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| Full name | Sarpsborg 08 Fotballforening | ||
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| Founded | 15 January 2008; 17 years ago (2008-01-15) | ||
| Ground | Sarpsborg Stadion, Sarpsborg, Norway | ||
| Capacity | 8,022[1] | ||
| Chairman | Hans Petter Arnesen | ||
| Head coach | Martin Foyston | ||
| League | Eliteserien | ||
| 2024 | Eliteserien, 9th of 16 | ||
| Website | www | ||
 Current season | |||
Sarpsborg 08 Fotballforening, commonly known asSarpsborg 08 or simplySarpsborg ([ˈsɑ̀ʂbɔr]), is a Norwegian professionalfootball club based inSarpsborg, playing inEliteserien. Sarpsborg 08 and its predecessors played in1. divisjon from 2005 to 2010. In 2010, the club was promoted to theTippeligaen, the top league inNorway, but finished last and was relegated back to1. divisjon in 2011. In 2012, they were promoted again and 6 years after, they qualified for their firstEuropa League group stage. They play their home games atSarpsborg Stadion.
Football inSarpsborg has traditionally been dominated bySarpsborg FK (SFK), which won theNorwegian Cup six times and played 20 seasons in the top division, and to a lesser extentIL Sparta, which won the Norwegian Cup in1952 and played nine seasons in the top division. However, after SFK's relegation from the1974, no teams from Sarpsborg played in the top division for the next two decades. In 1999, 16 teams in the Sarpsborg area joined forces to create a team that could compete in the top divisions of Norwegian football, calledSarpsborg Fotball, which overtook SFK's spot in the league-system. In its first season, the team was relegated from the2. divisjon, and several clubs, including both SFK and Sparta, withdrew from the collaboration.
The remaining clubs in the "Sarpsborg Fotball" project formed a new club calledBorg Fotball, which won promotion to the2. divisjon in 2002, but was relegated again in 2003. Meanwhile, Sparta was promoted to the Second Division the same season, and re-entered the collaboration club which now was renamedFK Sparta Sarpsborg. The club earned promotion to1. divisjon (the second tier of Norwegian football) in 2005.
At the end of the 2007 season, the last major club in the district, Sarpsborg FK, joined the collaboration of teams and ended a rather long and hefty rivalry between the two clubs. At the same time, in an effort to unite the different factions within the collaboration, the jersey was changed and the club renamed itselfSarpsborg Sparta FK. This name remained a source of contention throughout the 2008 season, however, and a new name,Sarpsborg 08 FF, was adopted in 2009.
The 2009 season started badly for Sarpsborg, and it appeared they would be fighting against relegation to the 2. divisjon. The situation worsened when theFootball Association of Norway determined that Sarpsborg 08 had submitted an unrealistic budget when they obtained their license to play in the 1. divisjon, and were penalized three points in June, leaving Sarpsborg in a relegation spot.[2] However, afterRoar Johansen became coach, the second part of the season went well for the team, which not only climbed out of the relegation spots, but finished fifth, allowing them to participate in the qualification matches for the2010 Tippeligaen. In the semi-final match of the qualification, Sarpsborg defeated local rivalsFredrikstad FK 2–0 (who were therefore relegated from the top division).[3] In the home match of the qualification final, Sarpsborg defeatedKongsvinger 3–2,[4] but lost the second leg 3–1 and remained in the 1. divisjon.[5]
The 2010 season ended with a 4–0 home-win againstAlta. This meant that the team ended in second place, after league-winnerSogndal, and won the right to play in the 2011 edition of theTippeligaen.
The 2011 season started with a surprising 3–0 win againstMolde inOle Gunnar Solskjær first match as manager of Molde. But after a good start, Sarpsborg was relegated back to1. divisjon on 23 October 2011, when they lost 3–0 away atBrann with three rounds left to play. The club finished last with only 21 points.
In the 2012 season, Sarpsborg finished the1. divisjon in second place and was promoted to Tippeligaen. On 3 January 2013, formerSheffield United strikerBrian Deane was appointed as head coach. In 2015,Geir Bakke took over as head coach and led the club to their firstNorwegian Cup final. They lost the2015 Norwegian Football Cup final 0−2 againstRosenborg. In 2017 they repeated the feat and reached the final again, but lost 2–3 againstLillestrøm. Sarpsborg finished in third place in the2017 Eliteserien, their first medal-winning position in club history.
On 30 August 2018 Sarpsborg 08 qualified for the group stage of the2018–19 UEFA Europa League for the first time in history.[6]
Sarpsborg 08 has gained a reputation as one of the best springboards for African players in need of a European acclimatization club. SenegaleseMakthar Thioune played three years for Sparta Sarpsborg and Sarpsborg Sparta (Sarpsborg 08's predecessors) in the second tier, and when Molde purchased him in 2009 he was immediately "Player of the Year" in the top league, with the third highest rating in a 25-year period. He later played in Germany. Another big Sarpsborg 08 transfer in 2014 happened whenGuangshou R&F managerSven Göran Eriksson purchasedAaron Samuel from Sarpsborg 08 for €1.4m. Samuel blossomed in Sarpsborg with 13 goals in a year, after only 2 goals in big city clubVålerenga. He also scored both his goals for Nigeria in 2014. In 2017 Sarpsborg 08 signedKrepin Diatta from Senegal. He hardly played in his first half year in the club, but then blossomed with 5 goals and 8 assists in 3 months. Diatta was then sold toBrügge for €2.65m and later to Monaco for €16.7m. In 2019 Sarpsborg 08 signed MalianIsmaila Coulibaly and while acclimatized he only started 5 matches in the first 35 league matches while in the club. Then he was given the chance at a time the club was rock bottom with five losses in five matches. The club then took 17 points in the next 6 weeks and Coulibaly dominated with 4 goals, leading toSheffield United purchasing him for €2m. Being only the 16th largest municipality in Norway, the processing of African teenage talents has been a major success factor leading to Sarpsborg 08 fighting above the size of the city.
| Season | League | Pos.[7] | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Cup | Top scorer | Player of the year[8] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-existence | |||||||||||||
| 2000 | 2. divisjon | ↓9 | 22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 33 | 36 | 25 | First round | Jon Bjerkholt | AsSarpsborg Fotball, relegated to the3. divisjon | |
| 2001 | 3. divisjon | 5 | 22 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 47 | 33 | 38 | First round | Pål Østby | AsNavestad in tables, commercial name wasFF Sarpsborg | |
| 2002 | 3. divisjon | ↑1 | 22 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 76 | 14 | 59 | First round | Jørn Holmen | Name changed toBorg Fotball, promoted to2. divisjon | |
| 2002 | 3. divisjon | 2 | 22 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 67 | 27 | 53 | First round | AsFK Sparta Sarpsborg, status as secondary club | ||
| 2003 | 2. divisjon | ↓11 | 22 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 35 | 56 | 24 | Second round | Gjermund B. Hansen | AsBorg Fotball, relegated to the3. divisjon, name changed toFK Sparta Sarpsborg 2 | |
| 2003 | 3. divisjon | ↑1 | 22 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 88 | 24 | 55 | Second round | Lasse Alexandersen | AsFK Sparta Sarpsborg, promoted to the2. divisjon | |
| 2004 | 2. divisjon | 2 | 26 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 63 | 38 | 52 | Second round | Lasse Alexandersen | AsFK Sparta Sarpsborg, now defined as primary club | |
| 2005 | 2. divisjon | ↑1 | 26 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 90 | 28 | 64 | Second round | Ronald Turner | Promoted to the1. divisjon | |
| 2006 | 1. divisjon | 10 | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 44 | 56 | 37 | First round | Fredrik Dahm | Makhtar Thioune | |
| 2007 | 1. divisjon | 13 | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 50 | 52 | 32 | Second round | Bjørnar Johannessen | Bjørnar Johannessen | Avoided relegation becauseRaufoss had its license revoked |
| Club history | |||||||||||||
| 2008 | 1. divisjon | 10 | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 45 | 43 | 37 | Third round | Martin Wiig | Are Tronseth | Name changed toSarpsborg Sparta FK |
| 2009 | 1. divisjon | 5 | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 47 | 38 | 47 | Second round | Martin Wiig | Are Tronseth | Name changed toSarpsborg 08 FF |
| 2010 | 1. divisjon | ↑2 | 28 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 54 | 36 | 54 | Third round | Martin Wiig & Morten Giæver | Ole Heieren Hansen | Promoted to theTippeligaen |
| 2011 | Tippeligaen | ↓16 | 30 | 5 | 6 | 19 | 31 | 65 | 21 | Fourth round | Martin Wiig | Øyvind Hoås | Relegated to the1. divisjon |
| 2012 | 1. divisjon | ↑2 | 30 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 73 | 43 | 63 | Third round | Martin Wiig | Tom Erik Breive | Promoted to theTippeligaen |
| 2013 | Tippeligaen | 14 | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 40 | 58 | 31 | Second round | Martin Wiig & Moi Elyounoussi | Duwayne Kerr | |
| 2014 | Tippeligaen | 8 | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 41 | 48 | 40 | Semifinal | Bojan Zajic | Joachim Thomassen | |
| 2015 | Tippeligaen | 11 | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 37 | 49 | 34 | Runners-up | Bojan Zajic | Anders Trondsen | |
| 2016 | Tippeligaen | 6 | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 35 | 37 | 45 | Quarterfinal | Pål A. Kirkevold | Sigurd Rosted | |
| 2017 | Eliteserien | 3 | 30 | 13 | 12 | 5 | 50 | 36 | 51 | Runners-up | Patrick Mortensen | Sigurd Rosted | |
| 2018 | Eliteserien | 8 | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 46 | 39 | 41 | Third round | Patrick Mortensen | Joachim Thomassen | Europa League group stage |
| 2019 | Eliteserien | 12 | 30 | 5 | 15 | 10 | 30 | 40 | 30 | Third round | Kristoffer Zachariassen | Kristoffer Zachariassen | |
| 2020 | Eliteserien | 12 | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 33 | 43 | 32 | Cancelled | Mustafa Abdellaoue | Anton Saletros | |
| 2021 | Eliteserien | 8 | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 39 | 44 | 39 | Quarterfinal | Ibrahima Koné | Bjørn Inge Utvik | |
| 2022 | Eliteserien | 8 | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 57 | 54 | 41 | Second round | Tobias Heintz | Anton Saletros | |
| 2023 | Eliteserien | 8 | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 55 | 52 | 41 | Quarter final | Mikkel Maigaard | ||
| 2024 | Eliteserien | 9 | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 43 | 55 | 37 | Fourth round | Henrik Meister | ||
| 2025 (in progress) | Eliteserien | 10 | 29 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 47 | 50 | 38 | Daniel Karlsbakk | |||
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Agg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | UEFA Europa League | 1QR |  ÍBV | 2−0 | 4−0 | 6−0 |
| 2QR |  St. Gallen | 1−0 | 1–2 | 2−2 (a) | ||
| 3QR |  Rijeka | 1−1 | 1−0 | 2−1 | ||
| PO |  Maccabi Tel Aviv | 3−1 | 1–2 | 4−3 | ||
| Group I |  Beşiktaş | 2–3 | 1–3 | 4th | ||
 Genk | 3−1 | 0–4 | ||||
 Malmö | 1–1 | 1–1 |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Below are notable players who have represented Sarpsborg 08. To appear in the section below, a player must have either at least two international matches or Champions League matches (group stage or later), 150 official club matches or 30 club goals, including appearances and goals for preceding teams mentioned in pre-existence phase. Players are sorted by birth date.
Peter Kovacs
Tom Erik Breive Berat Jusufi Kjetil BergeMartin WiigØyvind Hoås
Jeremy Berthod
Makhtar Thioune
Duwayne KerrOle Heieren Hansen
Kyle LaffertyOle Jørgen HalvorsenErton FejzullahuJoachim ThomassenJoackim JørgensenGuillermo Molins
Jordan Adeoti
Patrick MortensenÞórarinn ValdimarssonKristinn JónssonJo Inge Berget
David Mitov Nilsson
Sheldon Bateau
Henrik Ojamaa
Mikael Dyrestam
JuniorJoonas TammGuðmundur ÞórarinssonMagnar ØdegaardKristoffer Zachariassen
Wilmer Azofeifa
Aaron SamuelSigurd Rosted
Felix MichelMohamed ElyounoussiAnders Trondsen
Kamer QakaOrri ÓmarssonAnton SaletrosGustav Engvall
Sulayman BojangTobias HeintzKrepin Diatta
Ibrahima KoneJørgen Strand Larsen| Sarpsborg 08 FF managers from 2008 to present |
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