Norway Lays Down the World Cup Gauntlet with a Viking-Themed Team Photo

Imagine you’re the Iraqi World Cup squad preparing for your first match against Norway just 11 days from now, trying to figure out how you’re going to contain the monster that is Man City forward and Norway icon Erling Haaland, and you see this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Herrelandslaget (@herrelandslaget)

I mean, themed national soccer photos have a history of being super cringe, but enlisting celebrated photographer David Yarrow to capture your nation’s history with players looking like absolute badasses just works.

Compare that to France’s recent photo shoot—like many already have—and one of the World Cup favorites somehow suddenly looks like the underdog in their upcoming Group I matchup in Boston against these Nordic giants. Watching Rayan Cherki weave through defenders may be one of the most exquisite sights in the beautiful game, but that sadly didn’t translate to the Frenchman’s pose (front right):

Compare France’s World Cup team photo to Norway’s… https://t.co/C0TRgkDoyl pic.twitter.com/TdqOIOjwQG

— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) June 5, 2026

It’s been 28 years since Norway last qualified for the tournament, and they’ve never had a player quite like Haaland to lead them. Supported by Arsenal’s Martin Ødegaard and his former City teammate Fulham winger Oscar Bobb, they’ve become a popular dark horse team, and I imagine this photo will only build anticipation to see them take the field.

Yarrow took the photo in Oslo last weekend at a picturesque fjord with traditional boats in the background. The tagline on the club’s original post simply says, “Norway is coming 🇳🇴.” Like the Vikings who first landed on North American shores more than a millennium ago, they don’t look like they’re planning on returning empty handed.

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