Oslo crowds top 100,000 for defeated Norway World Cup squad

More than 100,000 people packed the streets of Oslo on Monday to welcome home the Norwegian football team, transforming a World Cup quarter-final defeat into a massive public celebration. A 2-1 extra-time loss to England on Saturday ended the squad's historic tournament run, but it did not dampen national enthusiasm.

The scale of the gathering underscored the profound cultural impact of the team's journey in Norway. Crowds gathered under the summer sun at the Royal Palace grounds before spilling down Karl Johans gate, the capital's main street, bringing the city centre to a standstill. The open-top bus parade was repeatedly forced to halt and even reverse as police struggled to clear a path through the dense crowds.

The homecoming drew the highest levels of the state, blurring the lines between sport and national ceremony. The squad first attended an audience with King Harald V before appearing on the palace steps alongside the Royal Guard. Crown Prince Haakon led tens of thousands of fans below in a final "Viking row" on the drum.

Notably absent from the palace steps was striker Erling Haaland, who left the celebrations early. “Erling and Sander [Berge] had to catch our plane as our trip from the US was delayed four hours,” said head coach Ståle Solbakken. The 1.3km route to City Hall Square was not without its obstacles; players were forced to sit down when low-hanging overhead cables blocked the double-decker bus.

Fans who waited hours for the parade to complete said the team's performance transcended the final score. “The run the Norwegian team has had this year has been way beyond anything I’ve ever expected. I feel everybody in Norway should just honour the national team, which has done such an amazing job during this whole cup,” said Nicolai Sivesind, who travelled to Oslo for the event.

Catherine Breiland, another supporter, noted the sustained national unity. “I have felt very proud, it has been amazing, I have been both at home and in Spain, and the atmosphere between the Norwegian people has been there all the time, so it has been unbelievable,” she said.

The mood of celebration was not without a lingering grievance regarding the England match. Solbakken reiterated his belief that the ball hit a camera cable above the pitch just before Jude Bellingham scored England's equaliser, a claim Fifa has repeatedly denied. Captain Martin Ødegaard summed up the day's events to broadcaster NRK: “I don’t think anyone had imagined this. The support we have received in the USA and here at home in Norway, has been beyond all expectations. It has been absolutely incredible to see.”