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[SPORTS] · Norway · 66 sources

Norway football team greeted by 100,000 fans in Oslo after World Cup

Norway’s men’s national football team returned to Oslo on 13 July 2026 after a historic World Cup run that ended in a 2‑1 extra‑time loss to England in the quarter‑finals – the nation’s best performance ever. An estimated 90 000‑150 000 supporters gathered on the palace square and along Karl Johan’s gate, creating a massive street celebration. The squad received a formal audience with King Harald V and Crown Prince Haakon, who led the crowd in the now‑famous “Viking row” drum‑beat ritual. After the royal reception the players rode an open‑top bus through the city, pausing for a second “rowing” ceremony at the university and city‑hall squares.

Star striker Erling Haaland arrived with a taxidermied raccoon holding a whiskey bottle – a souvenir bought in Dallas – but left the public festivities early to catch a flight to Sicily, missing the final “Viking row” on the palace steps. Coach Ståle Solbakken explained the early departure was due to a four‑hour delay on the team’s return flight from the United States. The event was marked by a water‑cannon salute, escort by two F‑35 jets, and widespread social‑media coverage of the crowd‑filled homecoming.

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