Australian defender Gianni Stensness played the full 90 minutes as Viking overturned a 2-2 first leg in Zagreb and won the tie 5-3 on aggregate at Lyse Arena. The Norwegian side will join Bodø/Glimt in the 2026-27 league phase, marking a first for a country whose champion has spent most of the past three decades stuck in the qualifying rounds.

Dinamo’s Kosovo winger Arber Hoxha struck first and Scott McKenna conceded a VAR-awarded penalty inside the first half, but Viking captain Zlatko Tripić converted from the spot to draw level before Edvin Austbø and Tobias Moi finished the job after the interval.

Viking are one of only four clubs making their Champions League debut this season, alongside Como of Italy, LASK of Austria and Azerbaijani champions Sabah.

Two Socceroos at the heart of the run

Stensness’s Australian team-mate Nick D’Agostino missed the play-off through injury, but the striker had already stamped his mark on Viking’s season.

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Football Australia’s Socceroos site noted at the title clincher last December that D’Agostino had produced four goal contributions in 10 matches, while Stensness played the full game and assisted the opening goal in the 5-1 win over Vålerenga that sealed Viking’s first Norwegian title in 34 years. Viking edged Bodø/Glimt by a single point on the final day, so both clubs enter the Champions League after finishing within touching distance of each other in the domestic race.

Bodø/Glimt sealed their spot a day earlier

Bodø/Glimt made sure of their own league phase place on Tuesday, hammering Dutch side NEC Nijmegen 3-0 at Aspmyra Stadion for a 6-1 aggregate win. Fredrik André Bjørkan and Sondre Auklend scored in first-half added time before an own goal completed the rout, after NEC keeper Gonzalo Crettaz had been sent off for handball outside his area inside three minutes.

For Bodø/Glimt, this is a second consecutive league phase campaign. For Viking, jointly coached by Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim and Morten Jensen, it is completely new territory. The club last played in the top tier of European club competition in 1992-93, when they were drawn against Barcelona in the first season of the newly rebranded Champions League.

Bayern, Napoli and Atlético in the draw

Viking learned their eight league phase opponents at the draw in Monaco on Thursday evening. The Stavanger side were paired with Bayern Munich, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord and Sabah, plus Napoli, Atlético Madrid, Aston Villa and VfB Stuttgart.

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The Champions League final will be played on 5 June 2027 at Atlético Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano.

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