July–August 1995)
Lowest 88 (July 2017)
Elo ranking
Current 45 Increase 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)
UEFA 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 (also known as Landslaget) is the team that represents Norway in men's international football games. The team is controlled by the Norwegian Football Federation, which is the main group for football in Norway.

Norway's home stadium is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo. Their head coach is Ståle Solbakken. The team 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 in friendly matches and a World Cup game.

History of Norway's Football Team

Norway's football team has usually been less strong than its neighbors, Sweden and Denmark. However, they had a very good period in the late 1930s.

Early Success and World Cup Appearances

At the 1936 Summer Olympics, Norway's team won the bronze medal. They even beat the host country, Germany, in that tournament. Norway also qualified for the 1938 FIFA World Cup. They lost 2–1 in extra time against Italy, who went on to win the tournament. This was Norway's last World Cup appearance for 56 years.

After World War II and up to the 1980s, Norway was often seen as one of Europe's weaker teams. They did not qualify for any World Cups or European Championships during this time. However, they were known for surprising big teams sometimes. For example, they beat Yugoslavia 3–0 in 1965. They also had a famous 2–1 win against England in 1981.

The "Golden Age" Under Egil Olsen

Norway's most successful time was from 1990 to 1998. This was when Egil "Drillo" Olsen was their coach. At its best, the team was ranked No. 2 in the world by FIFA. Olsen started his coaching time with a big 6–1 win against Cameroon in 1990. He finished in 1998 after a 0–1 loss to Italy in the 1998 World Cup.

For the 1994 World Cup, Norway finished first in their qualifying group. They were ahead of strong teams like the Netherlands and England. They beat both of these teams during the qualifiers.

In the 1994 FIFA 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 than the other teams. In the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, Norway reached the knockout stage. They drew against Morocco and Scotland. They also famously won 2–1 against Brazil. However, they were then knocked out by Italy in the first round of the knockout stage.

Recent Years

After Olsen, Nils Johan Semb became coach. Under him, Norway qualified for UEFA Euro 2000. This is still their last time playing in a major tournament. Since Euro 2000, the team has not qualified for 12 major international tournaments in a row.

Team Image

Crest Design

Badge of Norway (Pantone)
Original badge of the Norwegian national team

For many years, Norway used their national flag inside a white circle as their team badge. In 2008, the NFF introduced a new badge. It featured a Viking-style dragon wrapped around the NFF logo. However, many people did not like it, so it was removed.

A new badge was shown in 2014. This badge mainly features the national flag. It also has two lions from the Coat of arms of Norway at the top. The lions face each other and hold a small blue NFF logo. Above the logo, it says "NORGE" (Norway) in blue letters.

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 their kits from 1992 to 1996.

In 2014, the NFF announced that Nike would become the official kit supplier starting in 2015.

Kit provider Period
France Le Coq Sportif 1976–1980
Denmark Hummel 1981–1991
Germany Adidas 1992–1996
United Kingdom Umbro 1996–2014
United States Nike 2015–present

Recent Matches

Here are some of Norway's recent match results.       Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024 Matches

Coaching Staff

Kopengagen- (2)
Ståle Solbakken is currently the manager of Norway.

The current head coach of the Norway national football team is Ståle Solbakken. Here are some of the people who help him manage the team:

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

Current Players

These are the players who were called up for the recent Nations League matches in November 2024.

  • Their caps (games played) and goals are correct as of November 17, 2024.
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Egil Selvik (1997-07-30) 30 July 1997 (age 27) 4 0 Norway Haugesund
12 1GK Mathias Dyngeland (1995-10-07) 7 October 1995 (age 29) 1 0 Norway Brann
13 1GK Viljar Myhra (1996-07-21) 21 July 1996 (age 28) 0 0 Denmark OB
3 2DF Stian Rode Gregersen (1995-05-17) 17 May 1995 (age 30) 10 0 United States Atlanta United
4 2DF Leo Skiri Østigård (1999-11-28) 28 November 1999 (age 25) 28 1 France Rennes
5 2DF Warren Kamanzi (2000-11-11) 11 November 2000 (age 24) 0 0 France Toulouse
14 2DF Julian Ryerson (1997-11-17) 17 November 1997 (age 27) 30 0 Germany Borussia Dortmund
15 2DF Sondre Langås (2001-02-02) 2 February 2001 (age 24) 2 0 Norway Viking
16 2DF Marcus Holmgren Pedersen (2000-07-16) 16 July 2000 (age 24) 27 0 Italy Torino
17 2DF Torbjørn Heggem (1999-01-12) 12 January 1999 (age 26) 3 0 England West Bromwich Albion
21 2DF Colin Rösler (2000-04-22) 22 April 2000 (age 25) 1 0 Sweden Malmö
2 3MF Morten Thorsby (1996-05-05) 5 May 1996 (age 29) 24 0 Italy Genoa
6 3MF Patrick Berg (1997-11-24) 24 November 1997 (age 27) 30 0 Norway Bodø/Glimt
8 3MF Sander Berge (1998-02-14) 14 February 1998 (age 27) 52 1 England Fulham
10 3MF Jens Petter Hauge (1999-10-12) 12 October 1999 (age 25) 11 1 Norway Bodø/Glimt
18 3MF Kristian Thorstvedt (1999-03-13) 13 March 1999 (age 26) 31 4 Italy Sassuolo
19 3MF Aron Dønnum (1998-04-20) 20 April 1998 (age 27) 11 1 France Toulouse
20 3MF Antonio Nusa (2005-04-17) 17 April 2005 (age 20) 13 4 Germany RB Leipzig
22 3MF Felix Horn Myhre (1999-03-04) 4 March 1999 (age 26) 3 1 Norway Brann
23 3MF Lasse Berg Johnsen (1999-07-18) 18 July 1999 (age 25) 1 0 Sweden Malmö
7 4FW Alexander Sørloth (1995-12-05) 5 December 1995 (age 29) 59 21 Spain Atlético Madrid
9 4FW Erling Haaland (vice-captain) (2000-07-21) 21 July 2000 (age 24) 39 38 England Manchester City
11 4FW Jørgen Strand Larsen (2000-02-06) 6 February 2000 (age 25) 19 3 England Wolverhampton Wanderers

Player Records

Here are some of the top players in Norway's football history. Players whose names are in bold are still playing for Norway.

Most Games Played

John Arne Riise2
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
Brede Hangeland 91 4 2002–2014
7 Øyvind Leonhardsen 86 19 1990–2003
8 Morten Gamst Pedersen 83 17 2004–2014
Kjetil Rekdal 83 17 1987–2000
10 Steffen Iversen 79 21 1998–2011

Top Goalscorers

ManCity20240722-031 (cropped)
Erling Haaland is Norway's all-time top goalscorer with 38 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Average Career
1 Erling Haaland (list) 38 39 0.97 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 John Carew 24 91 0.26 1998–2011
6 Ole Gunnar Solskjær 23 67 0.34 1995–2007
Tore André Flo 23 76 0.3 1995–2004
8 Gunnar Thoresen 22 64 0.34 1946–1959
9 Alexander Sørloth 21 59 0.36 2016–present
Steffen Iversen 21 79 0.27 1998–2011

Tournament Records

Here's how Norway has performed in major international football tournaments.

FIFA World Cup

Norway has played in the FIFA World Cup three times.

FIFA World Cup record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
Uruguay 1930 Did not enter
Italy 1934
France 1938 Round of 16 12th 1 0 0 1 1 2 Squad
Brazil 1950 Did not enter
Switzerland 1954 Did not qualify
Sweden 1958
Chile 1962
England 1966
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982
Mexico 1986
Italy 1990
United States 1994 Group stage 17th 3 1 1 1 1 1 Squad
France 1998 Round of 16 15th 4 1 2 1 5 5 Squad
South Korea Japan 2002 Did not qualify
Germany 2006
South Africa 2010
Brazil 2014
Russia 2018
Qatar 2022
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total Round of 16 3/22 8 2 3 3 7 8 —

UEFA European Championship

Norway has qualified for the UEFA European Championship once.

UEFA European Championship record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
France 1960 Did not qualify
Spain 1964
Italy 1968
Belgium 1972
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976
Italy 1980
France 1984
West Germany 1988
Sweden 1992
England 1996
Belgium Netherlands 2000 Group stage 9th 3 1 1 1 1 1 Squad
Portugal 2004 Did not qualify
Austria Switzerland 2008
Poland Ukraine 2012
France 2016
Europe 2020
Germany 2024
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland 2028 To be determined
Italy Turkey 2032
Total Group stage 1/17 3 1 1 1 1 1 —

UEFA Nations League

The UEFA Nations League is a newer competition for European national teams.

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 Rise 26th
2020–21 B 1 6 3 1 2 12 7 Same position 22nd
2022–23 B 4 6 3 1 2 7 7 Same position 24th
2024–25 B 3 6 4 1 1 15 7 Rise (17th)
2026–27 A TBD To be determined
Total 18 10 3 5 26 16 22nd

Olympic Games

Norway has also competed in football at the Olympic Games.

Olympic Games record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA Squad
United Kingdom 1908 Did not enter
Sweden 1912 Quarter-finals 1 0 0 1 0 7 Squad
Belgium 1920 2 1 0 1 3 5 Squad
France 1924 Did not enter
Netherlands 1928
Nazi Germany 1936 Bronze medal 4 3 0 1 10 4 Squad
United Kingdom 1948 Did not enter
Finland 1952 Round of 16 1 0 0 1 1 4 Squad
Australia 1956 Did not enter
Italy 1960 Did not qualify
Japan 1964 Did not enter
Mexico 1968
West Germany 1972
Canada 1976
Soviet Union 1980 Qualified, but later withdrew
United States 1984 Group stage 3 1 1 1 3 2 Squad
South Korea 1988 Did not qualify
Since 1992 Olympic football has been an under-23 tournament
Total Bronze medal 11 5 1 5 17 22 —

Honours

Here are the awards and titles the Norway national football team has won.

Major Competitions

Regional Titles

Friendly Tournaments

  • Lunar New Year Cup
    • 1 Champions (2): 2001, 2004
  • Malta International Football Tournament
    • 1 Champions (1): 1990

Summary of Major Honours

Competition 1 2 3 Total
FIFA World Cup 0 0 0 0
Olympic Games 0 0 1 0
UEFA European Championship 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 1 1

Images for kids

  • Badge of Norway (Pantone)

    Original badge of the Norwegian national team

  • John Arne Riise2

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

  • ManCity20240722-031 (cropped)

    Erling Haaland is Norway's all-time top goalscorer with 38 goals.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Noruega para niños

  • Football in Norway
  • Norway women's national football team
  • Norway national under-21 football team
  • Norway national under-20 football team
  • Norway national under-19 football team
  • Norway national under-17 football team
  • Sápmi football team
kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Norway national football team Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.