Haaland's Norway Receive Hero's Welcome After Quarter-Final Loss: Fans Flood Streets to Celebrate Team's Historic World Cup Run

By Gopal Ram Tripathi

Key Points:

THE NORWEGIAN STREET of Oslo was flooded with 100,000 fans to welcome their heroes. The Norway national team were heartbroken after their quarter-final exit against England but it was their fans who decided to give them the welcome they deserve after an outstanding World Cup campaign.

Massive crowds filled the grounds of Royal Palace early in the afternoon on Monday, July 13, 2026, with an estimated crowd of 100,000. Norway Striker Erling Haaland’s debut World Cup was one to remember where he went home after bagging 7 goals in 5 matches. He carried Norway to their first-ever tournament quarterfinal. 

See Also: Mbappe vs Yamal: Why France-Spain Semis Clash is Being Called the Real World Cup Final

Bus Parade Halts as Fans Swarm the Streets

The Norway team walked down to a traditional water canon salute before jumping into the celebrations down the street. Supporters quickly spread over the main street, Karl Johans gate. The squad attended an audience with Harald V, the King of Norway.

The team was eager to greet their fans, the Royal Guard standing to attention right behind them. Their star player Erling Haaland was not present as he had already left early. Unluckily, he missed the iconic “Viking row”, with thousands of fans gathered below, which was led by Crown Prince Haakon on the drums.

Coach Stale Solbakken explained the missing Haaland situation, “Erling and Sander [Berge] had to catch their plane as our trip from the U.S. was delayed four hours.” The crowd surrounded the bus as it moved forward and took a halt at central Oslo.  Police escorts couldn’t carve a path for the bus to move, forcing them to reverse at a point. Celebration was on the roads, with beers and confettis that continued long even after the dark. 

Fittingly, Norway’s celebration hit their own obstacle with overhead wires, the parade bus was brought to a halt by low-hanging cables lining the route. Players who’d been standing on the top deck, waving flags, had to duck down and take their seats so the double-decker could squeeze underneath and continue on its way.

See Also: This is What Dreams are Made of: James on England's Run to the FIFA WC Semifinal

A Homecoming Beyond All Expectations

 Solbakken had earlier suggested the ball had contact with a camera cable during the England match. It was hanging over the pitch in the moments before Bellingham levelled the score for England, a claim FIFA has consistently rejected, insisting no wire was involved. FIFA has already denied that the ball touched any wire before the goal.

Researcher Nicolai Sivesind expressed his gratitude after he travelled to Oslo to take part in the World Cup by saying, “The run the Norwegian team has had this year has been way beyond anything I’ve ever expected. I feel everybody in Norway should just honour the national team, which has done such an amazing job during this world cup.”

By the time the parade wound its way to City Hall Square, completing its 1.3-km route, tens of thousands of fans were still waiting patiently to greet the team. Captain Martin Odegaard, speaking to Norwegian broadcaster NRK, admitted the reception, both in the US and back home, had gone beyond what anyone could’ve imagined, calling the whole experience incredible to witness.

(Edited By Harsh Pandey)

Suggested Reading: