Losing a World Cup quarterfinal usually leaves a country in mourning. You expect quiet airports, somber social media posts, and a collective sense of "what if."
But not in Oslo.
On Monday, over 100,000 ecstatic fans flooded the streets of the Norwegian capital to welcome home a team that had just been knocked out of the 2026 World Cup by England. The scene wasn't a wake; it was an absolute carnival. The sheer volume of people packed into the Royal Palace square and along Karl Johans gate proved that sometimes, a deep tournament run means much more than a trophy.
For a nation that hadn’t even qualified for a men's World Cup in 28 years, this wasn't a loss. It was the birth of a new footballing superpower.
The Madness on Karl Johans Gate
The scale of the reception caught almost everyone by surprise, including the players themselves. An open-top bus parade intended to carry the squad smoothly through central Oslo quickly ground to a halt. The crowds were simply too dense. At one point, police had to physically clear a path just so the bus could reverse and navigate the sea of red, white, and blue.
As if the crowd size wasn't enough, the parade ran into some comical logistical hurdles. Low-hanging overhead cables along the route forced the players on the top deck to duck and sit down to avoid getting swiped.
[The Parade Route] -> Karl Johans gate -> Royal Palace -> City Hall Square
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(Cable-ducking incident)
The cable incident carried a heavy dose of irony. Just days earlier, following their agonizing 2-1 extra-time defeat to England in Miami, head coach Ståle Solbakken had claimed that Jude Bellingham's crucial equalizer should have been disallowed because the ball hit an overhead spider-cam cable. FIFA repeatedly dismissed the claim, but the Oslo cables provided a lighthearted echo of the squad’s Miami heartbreak.
Royal Drums and the Final Viking Row
The heart of the celebration took place at the Royal Palace, where the team received a formal royal reception from King Harald. Shortly after, the squad stepped out onto the palace steps to meet the roaring crowd.
What followed was the highlight of the afternoon: a massive, coordinated "Viking Row".
Crown Prince Haakon (Drums)
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[90,000+ Fans & Norway Squad]
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"Ro! Ro!" Chant
Led by Crown Prince Haakon—who had traveled to Miami to watch the quarterfinals and brought a drum to the palace steps—the players and nearly 100,000 fans sat or crouched, chanting and mimicking a rowing motion in perfect unison. It was a striking display of national pride that solidified this team's connection with the public.
"I don't think anyone had imagined this," captain Martin Ødegaard confessed to Norwegian broadcaster NRK. "The support we have received in the USA and here at home in Norway has been beyond all expectations".
Where Was Erling Haaland?
The one major talking point of the day was the absence of Norway's talismanic striker, Erling Haaland, during the peak of the palace festivities.
Haaland, who enjoyed an incredible tournament by scoring seven goals, did touch down in Oslo with the team earlier in the day. He even posted a characteristically eccentric photo on social media walking off the plane while holding a stuffed raccoon holding a small bottle of alcohol.
However, both Haaland and midfielder Sander Berge missed the main parade and royal greeting. Solbakken cleared up the confusion, explaining that a four-hour flight delay departing the United States messed up their schedules. Both players had tight connecting flights to catch and had to head straight to their next destinations.
While some fans were disappointed not to see the Manchester City star, the crowd's energy never wavered. Players like Alexander Sørloth and goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland received deafening individual chants from the City Hall Square crowd, proving this run was about the entire collective, not just one superstar.
The Legacy of the 2026 Run
To understand why a quarterfinal exit sparked this level of joy, you have to look at the history. Norway had not touched a men's World Cup tournament since 1998. For nearly three decades, a golden generation of talent had struggled to put it all together on the international stage.
By breaking that curse, playing fearless attacking football, and pushing a heavyweight like England to the absolute limit in extra time, Solbakken’s team changed how Norwegian football is perceived globally. They proved they belong on the world stage.
If you want to support this historic squad as they transition into the upcoming European championship qualifiers, now is the time to secure your tickets through the official NFF (Norges Fotballforbund) portal or grab the newly iconic red home kit before they sell out ahead of the next international break. This team has captured the country's imagination, and the journey is just beginning.
