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Norway

Erling Haaland has finally arrived at a major tournament — and he didn't come alone

Group

Region

UEFA

World Cup Appearances

Code

The Story

Norway has been the longest-running 'why aren't they at a tournament' team in European football for almost a decade. They had Haaland. They had Ødegaard. They had Sørloth, Berge, Ajer, a generation of players good enough to make Premier League and La Liga starting elevens. And they kept finding ways to lose qualifiers to Serbia, to Turkey, to anyone who showed up organized. They missed Euro 2020. They missed Qatar. They missed Euro 2024. The joke around European football was that Norway had assembled the most talented squad never to play a meaningful summer match.

That ended in November 2025. Norway went 8-for-8 in qualifying, scored 37 goals, beat Italy 4-1 in Oslo to clinch it, and Haaland did the post-match interview in Norwegian for what felt like the first time. Ståle Solbakken, the manager who took over in 2020 and patiently absorbed every loss while telling everyone the team would be ready when it mattered, got vindicated.

Now the question is whether they're actually any good in a tournament context. Norway has never been past the Round of 16 at a World Cup. They've been drawn into a brutal group with France. Haaland has never played a knockout match on this stage. None of that matters today. They're here. Erling Haaland is here. The longest wait in European football is over, and the rest of us get to find out what happens when the sport's most ridiculous goalscorer finally shows up at the World Cup.

The Food

Signature Dish

Norwegian food is built around what survives a long winter and a colder coast. The headliners: kjøttkaker (meatballs in brown gravy with lingonberry, the Sunday-dinner version of what IKEA serves), fårikål (slow-braised mutton and cabbage, the official national dish, which is just two ingredients and somehow works), and gravlaks — cured salmon with dill and mustard sauce that puts the standard American 'lox' to shame. Brunost, the brown caramelized whey cheese, is the divisive one. Norwegians put it on toast for breakfast and look at you like you're insane for asking why.

Where to Eat in DFW

DFW does not have a Norwegian restaurant. It barely has a Scandinavian one. Your honest options: Taste of Scandinavia (a European-style bakery that does Nordic pastries), the Smörgåsbørd Sandwich Table at the Dallas Farmers Market (weekends only, smørrebrød the way Copenhagen does it), and — yes — the IKEA in Frisco. The IKEA cafe does serve Swedish meatballs and lingonberry, which is close enough to Norwegian that any Norwegian fan will smirk and order them. We will keep looking.

The Music

A soundtrack for the matches, the pregame, and the afterparty.

Fan Culture

Norwegian supporters are quieter than the Scots, drier than the English, and absolutely deadly with a chorus when they decide to use it. Expect a sea of red shirts, Viking helmets that the wearers know are silly and wear anyway, and a chant book that leans heavily on "Norge, Norge, Norge" repeated until the building shakes. The traveling support won't match the Tartan Army next door in volume, but they'll match anyone in commitment — Norway hasn't been to a World Cup since 1998 and these fans have been waiting their entire adult lives. If Haaland scores, the noise is going to peel paint.

Fun Fact

Before this summer, Norway had not qualified for a World Cup since 1998 — meaning Erling Haaland, the most prolific goalscorer in European club football, had played exactly zero minutes at a World Cup or Euros entering his age-25 season. He scored 16 in qualifying. He scored more goals in qualifying than most countries scored as a team.