Germany and Norway fans boycotting World Cup

Soccer fans in Germany and Norway appear to be boycotting the World Cup in Qatar. Viewership inside both of these more progressive European countries has been significantly down compared to previous tournaments. In Norway, soccer fans tuning in to NRK to watch the World Cup have fallen dramatically. In fact, the average number of viewers […]

Oslo (AFP) – Norway striker Caroline Graham Hansen announced on Wednesday she was taking a break from international football aged 27, blaming heart problems and exhaustion. "After a year with heart problems and almost 50 matches, I still feel a fatigue that makes me choose to listen to my body. I need rest. I need […]

Oslo (AFP) – Norwegian women's football head coach Martin Sjogren has been axed after the team's humiliating European Championship group stage defeat to England, the national federation announced on Tuesday. England recorded the biggest win in European Championship history with an 8-0 demolition of Norway on July 11. "We're all disappointed with the performances at […]

London (AFP) – Norway suffered a shock exit from Euro 2022 as the pre-tournament title contenders crashed to a 1-0 defeat against Austria on Friday. Despite the presence of Lyon star Ada Hegerberg in their line-up, Norway paid the price for another lacklustre display in Brighton. Norway failed to advance from Group A after a […]

Brighton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – England recorded the biggest win in European Championship history as Beth Mead's hat-trick inspired an 8-0 demolition of Norway that booked the hosts' quarter-final place on Monday. Sarina Wiegman's side scored six in the first half on route to smashing their own women's Euro record margin of victory set when […]

Southampton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Norway eased to a 4-1 win over out-classed Northern Ireland in their Women's Euro 2022 opener on Thursday. Julie Blakstad and Frida Maanum gave Norway the perfect start with goals inside the first 13 minutes at Southampton. Caroline Graham Hansen's penalty put the two-time European champions on course to ruin […]

Oslo (AFP) – Erling Haaland scored twice and set up the third as Norway beat neighbours Sweden 3-2 in the Nations League at the Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo on Sunday. "I'm speechless!" the 21-year-old striker told Norwegian television, before adding: "It's the first time I've played for a sold-out Ullevaal. And to win against Sweden […]

Oslo (AFP) – Former women's world footballer of the year Ada Hegerberg said Thursday she was returning to the Norway squad after refusing to play for the national team for nearly five years. Hegerberg, 26, has not played international football since the 2017 European Championship. She fell out with the Norwegian federation because the women's […]

Rotterdam (Netherlands) (AFP) – Two late goals by Steven Bergwijn and Memphis Depay on Tuesday saw the Netherlands book a ticket to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as they held Norway at bay with a 2-0 victory in Rotterdam. Bergwijn, the standout player of the evening on the right wing, drilled the ball into […]

Oslo (AFP) – Norway coach Stale Solbakken has caused controversy in the country by calling for people to vote against the government in the upcoming parliamentary elections over the strictness of its coronavirus rules. Solbakken was angry that the 28,000-capacity Ullevaal Stadion could only be a quarter-full for Norway's 1-1 draw with the Netherlands in […]

Oslo (AFP) – Norway's football community on Sunday voted against boycotting the 2022 World Cup in Qatar despite pressure from its grassroots over alleged human rights abuses of migrant workers in the Gulf state. At an extraordinary congress called by the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), 368 delegates voted for a motion rejecting a boycott while […]