Norway women's national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Norway

Association	Norwegian Football Federation (Norges Fotballforbund)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Gemma Grainger
Captain	Ada Hegerberg
Most caps	Hege Riise (188)
Top scorer	Isabell Herlovsen (67)
FIFA code	NOR
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	13 (7 December 2018)
Highest	2 (July – August 2003)
Lowest	16 (December 2023 – December 2024; June 2025)
First international
Sweden 2–1 Norway  (Kolding, Denmark; 7 July 1978)
Biggest win
Norway 17–0 Slovakia  (Ulefoss, Norway; 19 September 1995)
Biggest defeat
England 8–0 Norway  (Falmer, England; 11 July 2022)
World Cup
Appearances	9 (first in 1991)
Best result	Champions (1995)
Olympic Games
Appearances	3 (first in 1996)
Best result	Gold medalists (2000)
European Championship
Appearances	13 (first in 1987)
Best result	Champions (1987, 1993)
Medal record FIFA Women's World Cup Gold 1995 Sweden Team Silver 1991 China Team UEFA Women's Championship Gold 1987 Norway Team Gold 1993 Italy Team Silver 1989 West Germany Team Silver 1991 Denmark Team Silver 2005 England Team Silver 2013 Sweden Team Summer Olympics Gold 2000 Sydney Team Bronze 1996 Atlanta Team

The Norway women's national football team (Norwegian: Norges kvinnelandslag i fotball) plays for Norway in international football. The Norwegian Football Federation controls the team. They have won the European Championship, the World Cup, and an Olympic gold medal. This makes them one of the most successful national teams in women's football history.

Team History: From Start to Champions

The Norway women's national football team first played in 1978. This was quite early for Western Europe. However, other Nordic countries like Sweden and Denmark had already started. Norway worked hard to catch up. Their first win was against Northern Ireland.

Becoming a Strong Team

Norway's team quickly became stronger in Europe. They started beating teams like England and France. In the first European Championship qualifiers in 1984, Norway played against Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. They lost to Sweden but beat Finland. Sweden went on to win the Euros that year.

The Golden Era Begins

Norway kept improving. In 1987, they qualified for the Euros again. Norway hosted the tournament. They beat Italy in the semi-finals. Then, they faced Sweden in the final. Norway won 2–1, marking their first victory over Sweden. This made them the first Norwegian sports team to win a major title.

The team continued its success. In 1988, they won a tournament in China, beating Sweden again in the final. In the 1989 Euros, Norway reached the final but lost to West Germany. After this, Even Pellerud became the new coach. He led the team to the first official World Cup in 1991. Norway reached the semi-finals but lost to the USA.

Under Pellerud, Norway won their second Euros in 1993. They beat Denmark and Italy. They also won the first-ever Algarve Cup in 1994.

World Champions and Olympic Gold

The 1995 World Cup in Sweden was a huge moment for Norway. They won all their group games. In the quarter-finals, they beat Denmark. Then, they faced the USA in the semi-finals. Norway won 1–0, which was the USA's first loss in an official international tournament. In the final, Norway played Germany. They scored two quick goals and won 2–0, becoming world champions! Coach Pellerud left the team shortly after this big win.

Women's football became an Olympic sport in 1996. Norway qualified for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics because they were World Cup champions. They reached the semi-finals but lost to the USA. However, they won the bronze medal by beating Brazil.

The 1997 Euros was a bit disappointing for the world champions, as they only reached the semi-finals. In the 1999 World Cup, Norway won all their group matches. They beat Sweden in the quarter-finals. But then, they lost heavily to China in the semi-finals, 0–5. They finished fourth after losing to Brazil in the bronze medal match on penalties.

Before the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Norway set a new attendance record at Ullevaal Stadium. They beat the USA 2–1 in front of over 15,000 fans. At the Olympics, Norway was not a top favorite. They lost to the USA but then beat Nigeria and China. In the semi-finals, they beat Germany. The final was a close match against the USA. Norway won 3–2 in extra time with a "golden goal," becoming Olympic champions!

Challenges and Comebacks

After their Olympic win, the team went through a tougher period. Under new coaches, their performance became less consistent. They reached the semi-finals of the 2001 Euros but lost to Germany. In the 2003 World Cup, they lost to Brazil and then to the USA in the quarter-finals.

In 2005, under coach Bjarne Berntsen, Norway showed improvement. They reached the final of the 2005 Euros after a thrilling 3–2 win over Sweden. However, Germany defeated them in the final.

Norway qualified for the 2007 World Cup in China. They topped their group and beat China in the quarter-finals. They lost to Germany in the semi-finals and then to the USA in the bronze medal match, finishing fourth. This result qualified them for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In 2008, Norway had some challenges with player disagreements. Despite this, they reached the quarter-finals of the 2009 Euros. They beat Sweden but lost to Germany in the semi-finals.

New Coaches and Recent Years

Eli Landsem became the first woman coach in late 2009. Under her, some players who had left returned. The team qualified for the 2011 World Cup. However, they did not make it past the group stage for the first time. This meant they also missed the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Norway bounced back and finished as runners-up in the 2013 Euros in Sweden.

At the 2015 World Cup, Norway played well in the group stage. They beat Thailand and Ivory Coast and drew with Germany. They lost 2–1 to England in the Round of 16.

In 2016, Martin Sjögren became the new coach. Norway qualified for Euro 2017 without losing a game. However, they had a very disappointing tournament, losing all three group games without scoring any goals.

In 2017, star player Ada Hegerberg took a break from the national team. In October 2017, the Norway Football Association made a big change: male and female players would receive equal pay. This was a nearly 50% pay increase for the women's team.

In 2018, Norway beat the Netherlands to qualify directly for the 2019 World Cup. They reached the quarter-finals but lost to England.

At Euro 2022, Norway suffered their biggest defeat ever, losing 8–0 to England. They were eliminated after the first round.

In 2024, Norway played in the Euro 2025 qualifiers. They won their play-off matches against Albania and Northern Ireland. This meant they qualified for the Euro 2025 finals. In the Euro 2025 tournament, which just finished, Norway reached the quarter-finals but lost to Italy.

Team Staff

Current Coaching Staff

Position	Name	Ref.
Head coach	Gemma Grainger
Assistant coach	Ingvild Stensland Lee Skyrme
Goalkeeping coach	Jon Knudsen

Players on the Team

Current Squad

The following 23 players were part of the squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2025. Four other players were also training with the team.

Guro Bergsvand had to leave the squad due to an injury on June 25, 2025. Marthine Østenstad took her place.

Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of July 16, 2025, after the match against Italy.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Fiskerstrand, CecilieCecilie Fiskerstrand	(1996-03-20) 20 March 1996 (age 29)	65	0	Fiorentina
12	1GK	Panengstuen, SelmaSelma Panengstuen	(2002-11-22) 22 November 2002 (age 22)	1	0	Brann
23	1GK	Mikalsen, AuroraAurora Mikalsen	(1996-03-21) 21 March 1996 (age 29)	21	0	1. FC Köln
2	2DF	Lund, Marit BratbergMarit Bratberg Lund	(1997-11-07) 7 November 1997 (age 27)	24	1	Benfica
3	2DF	Woldvik, EmilieEmilie Woldvik	(1999-01-08) 8 January 1999 (age 26)	16	0	FC Rosengård
4	2DF	Hansen, TuvaTuva Hansen	(1997-08-04) 4 August 1997 (age 27)	58	2	Bayern Munich
5	2DF	Østenstad, MarthineMarthine Østenstad	(2001-03-18) 18 March 2001 (age 24)	6	0	Brann
6	2DF	Mjelde, MarenMaren Mjelde	(1989-11-06) 6 November 1989 (age 35)	183	20	Everton
13	2DF	Bjelde, TheaThea Bjelde	(2000-06-05) 5 June 2000 (age 25)	32	1	Vålerenga
16	2DF	Harviken, MathildeMathilde Harviken	(2001-12-29) 29 December 2001 (age 23)	36	1	Juventus
7	3MF	Engen, Ingrid SyrstadIngrid Syrstad Engen	(1998-04-29) 29 April 1998 (age 27)	89	6	Lyon
8	3MF	Risa, Vilde BøeVilde Bøe Risa	(1995-07-13) 13 July 1995 (age 30)	90	4	Atlético Madrid
11	3MF	Reiten, GuroGuro Reiten	(1994-07-26) 26 July 1994 (age 30)	105	21	Chelsea
15	3MF	Kielland, JustineJustine Kielland	(2002-11-22) 22 November 2002 (age 22)	8	0	VfL Wolfsburg
18	3MF	Maanum, FridaFrida Maanum	(1999-07-16) 16 July 1999 (age 26)	95	23	Arsenal
21	3MF	Naalsund, LisaLisa Naalsund	(1995-06-11) 11 June 1995 (age 30)	30	1	Manchester United
22	3MF	Gaupset, SigneSigne Gaupset	(2005-06-18) 18 June 2005 (age 20)	11	3	Brann
9	4FW	Sævik, KarinaKarina Sævik	(1996-03-24) 24 March 1996 (age 29)	63	8	Vålerenga
10	4FW	Hansen, Caroline GrahamCaroline Graham Hansen (vice-captain)	(1995-02-18) 18 February 1995 (age 30)	119	52	Barcelona
14	4FW	Hegerberg, AdaAda Hegerberg (captain)	(1995-07-10) 10 July 1995 (age 30)	94	51	Lyon
17	4FW	Bizet, CelinCelin Bizet	(2001-10-24) 24 October 2001 (age 23)	31	7	Manchester United
19	4FW	Terland, ElisabethElisabeth Terland	(2001-06-28) 28 June 2001 (age 24)	45	10	Manchester United
20	4FW	Jensen, SynneSynne Jensen	(1996-02-15) 15 February 1996 (age 29)	31	5	Atlético Madrid

Recent Players Called Up

The following players were called to the squad in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Skoglund, SunnivaSunniva Skoglund	(2002-05-22) 22 May 2002 (age 23)	2	0	Stabæk	UEFA Women's Euro 2025 TOP
GK	Pettersen, GuroGuro Pettersen	(1991-08-22) 22 August 1991 (age 33)	7	0	Werder Bremen	v.  Netherlands, 16 July 2024
DF	Bergsvand, GuroGuro Bergsvand	(1994-03-03) 3 March 1994 (age 31)	41	7	VfL Wolfsburg	UEFA Women's Euro 2025 INJ
DF	Thorisdottir, MariaMaria Thorisdottir	(1993-06-05) 5 June 1993 (age 32)	71	3	Brighton & Hove Albion	UEFA Women's Euro 2025 TOP
DF	Norheim, AndreaAndrea Norheim	(2000-08-30) 30 August 2000 (age 24)	3	0	Sporting CP	v.  France, 8 April 2025
MF	Joramo, EmilieEmilie Joramo	(2002-01-13) 13 January 2002 (age 23)	3	0	Hammarby	v.  Northern Ireland, 3 December 2024
MF	Tvedten, OlaugOlaug Tvedten	(2000-07-20) 20 July 2000 (age 25)	1	0	Vålerenga	v.  Northern Ireland, 3 December 2024
FW	Haug, Sophie RománSophie Román Haug	(1999-06-04) 4 June 1999 (age 26)	24	12	Liverpool	UEFA Women's Euro 2025 TOP
FW	Jøsendal, AnnaAnna Jøsendal	(2001-04-29) 29 April 2001 (age 24)	9	0	Hammarby	v.  Iceland, 4 April 2025
FW	Tandberg, CathinkaCathinka Tandberg	(2004-06-18) 18 June 2004 (age 21)	5	0	Hammarby	v.  Northern Ireland, 3 December 2024
Notes (appended to Name) ALT = Alternate INJ = Withdrew due to injury MED = Withdrew on medical grounds PRE = Preliminary squad / on stand-by PER = Withdrew due to personal reasons RET = Retired from national team TOP = Train-on player UNV = Made themselves unavailable for selection

Team Records

This section shows players with the most games played (caps) and most goals scored for Norway.

Players in bold are still active with Norway.

Most Games Played Hege Riise has played the most games for the Norway women's national football team. # Name Career Caps Goals 1 Hege Riise 1990–2004 188 58 2 Maren Mjelde 2007– 183 20 Solveig Gulbrandsen 1998–2015 183 55 4 Bente Nordby 1991–2007 172 0 5 Trine Rønning 1999–2016 162 22 6 Linda Medalen 1987–1999 152 64 7 Heidi Støre 1980–1997 151 22 8 Ingvild Stensland 2003–2016 144 10 9 Ingrid Hjelmseth 2003–2019 138 0 10 Unni Lehn 1996–2007 134 24

Most Goals Scored Isabell Herlovsen has scored the most goals for the Norway women's national football team. # Player Career Goals Caps Average 1 Herlovsen, IsabellIsabell Herlovsen 2005–2019 67 133 0.5 2 Pettersen, MarianneMarianne Pettersen 1994–2003 66 98 0.67 3 Medalen, LindaLinda Medalen 1987–1999 64 152 0.42 4 Aarønes, Ann KristinAnn Kristin Aarønes 1990–1999 60 111 0.54 5 Riise, HegeHege Riise 1990–2004 58 188 0.31 6 Gulbrandsen, SolveigSolveig Gulbrandsen 1998–2015 55 183 0.3 7 Hansen, Caroline GrahamCaroline Graham Hansen 2011– 52 119 0.44 8 Hegerberg, AdaAda Hegerberg 2011– 51 94 0.54 9 Mellgren, DagnyDagny Mellgren 1999–2005 49 95 0.52 10 Gulbrandsen, RagnhildRagnhild Gulbrandsen 1997–2007 30 80 0.38

Major Competition Results

FIFA Women's World Cup

Norway has played in the FIFA Women's World Cup nine times. They won the title once in 1995 and were runners-up in 1991.

FIFA Women's World Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1991	Runners-up	2nd	6	4	0	2	14	10	Squad		UEFA Women's Euro 1991
1995	Champions	1st	6	6	0	0	23	1	Squad		UEFA Women's Euro 1995
1999	Fourth place	4th	6	4	1	1	16	8	Squad		6	4	1	1	13	5
2003	Quarter-finals	6th	4	2	0	2	10	6	Squad		6	5	1	0	21	3
2007	Fourth place	4th	6	3	1	2	12	11	Squad		8	7	1	0	22	3
2011	Group stage	9th	3	1	0	2	2	5	Squad		10	9	1	0	42	2
2015	Round of 16	10th	4	2	1	1	9	4	Squad		10	9	0	1	41	5
2019	Quarter-finals	8th	5	2	1	2	7	7	Squad		8	7	0	1	22	4
2023	Round of 16	13th	4	1	1	2	7	4	Squad		10	9	1	0	47	2
2027	To be determined										To be determined
2031
2035
Total	1 Title	9/9	44	25	5	14	100	56			58	50	5	3	208	24

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Olympic Games

Norway has participated in the Summer Olympics football tournament three times. They won a gold medal in 2000 and a bronze medal in 1996.

Summer Olympics record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad
1996	Bronze medalists	3rd	5	3	1	1	12	6	Squad
2000	Gold medalists	1st	5	4	0	1	9	6	Squad
2004	Did not qualify
2008	Quarter-finals	7th	4	2	0	2	5	7	Squad
2012	Did not qualify
2016
2020
2024
2028	To be determined
2032
Total	1 Gold medal	3/8	14	9	1	4	26	19

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

UEFA Women's Championship

Norway has a strong record in the UEFA Women's Championship, winning it twice and finishing as runners-up four times.

UEFA Women's Championship record											Qualifying record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	P/R	Rnk
1984	Did not qualify										6	3	1	2	10	6	–
1987	Champions	1st	2	2	0	0	4	1	Squad		6	3	3	0	12	6	–
1989	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	0	1	3	5	Squad		8	4	1	3	15	11	–
1991	Runners-up	2nd	2	0	1	1	1	3	Squad		8	7	1	0	16	1
1993	Champions	1st	2	2	0	0	2	0	Squad		6	5	1	0	30	0	–
1995	Semi-finals	3rd	2	1	0	1	5	7	Squad		8	7	1	0	40	6	–
1997	Group stage	5th	3	1	1	1	5	2	Squad		6	5	1	0	33	1	–
2001	Semi-finals	3rd	4	1	1	2	4	3	Squad		6	6	0	0	25	0	–
2005	Runners-up	2nd	5	2	1	2	10	10	Squad		10	8	1	1	31	7	–
2009	Semi-finals	3rd	5	2	1	2	6	9	Squad		8	7	1	0	26	0	–
2013	Runners-up	2nd	6	3	2	1	7	4	Squad		10	8	0	2	35	9	–
2017	Group stage	16th	3	0	0	3	0	4	Squad		8	7	1	0	29	2	–
2022		10th	3	1	0	2	4	10	Squad		6	6	0	0	34	1
2025	Quarter-finals	TBD	4	3	0	1	9	7	Squad		10	5	4	1	28	4		10th
Total	2 Titles	13/14	43	19	7	17	60	65			106	81	16	9	364	54	10th

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

UEFA Women's Nations League

This table shows Norway's performance in the UEFA Women's Nations League.

UEFA Women's Nations League record
League phase													Finals
Season	LG	Grp	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	RK		Year	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2023–24	A	2	3rd	8	3	2	3	17	8	*	12th		2024	Did not qualify
2025	A	2	2nd	6	2	2	2	4	5		8th		2025
Total				14	5	4	5	21	13	-			Total		-	-	-	-	-	-

	Promoted at end of season
	No movement at end of season
	Relegated at end of season
*	Participated in promotion/relegation play-offs

Algarve Cup

The Algarve Cup is a special invitational tournament for women's national football teams. It happens every year in Portugal. It is one of the most important women's football events.

Algarve Cup record
Year	Result
1994	Champions
1995	Third place
1996	Champions
1997	Champions
1998	Champions
1999	Third place
2000	Runner-up
2001	Fifth place
2002	Runner-up
2003	Third place
2004	Runner-up
2005	Fifth place
2006	Fifth place
2007	Fifth place
2008	Third place
2009	Ninth place
2010	Sixth place
2011	Fifth place
2012	Seventh place
2013	Third place
2014	Tenth place
2015	Fifth place
2016	-1Did not enter
2017	Eleventh place
2018	Seventh place
2019	Champions
2020	Third place
2022	Third place

Team Achievements

Major Competitions

• FIFA Women's World Cup
  • Champions (1): 1995
  • Runners-up (1): 1991

• UEFA Women's Championship
  • Champions (2): 1987, 1993
  • Runners-up (4): 1989, 1991, 2005, 2013

• Summer Olympic Games
  • Gold Medal (1): 2000
  • Bronze Medal (4): 1996

Friendly Tournaments

• FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament: Winner 1988
• Algarve Cup: Winner 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2019
• Albena Cup: Winner 1988, 1989
• Four Nations Tournament: Winner 2002, 2013
• Cyprus Tournament: Winner 1993

More to Explore

• Sport in Norway
• Football in Norway
• Women's football in Norway
• List of Norway women's international footballers
• Norway women's national under-17 football team

See also

In Spanish: Selección femenina de fútbol de Noruega para niños