Norway is one of only three national teams with a winning record againstBrazil, and the only team to never have lost against them, with two wins and two draws in four matches, including a1998 World Cup group stage match.[4]
After Euro 2000, Norway missed the next twelve major tournaments, until they qualified for the2026 FIFA World Cup.[5][6][7]
Norway's performances in international football have usually been weaker than those of theirScandinavian neighboursSweden andDenmark, but they did have a golden age in the late 1930s. An Olympic team achieved third place in the1936 Summer Olympics, after beating hostsGermany earlier in the tournament. Norway also qualified for the1938 FIFA World Cup, where they lost 2–1 after extra time against eventual championsItaly, with this being their last appearance until1994.
In the post-war years, up to and including the 1980s, Norway was usually considered one of the weaker teams in Europe.[citation needed] They never qualified for a World Cup or European Championship during this period, usually finishing near the bottom of their qualifying group. Despite this, Norway achieved victories such as a 3–0 win againstYugoslavia in 1965, a 1–0 away win againstFrance in 1968, and a 2–1 victory againstEngland in 1981 that prompted radio commentatorBjørge Lillelien's famous "Your boys took a hell of a beating" rant.[8]
Norway had their most successful period from 1990 to 1998 under the legendary coachEgil "Drillo" Olsen, with the team once beingranked No. 2. Olsen started his training career with Norway with a 6–1 home victory againstCameroon on 31 October 1990. Inqualifying for the 1994 World Cup, Norway topped their group, finishing above theNetherlands and England, beating both teams in the process. During thefinals in the United States, Norway was knocked out in the group stage after a win againstMexico, a defeat against Italy and a draw against theRepublic of Ireland. Norway failed to qualify for the round of 16 as all four teams in the group finished with four points and identical goal difference.
At the1998 World Cup in France, Norway was once again eliminated by Italy in the first round of the knockout stage after finishing second in their group, having drawn againstMorocco andScotland and winning 2–1 againstBrazil.
Former under-21 coachNils Johan Semb replaced Olsen after the latter's retirement. Under Semb's guidance, Norway qualified forEuro 2000, their last major tournament appearance to date. Semb resigned at the end of an unsuccessful qualifying campaign in 2003 and was replaced byÅge Hareide. Under Hareide, Norway came close to reaching both the2006 World Cup andEuro 2008, but ultimately fell short on both occasions. Norway then failed to win a single game in the entirety of 2008, with Hareide resigning at the end of the year. His replacement, initially on a temporary basis, was Olsen, who began his second spell in charge with an away win against Germany, and subsequently signed a three-year contract. Olsen resigned in September 2013[9] after Norway lost at home toSwitzerland and had limited chances to qualify for the2014 World Cup with one game to spare. He was replaced withPer-Mathias Høgmo. Olsen later claimed he was sacked.[10]
Norway has used thenational flag on a white circle as their badge since the 1920s. In May 2008 theNFF unveiled a new crest, aViking-style Dragon wrapped around the NFF logo. After massive public pressure the crest was dropped.[11] In the 1980s and the 1990s, Norway used the NFF logo in the opposite breast of the shirt together with the national flag on a white circle. On 12 December 2014, a new crest was presented. The crest primarily features the national flag; in addition, there are two lions taken from theNorwegian coat of arms on the top. The lions face each other while holding a blue miniature of the NFF logo, and between the lions and above the NFF logo is the word "NORGE" (Norway) in blue letters.[12] They also wore a special gold version of their logo against Italy on 16 November 2025, to commemorate their qualification for World Cup 2026 after a 28-year wait.
Adidas supplied Norway's kit from 1992 to 1996, withUmbro taking over until 2014. On 10 September 2014, the NFF andNike announced a new partnership that made the sportswear provider the official Norwegian team kit supplier from 1 January 2015.[13]
The following is a list of all managers of the national team. Prior to 1953, the team was selected by a selection committee, which also continued to select the team until 1969.
INJ Withdrew due to injury PRE Preliminary squad / standby RET Retired from the national team SUS Serving suspension QUA Placed in mandatory quarantine WD Withdrew due to non-injury issue. EX Player expelled from the squad due to non-injury issue.
^Team's nickname that was popular in the 1990s and early 2000s, in association with former player and manager Egil Olsen who was himself nicknamedDrillo, when the national team recorded some of its major achievements.Drillos could be rendered as "Drillo's Men" in English. The nickname has since become rarely used.
^Led the team that was dubbed "koronalandslaget", due to the entire national squad was put in quarantine
^"Drillo: – Jeg fikk sparken i NFF" [Drillo: – I was sacked by the NFF].www.nrk.no (in Norwegian).NRK Østfold. 27 May 2015.Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved11 December 2018.
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