While the World Cup 2026 will have a somewhat predictable ending (whoever wins, it will be one of the top four teams in the FIFA ranking), Norway has been one of the big surprises of the competition: in just their fourth appearance in history (most years they don't qualify), Norway, a country with around 5.6 million people, ended up reaching the quarter-finals, defeating Brazil in the process, and being eliminated in a very tight duel with England, often dominating the match but without luck on their side.
The Norwegian national team has arrived home, but far from thinking of it as a disappointment for their elimination, Norwegian people welcomed their players as heroes and hosted a parade attended by thousands (estimated in over 100,000) in the streets of Oslo, celebrating as if they had won the cup, and participating in one last "Viking row" led by Crown Prince Haakon.
<social>https://x.com/joakial_/status/2076767773120692683</social>
<social>https://x.com/ebalemozindo/status/2076879588643193326</social>
<social>https://x.com/joakial_/status/2076767773120692683</social>
Martin Odegaard, Norway captain, said that nobody had imagined this. "The support we have received in the USA and here at home in Norway, ​has been beyond all expectations. It has been absolutely incredible to see."