Norway’s Viking row: How a unique chant has taken the World Cup by storm
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Norway’s Viking row: How a unique chant has taken the World Cup by storm

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Norway have been absent from football’s grandest stage for 28 years, but their players and fans look keen to make up for lost time.

The team have won both their opening games at the World Cup, defeating Senegal 3-2 on Monday to secure their place in the last 32 having previously seen off Iraq. Erling Haaland is in the hunt for the tournament Golden Boot with four goals and a star-studded squad looks well equipped to go deep into the tournament.

Perhaps the most eye-catching element of their contribution so far, however, has nothing to do with their football.

Oljeberget Supporterklubb, Norway’s official supporters’ club, has brought a Viking-like flavour to North America this summer with the ‘ro’ — a coordinated row-like movement to the beat of a drum.

It has been popping up wherever Norway have played this summer and after the win over Senegal, the squad also joined in to celebrate advancing into the knockout round.

U.S. readers watch here:

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Here, The Athletic explains what it’s all about.

What is it?

The ro is the brainchild of several members of Oljeberget Supporterklubb, aiming to leave its mark on the World Cup and create atmosphere at Norway matches.

It starts with one of the ‘capos’ (or captains, inspired by ultra groups from around Europe who lead and choreograph chants) blowing into a Viking horn, signalling it’s time to put two arms in front and get ready to row.

The routine is led by another Oljeberget capo, who stands in front of the supporters. After two bangs of their drum, fans perform the rowing action and shout “ro” (row in Norwegian) in unison. It starts slowly, then speeds up, ending with fans leaving their seats and chanting.

Against Senegal, the horn was blown by a Norway fan while the team’s captain, Martin Odegaard, banged the drum to coordinate the rowing motion.

It debuted in March in the 0-0 friendly draw against Switzerland in preparation for the World Cup and has now become a feature of the tournament both in and away from stadiums.

Members of the Norwegian parliament did a ro last Thursday to show their support for the team while, earlier this week, as Norway fans congregated in New York for the match against Senegal in MetLife Stadium, they took over Times Square and treated (presumably slightly bemused) locals to another rendition.

Do other national teams do anything like this?

While the ro has an identity of its own, there’s no doubt Oljerberget took some inspiration from the iconic “thunderclap” from Euro 2016.

While Iceland’s football team made a huge impression on the pitch a decade ago in France, famously beating England 2-1 in the round of 16, the antics of their supporters in the stands were arguably as memorable.

The origin of the thunderclap (sometimes called the Viking clap) is disputed, with several clubs in Europe claiming to have started the trend, but Iceland popularised it and brought it to the world stage.

The thunderclap is typically led by a designated fan, who claps their hands above their head and shouts “huh!” in a deep, guttural tone. Like the ro, the repeated action and shout start slowly and gradually speed up.

It has even made its way to the NFL, with the Minnesota Vikings taking inspiration from the coordinated chant. Fans of the Vikings usually shout “Skol”, which is a Scandinavian drinking toast.

What else have Norway done ahead of the World Cup?

Norway’s preparations for the World Cup have been spectacular, with an eye-catching announcement video and a photoshoot ranking among the best pre-tournament content of any nation.

Norway’s King Harald narrated their squad announcement video, delivering a motivational speech to the first group to reach a World Cup finals since 1998. As he addressed the team and nation, the video captured ordinary Norwegians from farmers to dock workers, describing the team as “shaped by the whole country”.

And before they set off for their base camp in North Carolina, renowned Scottish photographer David Yarrow and the Norwegian Football Association even managed to convince Haaland and the rest of the team to dress up like Vikings for a picture in front of a breathtaking backdrop of a fjord.

Norway channel their Viking spirit before the tournament (David Yarrow)

How good are Norway?

Norway have become a popular dark-horse pick ahead of the tournament, owing to their star power in attack and impressive qualifying campaign.

Head coach Stale Solbakken presided over a perfect qualification campaign, winning all eight games and topping their group ahead of Italy, whom they beat 4-1 away and 3-0 at home. Haaland was unstoppable in qualifying, netting 16 goals, double the next-highest goalscorer in European qualifying.

They started slowly against Iraq but ultimately their firepower proved too much, and a win over the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations winners Senegal have further burnished their credentials.

They now take on France on Friday to decide who wins Group I, in what could be one of the games of the tournament so far.



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