What is Norway's 'Viking Row' celebration?
Norway's World Cup celebration, known as the 'Viking Row', has become a defining image of the 2026 tournament. Fans sit down in the stands and pretend to row in unison while chanting 'ro'—the Norwegian word for row. The celebration is inspired by Norway's historical and modern association with Vikings, who used rowboats to invade Europe and North America.
The Norwegian team participated in a pre-World Cup photoshoot posing in traditional Viking garb by a fjord, reflecting the nation's pride in its ancestry. Fans have been spotted doing the row across the USA and at home, often orchestrated by team captain Martin Odegaard. After Norway's 2-1 win over Brazil, where Erling Haaland scored twice, he conducted the celebration himself. The ritual has shades of Iceland's 'Viking Thunder Clap' from Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup.
Who started the Viking Row?
Despite Norway's long absence from major tournaments—last World Cup in 1998, last Euros in 2000—the celebration is surprisingly recent. It began in December 2025, invented by Ole Froystad, now known as 'Mr Row Row'. His chant was developed by Norway's official supporters' group, Oljeberget Supporterklubb.
Torstein Hamran, a board member of the supporters' club, explained in an interview with FIFA: "It all started with Ole's idea. Then we developed it together. We even recorded a song called Viking Blood, which was released at the end of March and features the Viking Row in the background. Today it's one of the biggest songs in Norway."
How did the celebration take off?
The celebration fully took off during a pre-tournament friendly with Sweden, where the supporters' group gave instructions to fans and used a horn to signal the start of the 'ro' chants. After Norway's round-of-32 win over Ivory Coast, the players asked to use the drum that Hamran had bought second-hand in 2023. "I had to run across several sections of the stadium to get it to them," Hamran said. "Now it's famous all over the world."
Froystad was emotional about the chant's impact: "Hearing people shouting 'ro!' through the streets of New York was incredible. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. The other was against Senegal, when the players sat down and performed the Viking Row perfectly in sync with the supporters. I almost cried. It was extraordinary."
England will face Norway in the next match, and will hope to avoid seeing the celebration again.
