The red floor tom that set the beat for the ‘ro-ro-ro’ celebration during Norway’s 2026 World Cup run went for more than four times what auctioneers had expected, with all proceeds from the approximately €123,000 sale going to the Norwegian Refugee Council.
A drum that Danish broadcaster DR had reported was standing at approximately €28,400 after 195 bids went on to fetch around €123,000 as 32 bidders submitted a total of 277 bids before the online auction closed on Sunday evening, public broadcaster NRK reported.
The buyer’s identity has not been disclosed. Thrown in with the lot: a pair of used drumsticks that the auction listing says belonged to Erling Braut Haaland and Martin Ødegaard, the two Norway players most associated with the “ro-ro-ro” (row, row, row) ritual that caught on through the squad’s World Cup run in the United States.
The drum itself is a red Pearl Export series floor tom (16×16 inches) from the 1990s, according to the auction listing, signed by the men’s national team at the UEFA Nations League camp in September.
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80,000 at Palace Square
The drum has traveled with Norway’s supporter club Oljeberget since 2023, according to NRK, debuting away to Spain in Malaga. It became a national symbol over the summer, when players began sitting down on the pitch after wins and miming a rowing motion in time with the beat, arms pulling back together as the crowd joined in.
NRK describes Ødegaard as the one who kicked off the chant after Norway’s 3-2 win over Senegal on 22 June, while Haaland led the rowing after the match against Brazil.
The drum was also played at the homecoming on Palace Square in Oslo, where more than 80,000 people gathered to greet the squad. King Haakon VIII, who was crown prince at the time, struck it himself while the crowd rowed along.
All proceeds to Regugees
Proceeds go to NRC Flyktninghjelpen, the Norwegian Refugee Council, as part of this year’s TV-aksjonen national fundraising drive. The auction closed at 21:17 on Sunday, 18 October, the auction site shows.
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