Norway’s stunning World Cup victory over Brazil has turned into a national celebration.
Erling Haaland scored twice as Norway beat the five-time world champions 2-1 in the last 16, sending Ståle Solbakken’s side into the quarter-finals and ending Brazil’s tournament in dramatic fashion.
According to The Guardian, Solbakken called it “the greatest night in Norwegian football history”, while Haaland described the win as “one of the sickest days ever in Norwegian history.”
The celebrations quickly spread across Norway, and then across social media.
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Norway’s Viking Row takes over again
One of the most shared images after the match was not only Haaland’s celebration with supporters.
It was a video posted on X by the account ElBuni, which claimed to show Norwegian army personnel performing the Viking Row after the victory over Brazil.
The clip has added another layer to a celebration that has already become one of the visual symbols of Norway’s World Cup run.
According to FIFA, the Viking Row has become a major part of Norway’s tournament identity, with fans and players using the synchronized rowing movement to celebrate the team’s progress.
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Unlike Iceland’s famous Viking Clap, Norway’s version is based around a rowing motion, with supporters sitting or leaning back in rhythm while chanting together.
It is playful, simple and instantly recognisable.
A win that reached the streets
The scale of the reaction shows how much the result meant.
Norway had not reached a World Cup quarter-final before, and beating Brazil made the achievement feel even bigger. The victory also came against a team that has shaped the history of the tournament more than almost any other country.
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According to The Guardian, tens of thousands of people gathered in Oslo after the final whistle, including outside the royal palace, where Crown Prince Haakon greeted supporters while wearing a Norway scarf.
Haaland said he wished he could have joined the celebrations back home.
“Everyone has to enjoy themselves. All of Norway has to enjoy themselves,” he said.
Haaland turns belief into history
On the pitch, Norway’s victory came late.
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Brazil had chances, including a missed penalty from Bruno Guimarães, but Norway stayed alive before Haaland changed the match. His two goals sent Brazil out and pushed him further into the Golden Boot race.
According to New York Post, Haaland’s double took him to seven goals at the tournament, level with Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi.
For Norway, however, the numbers only tell part of the story.
This was not just a win. It was the kind of result that can reshape how a national team is seen, especially for a country appearing at its first World Cup since 1998.
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Army clip captures national mood
The reported army celebration may be unusual, but the emotion behind it is not hard to understand.
Norway’s World Cup run has moved beyond sport and become a wider national moment. The Viking Row has given supporters a shared ritual, while Haaland, Martin Ødegaard and the rest of the squad have given the country a team capable of beating anyone.
The army video has not been confirmed in the available reporting by an official military source, so it should be treated as a viral social-media claim rather than a verified statement from the Norwegian Armed Forces.
Still, the reason it spread is obvious.
After knocking out Brazil, Norway did not just celebrate a football result.
For one night, the whole country seemed to row together.
