I made preparations Norway toWorld Cup 2026 An unusual trend, but it clearly reflects the country’s national identity, as the Scandinavian country transported hundreds of kilograms of traditional food products to the United States with the aim of providing a familiar atmosphere for its players during the tournament.
The Norwegian delegation sent more than 300 kilograms of fish, in addition to 116 kilograms of Norway’s famous brown cheese, to its training camp headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina, as part of the team’s endeavor to enhance its chances of success in its first participation in the World Cup since 1998.
The team is led by Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, as Norway competes in Group Nine alongside France, Senegal and Iraq.
To supervise the players’ diet, the Norwegian Federation hired famous chefs Aaron Espeland and Erik Tofte. Espeland is a gold medalist with the Norwegian national team at the 2020 Culinary Olympics, and the veteran chef joined the national team to ensure that meals were served using the best Norwegian ingredients.
Espeland told the Norwegian newspaper VG: “We want to deliver what we think is best, and work with the finest Norwegian ingredients available. We are proud of our ability to deliver it at a time when it matters most.”
He pointed out that the process of transporting these large quantities of food across the Atlantic Ocean was not easy, explaining that the team expects to consume at least 300 kilograms of fish during the tournament.
He added: “It is not easy to travel to the United States with half a ton of fish.”
Norway national team players. (AFP)
Norway national team becomes “Vikings”
Research shows that the Vikings made the first amazing voyage across the Atlantic Ocean more than a thousand years ago.
And now, it looks like they’re back again.
Just look at this group of tough Scandinavian warriors gathered next to a fjord, carrying their weapons, while long boats appear behind them, preparing for the invasion.
But if we look at the picture closely, and perhaps at the long-haired blond warrior waving his sword, we will feel that he is somewhat familiar. The reason is that this group of fearsome explorers is none other than the Norway national football team, which took an iconic photo to celebrate its first appearance in the World Cup in 28 years.
Star striker Erling Haaland and his teammates gathered in the capital, Oslo, last weekend to take these photos, photographed by the famous photographer David Yarrow.
The idea came about because the Norwegian Football Association wanted to present a different group image for the national team, inspired by the country’s Scandinavian history. In recent matches, Norwegian fans have also paid tribute to history with a synchronized group performance known as the “Viking Rowing”.
Therefore, the Norwegian Federation contacted Yaro six months ago, based on the recommendation of Haaland and golfer Viktor Hovland, after he had previously worked with them on various projects.
“I was like, ‘I want to dress them up as Vikings,'” Yarrow said. “I like to take people out of the traditional way they’re usually photographed.”
He added: “I knew that the idea might be subject to some criticism, but I wanted to evoke the spirit of the journey dating back to the time of the Vikings, as if they were sailing towards America.”
He continued: “After that, all that was required was to execute it correctly. If it was executed half-heartedly or in a studio, it might look dull, but we did our best. We brought boats and everyone wore real Viking costumes, not show costumes.”
Yarrow and his assistants scouted a private beach in Oslo as a filming location, and gathered the cast members.
The only player absent was Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard, as he was participating with coach Mikel Arteta’s team in the Champions League final that day. An empty spot has been left for the 27-year-old captain, before he travels to Oslo on Tuesday to be photographed and digitally added to the final squad.
But Odegaard was not added to the photo digitally, as after the end of the celebration procession in north London, he joined Yarrow in a solo photo session. Fortunately, the cloudy conditions were similar to those during the original shoot, allowing his image to be added to the final shot without major complications.
To add more realism to the scene while taking the group photo, a historically accurate wooden pier was built that leads to one of the long boats.
Commenting on the traditional photos taken by other teams of players boarding planes heading to the United States, Mexico and Canada, Yarrow said: “This week we’ve seen a lot of pictures of airplane stairs. It’s getting a bit boring. At least the Norwegians made an effort to do something special, and I think it’s the best team photo before the World Cup.”
Yarrow was inspired by some of his visual elements from the “Vikings” series, and he says that Haaland played an important role in convincing the rest of the players about the project, because he had previously depicted him in the form of a Viking warrior.
Yarrow took two main photos: one of the team, and one of the entire mission including the coaches and the entire coaching staff.
All Norwegian players interacted enthusiastically with the project, considering that it reflects the spirit of unity among them.
“This is an extension of the way we have been working for some time to present the image of the national team,” said Norwegian Football Association President Lise Klavenes. “The idea is to show that this team comes from different parts of Norway and represents the whole country. The image reflects exactly that: we travel as one team.”
She added: “We realized early on that the Vikings narrative would follow us no matter what we did, so we decided to embrace it and give it the meaning that truly expresses us. It’s not just about appearance, but about values: solidarity, team spirit, and standing united.”
The term “Modern Vikings” is used in the media campaign, but Klavinis stressed that what is meant is values and unity, and not limiting the team’s identity to one template.
Because of the uniqueness of the image, Yarrow realizes that some people might mistakenly think it was produced by artificial intelligence.
“That’s why we usually film backstage at photo shoots these days,” he said. “I’m so old that I don’t really know what artificial intelligence means!”
After photographing the players, some natural background elements were later captured in a fjord in the Viking Vale region.
Yarrow, a Scot, hopes to raise more money for charity, with a goal of reaching $1 million, by organizing a party for more than 900 Scots in Boston during the tournament.
He said: “We (Scotland) may not be able to win the cup, but we can make a huge difference to others by bringing together Scots from different fields, from Hollywood to sport and music.”
The Norwegian national team arrived in North Carolina this week, and will continue its preparations through a friendly match against Morocco on June 7 in New Jersey.
The Norwegian national team will begin its World Cup campaign against Iraq on June 16 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
For Haaland, this tournament represents the fulfillment of a long-awaited dream. Since his first appearance with the senior national team in 2019, the top scorer has repeatedly affirmed his desire to return Norway to the largest football forum in the world.
Haaland said: “Since my first international participation in 2019, my biggest goal has been to lead Norway to the World Cup and the European Cup.”
He continued: “There is a lot of pressure on me, but I love the pressure. We now have an exceptional generation, and I want to build on it. I want to develop the federation and everything surrounding football in Norway, until we become a great football nation.”
Norway marks only its fourth participation in the history of the World Cup, and its first in 28 years, hoping that the golden generation led by Haaland and Odegaard will be able to write a new chapter in the history of Norwegian football.
