Most teams slink home after a World Cup exit, maybe with a polite nod from a few dozen dedicated fans. Not Norway. Norway decided to throw a party for 100,000 of its closest friends, turning a quarter-final loss into a full-blown national celebration.
Because why let a little thing like not winning get in the way of a good time? Especially when your team made a historic run that ended with a nail-biting 2-1 extra-time loss to England.
Oslo Says: You're Still Our Champions
On a sunny Monday afternoon, Oslo's Royal Palace became the epicenter of joyous defiance. Over 100,000 people packed the palace square and spilled down Karl Johans gate, all to cheer for their football heroes.
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Start Your News DetoxThe Norway squad arrived to the kind of fanfare usually reserved for actual victories: a water cannon salute, a meeting with King Harald himself, and then a grand parade through the capital. The Royal Guard was even on hand, presumably to ensure no one got too excited.
Of course, there's always one detail that adds a dash of the absurd. Star striker Erling Haaland, along with teammate Sander Berge, had to make an early exit. Apparently, a four-hour flight delay from the US meant they missed the grand finale: a "Viking row" performed on the palace steps with tens of thousands of fans, led by Crown Prince Haakon and a drum section. Because apparently that's where we are now: kings and princes leading Viking chants for footballers.
Coach Stale Solbakken confirmed the two had a plane to catch, which is perhaps the most understated reason ever given for missing a national hero's welcome. The rest of the team, however, continued their victory-lap-that-wasn't on an open-bus parade, soaking in the kind of adoration most teams only dream of after lifting the trophy. Losing has rarely looked so good.
