Norway W

The Norwegian team achieved third place in the 1936 Summer Olympics, after beating hosts Germany earlier in the tournament. Norway also qualified for the 1938 FIFA World Cup, where they lost 2–1 after extra time against eventual champions Italy, with this being their last appearance until 1994.

In the post-war years, Norway did not qualify for a World Cup or European Championship. Despite this, Norway achieved victories such as a 3–0 win against Yugoslavia in 1965, a 1–0 away win against France in 1968, and a 2–1 victory against England in 1981 that prompted radio commentator Bjørge Lillelien's famous "Your boys took a hell of a beating" rant.

Norway had their first football's Golden Age from 1990 to 1998 under coach Egil "Drillo" Olsen, with the team once being ranked No. 2. Olsen started his training career with Norway with a 6–1 home victory against Cameroon on 31 October 1990. In qualifying for the 1994 World Cup, Norway topped their group, finishing above the Netherlands and England, beating both teams in the process. During the finals in the United States, Norway was knocked out in the group stage after a win against Mexico, a defeat against Italy and a draw against the Republic 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 the 1998 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 against Morocco and Scotland and winning 2–1 against Brazil.

Former under-21 coach Nils Johan Semb replaced Olsen after the latter's retirement. Under Semb's guidance, Norway qualified for Euro 2000, their last European Championship appearance to date. Semb resigned at the end of an unsuccessful qualifying campaign in 2003 and was replaced by Åge Hareide. Under Hareide, Norway came close to reaching both the 2006 World Cup and Euro 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 after Norway lost at home to Switzerland and had limited chances to qualify for the 2014 World Cup with one game to spare. He was replaced with Per-Mathias Høgmo. Olsen later claimed he was sacked.

2020–present: Rise to Prominence

During the qualification campaign for UEFA Euro 2020, Norway finished third in their group behind Spain and Sweden, missing direct qualification for the tournament. The team subsequently contested a playoff semifinal against Serbia in October 2020, but was defeated 1–2 and eliminated from contention. Norway then participated in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League alongside Austria, Romania, and Northern Ireland, securing second place in the group and thereby retaining its position in League B for the following edition.

On 3 December 2020, former national team player Ståle Solbakken was appointed head coach following the departure of Lars Lagerbäck. In March 2021, Solbakken named Martin Ødegaard as team captain. Norway failed to qualify for both the 2022 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2024. In the World Cup qualifiers, they finished third in a group with the Netherlands and Turkey. Later, in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, they ended behind Spain and Scotland, missing out again. At the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League, Norway clinched direct promotion to League A after topping their group.

On 16 November 2025, Norway secured qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ending a 28-year absence from the tournament. The team won all eight of its qualifying matches and finished first in its group. The campaign concluded with a 4–1 victory over Italy in Milan, marking Italy's first-ever home defeat in a World Cup qualifying group-stage match. Erling Haaland emerged as the leading scorer across all qualifiers with 16 goals. For the tournament, Norway was drawn into Group I alongside Iraq, Senegal, and France.

On 17 June 2026, Norway opened its World Cup campaign with a 4–1 victory over Iraq, highlighted by two goals from Haaland, who became the first Norwegian player to score multiple goals in a World Cup match. It was also the first time Norway had scored more than two goals in a World Cup fixture. The team followed up with a 3–2 win against Senegal, securing advancement to the Round of 32 prior to its final group-stage match against France. They were defeated 4–1 in a dead rubber, marking the first ever time they lost to a World Cup match to an opponent other than Italy (who failed to qualify for the tournament after losing on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the qualification playoffs). In the Round of 32, Norway won 2–1 against Ivory Coast and advanced to the Round of 16 match against Brazil. This was the first time Norway won a match outside the group stages. Norway is one of only three national teams with a winning record against Brazil, and the only team to have never lost against them, with three wins and two draws in five matches, including their 2026 round of 16 match. The run ended in the quarter-finals, where Norway lost 1–2 to England after extra time.