Norway national football team
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[[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 224547632 by [[Special:Contributions/84.101.56.188|84.101.56.188]] ([[User talk:84.101.56.188|talk]]) he is in the current squad list and thus should not be listed here.
{{Infobox National football team |
Name = Norway |
Badge = Norway_national_football_team_logo.png |
FIFA Trigramme = NOR |
Nickname = |
Association = [[Norwegian Football Association]]<br>''(Norges Fotballforbund)'' |
Confederation = [[UEFA]] (Europe) |
Coach = {{flagicon|Norway}} [[Åge Hareide]] |
Asst Manager = {{flagicon|Norway}} [[Ola By Rise]] |
Captain = [[Martin Andresen]] |
Most caps = [[Thorbjørn Svenssen]] (104) |
Top scorer = [[Jørgen Juve]] (33) |
Home Stadium = [[Ullevaal Stadion]] |
FIFA Rank = 31 |
1st ranking date = August 1993 |
FIFA max = 2 |
FIFA max date = October 1993, July-August 1995 |
FIFA min = 52|
FIFA min date = July 2006|
Elo Rank = 38 |
Elo max = 6|
Elo max date = June 2000|
Elo min = 91|
Elo min date = May-June 1976|
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=|
leftarm1=FF0000|body1=FF0000|rightarm1=FF0000|shorts1=FFFFFF|socks1=203060|
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=|
leftarm2=FFFFFF|body2=FFFFFF|rightarm2=FFFFFF|shorts2=203060|socks2=FFFFFF|
First game = {{Flagicon|Sweden}} [[Sweden national football team|Sweden]] 11 - 3 Norway {{Flagicon|Norway}}<br/>([[Gothenburg]], [[Sweden]]; [[12 July]], [[1908]]) |
Largest win = {{Flagicon|Norway}} Norway 12 - 0 [[Finland national football team|Finland]] {{Flagicon|Finland}}<br/>([[Bergen, Norway|Bergen]], [[Norway]]; [[28 June]], [[1946]]) |
Largest loss = {{Flagicon|Denmark}} [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]] 12 - 0 Norway {{Flagicon|Norway}}<br/>([[Copenhagen]], [[Denmark]]; [[7 October]], [[1917]]) |
World cup apps = 3 |
World cup first = 1938 |
World cup best = Round 2, [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]] |
Regional name = [[UEFA European Football Championship|European Championship]] |
Regional cup apps = 1 |
Regional cup first = [[UEFA Euro 2000|2000]] |
Regional cup best = Round 1, [[UEFA Euro 2000|2000]]
}}
{{MedalTop}}
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Football at the Summer Olympics|Football]]}}
{{MedalBronze | [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Berlin]] | [[Football at the 1936 Summer Olympics|Team]]}}
{{MedalBottom}}
The '''Norwegian national football team''', controlled by the [[Norwegian Football Association]], is the national [[football (soccer)|football]] team of [[Norway]]. The team played its first international in 1908. Its home ground is [[Ullevaal Stadium]], [[Oslo]], which seats 25,572 spectators.<ref>{{no icon}} [http://www.ullevaal-stadion.no/index.asp?id=26006 Ullevaal Stadion: Teknisk info]. Retrieved on August 28, 2007.</ref>
Norway has participated three times in the [[Football World Cup|World Cup]]: in [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]], [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] and [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]]. The Norwegian national team is the only team that has played [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] and never lost to them.
==History==
An Olympic team achieved third place in the [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Olympics]], after beating the hosts [[Germany national football team|Germany]] earlier in the tournament.
Norway had their most successful period from 1990 to 1998 under the legendary coach [[Egil Roger Olsen]]. Together with a rising quality in Norwegian players, Olsen is given much of the credit for taking Norway's national team from obscurity and turning them into a dreaded opponent, respected around the world {{Fact|date=February 2007}}. At its height in the mid-90's the team was even ranked second on the [[FIFA World Rankings]]. Olsen started his training career with Norway with a 6-1 home victory against [[Cameroon national football team|Cameroon]] [[October 31]] [[1990]] and ended it on [[June 27]] [[1998]] after a 0-1 defeat against [[Italy national football team|Italy]] in the second stage of the [[Football World Cup 1998|1998 World Cup]].
In the [[Football World Cup 1994|1994 World Cup]] in the [[United States|USA]], Norway was knocked out at the group stage after a win against [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]], a defeat against [[Italy national football team|Italy]] and a draw against the [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]]. In [[Football World Cup 1998|France 1998]], Norway was eliminated by Italy in the first round of the knock out stage after finishing second in their group, having drawn against [[Morocco national football team|Morocco]] and [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] and won 2-1 against [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]]. During the 1998 World Cup tournament Norway received some criticism, claiming their somewhat defensive tactics ruined the fun of the game {{Fact|date=February 2007}}.
The former U-21 coach [[Nils Johan Semb]] replaced Olsen after the planned retirement of the latter, but did not manage to achieve the same results as Olsen. He was replaced by [[Rosenborg B.K.|Rosenborg]] coach [[Åge Hareide]] at the end of 2003.
Some of Norway's best single results are: Norway-[[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] 2-1 on [[June 23]], [[1998]] in the World Cup group stage, and Norway-Brazil 4-2 on [[May 30]], [[1997]]. In fact, Norway is the only team in the world who has played [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] and never lost, winning two matches and drawing on two other occasions.
===Early history===
[[Football (soccer)|Football]] came to Norway from [[Great Britain]] in the 1880s, and quickly became popular both in terms of active players and as a spectator sport. Norway's first football club, ''Christiania Footballclub'' was founded in 1885. The oldest club still in existence is [[Odd Grenland]], formed in 1894. In the following years, several more clubs were formed, and in 1902, [[Norwegian Football Association|Norges Fotballforbund]] (NFF), the Norwegian Football Association, was formed. Later that year, the inaugural [[Norwegian Football Cup]] was held. However, it wasn't until 1908, at the invitation of the Swedish FA, that a national team was put together.
===1910s===
Norway's first-ever international game was played on [[July 12]], [[1908]] in [[Gothenburg]], [[Sweden]]<ref name="RSSF1908">{{cite web |url=http://www.rsssf.no/1908/National.html |title=Norwegian national team 1908 |accessdate=2007-11-11 |last=Aarhus |first=Lars |work=RSSF}}</ref>. This was also [[Sweden national football team|Sweden]]'s first-ever international match. Oslo club [[Mercantile F.K.|Mercantile]], the reigning cup champions, formed the backbone of the Norwegian side with nine of the eleven players in Norway's lineup<ref name="oppslagsbok324">{{no icon}} {{cite book |editor= Bertelsen, Ingvald|others= Berglund, Tom Harald and Odden, Iver|title= Oppslagsbok om norsk fotball |format= paperback |year=2000 |publisher=[[Wagner & Flust Forlag]] |location=[[Oslo]] |isbn=82-92228-00-4 |pages=324 }}</ref>.
The match started off good for the Norwegians. Within the first minute, [[Minotti Bøhn]] scored the first goal of the game. It went downhill from there. Bøhn did add a second goal, and [[Hans Endrerud]] also put his name on the scoresheet. Nevertheless, when the referee blew the final whistle, Sweden had won by a score of 11-3<ref name="oppslagsbok324"/>.
It would take two years until the next time a Norwegian national side was put together. Once again, the Swedes were the opposition, and this time it was the Norwegians who held the home-field advantage. It was, however, the Swedes who won the match. This time, the final score was 4-0. Norway also went home with two straight defeats when they participated in the [[Stockholm]] [[Football at the 1912 Summer Olympics|Olympics]] of [[1912 Summer Olympics|1912]]. The opponents were [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]] and [[Austria national football team|Austria]].
Overall, the period between 1908 and 1917 is a sorry chapter in the Norwegian national team's history. In those nine years, Norway failed to win a single game. Rock bottom was reached on [[October 7]], [[1917]] when Norway were routed 12-0 against Denmark. To this date, this is Norway's heaviest ever defeat<ref name="oppslagsbok327">{{no icon}} {{cite book |editor= Bertelsen, Ingvald|others= Berglund, Tom Harald and Odden, Iver|title= Oppslagsbok om norsk fotball |format= paperback |year=2000 |publisher=[[Wagner & Flust Forlag]] |location=[[Oslo]] |isbn=82-92228-00-4 |pages=327 }}</ref>.
===1920s===
A new national team coach was hired in 1918. His name was [[Birger Möller]], and he was Swedish. Möller is said to have been an excellent motivator, and spent a lot of time practicing team play and technical skills – and good results followed. On [[June 16]], [[1918]], after 27 straight games without a win, Norway avenged the embarrassing defeat in [[Copenhagen]] the year before by winning 3-1 against Denmark in [[Oslo]]. A few months later, Norway defeated Sweden by a score of 5-1 in Gothenburg, which was Norway's first-ever away victory.
Norway's biggest star in the 1920s was unquestionably [[Einar Gundersen|Einar "Jeja" Gundersen]], who scored a total of 26 international goals between 1917 and 1928. Other stars at the time were team captain [[Gunnar Andersen]] ([[F.C. Lyn Oslo|Lyn]]), [[Per Skou]] (Lyn and [[Odd Grenland|Odd]]) and [[Asbjørn Halvorsen]] ([[Sarpsborg F.K.|Sarpsborg]]). These players formed the core of the side that participated in the [[Football at the 1912 Summer Olympics|1920 Olympics]] in [[Antwerp]], where Norway got their greatest win to that date.
In the opening match of the [[1912 Summer Olympics|Olympic tournament]], Norway faced pre-tournament favorites [[England national football team|England]]. It may have been an amateur side, but England was nevertheless the home of football, and the team was expected to ease past Norway. It is said that Gunnar Andersen was the first to show that the English players were not supermen, by dribbling past several players. His confidence passed on to the other Norwegian players, and when the smoke cleared, Norway had won 3-1 courtesy of two goals by "Jeja" Gundersen and one goal by [[Einar Wilhelms]].
In the next round, Norway faced [[Czechoslovakia national football team|Czechoslovakia]], but there was to be no repeat of the sensational win against England. The Czechoslovakians won the game 4-0.
Norway claimed a few more scalps in the following years, including a 2-0 win against [[France national football team|France]] in [[Paris]] in 1923, as well as a few more wins against arch-rivals Sweden. However, in the latter half of the 1920s, the golden era was over. Between 1924 and 1928, Norway won only four matches – all of them against [[Finland national football team|Finland]].
The bad spell began to end near the turn of the decade, largely thanks to new star players like goalkeeper [[Henry Johansen|Henry "Tippen" Johansen]] and striker [[Jørgen Juve]], who is Norway's all-time leading scorer on international level with 33 goals. On [[June 23]], [[1929]], Juve scored twice as Norway defeated Denmark by a score of 5-2 in Copenhagen. It was Norway's first-ever away win against Denmark.
===1930s===
In 1933, [[Viking F.K.|Viking]]'s brilliant inside-forward [[Reidar Kvammen]] made his international debut. Two years later, Lyn's wing wizard [[Arne Brustad]] made his debut. Furthermore, in 1934, former national team hero [[Asbjørn Halvorsen]] returned home after 12 years in [[Germany]]. These events mark the start of what is known as Norwegian football's "Bronze Age".
When Halvorsen returned from [[Germany]], he was hired as general secretary of the NFF, and thus also became chairman of the national team's selection committee. At the time, team selection was handled by the selection committee, while the coach's sole responsibility was training the players the selection committee had picked. However, Halvorsen also named himself team coach, and thus became Norway's first "modern" national team manager.
Norway had gotten several good results leading up to the [[1936 Summer Olympics|Berlin Olympics]], including wins against [[Austria national football team|Austria]] and [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]]. Even so, few people believed Norway would stand a chance in the Olympic tournament, especially since they were scheduled to face the host nation in the second round (if they could get past [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]] in the opener). The match against Turkey went easier than expected, as Norway won 4-0. The next match was against the [[Germany national football team|Germans]], who had demolished [[Luxembourg national football team|Luxembourg]] 9-0 in their opener. It is said that the [[Norwegians]] were so sure of defeat that they had booked return tickets to Norway two days after the Germany game. If this is true, the travel arrangements would have had to be altered.
In front of a capacity crowd that included [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] and [[Joseph Goebbels|Goebbels]], Norway got a fully-deserved 2-0 win against the hosts. Both goals were scored by [[Magnar Isaksen]], and the win meant that Germany were knocked out and Norway advanced to the semi-finals, where they faced [[Italy national football team|Italy]]. The match against Italy was a closely-contested one, but the Italians eventually won the game 2-1 after extra time. Arne Brustad scored the Norwegian goal. Next up was the third-place match against [[Poland national football team|Poland]], where Brustad scored a hat-trick and guided Norway to a 3-2 victory. Norway had won the bronze medals, and Brustad was hailed as one of the best players of the tournament.
Two years later, Norway took part in their first-ever [[Football World Cup|World Cup]]. Norway had qualified after defeating the [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]] by an aggregate score of 6-5. Reidar Kvammen was the big hero, having scored twice in both matches. The [[Football World Cup 1938|1938 World Cup]] was a straight knockout tournament, and in the opening round, Norway were drawn against defending world champions Italy.
The match, which was played in [[Marseille]], was very tight and exciting. Italy took an early lead, but Norway equalised seven minuted before the final whistle, when Brustad ran past the entire Italian defence and slotted the ball past the keeper. A few minutes later, everyone believed that Brustad had added his second, but this goal was disallowed because of a highly disputed offside call. So, just like in the Olympic tournament two years earlier, the game went to extra time – and once again, the Italians came out on top thanks to a goal by [[Silvio Piola]]. And just like in the [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Olympics]], Italy went on to win the entire tournament. There was a small consolation for Brustad later that year, when he was picked in the "Rest of Europe XI" that played against England at Wembley.
On [[October 22]], [[1939]], Norway lost 4-1 against Denmark in Copenhagen. This would turn out to become Norway's last international match for nearly six years.
===1940s===
When Norway was invaded by [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] in 1940, practically all organized football ceased operations. Asbjørn Halvorsen was among the figureheads of the sports boycott, and was arrested and sent to a [[concentration camp]]. Many other sports figures, including Reidar Kvammen, were also put in concentration camps. Although many players tried to keep fit, and a few illegal matches were organized, the six-year hiatus set Norwegian football back by several years – which became painstakingly evident in the first post-war game against Sweden in Stockholm on [[October 21]], [[1945]].
Many of the old heroes were in the side that faced Sweden that day. Brustad, [[Øivind Holmsen]] and [[Alf Martinsen|Alf "Kaka" Martinsen]] had played for the "Bronze Team", while [[Kristian Henriksen]], [[Knut Brynildsen]] and [[Rolf Johannessen]] had played in the 1938 World Cup. However, six years is a long time in football, and the Swedes, who had not been involved in [[World War II|the war]], had a great side in the making, and won the game by a score of 10-0. When Sweden scored their ninth goal, team joker Kristian Henriksen reportedly told his teammates, ''"OK lads, lets go for a draw"''. The Bronze Age was over.
Eventually, new players were added to the team towards the end of the 1940s. Two of the biggest names were striker [[Gunnar Thoresen]] and defender [[Thorbjørn Svenssen]], who was nicknamed "Klippen" (''"The Rock"''). Also, Bronze Team hero Reidar Kvammen still had some skills remaining in his feet and became the first Norwegian to reach 50 caps in 1948. Although the team was nowhere near the levels of the pre-war side, they did notch up a few big wins. In 1946, [[Finland national football team|Finland]] were routed by a score of 12-0, and two years later, Norway won 11-0 against the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]] in a match where [[Odd Wang Sørensen]] scored five goals – which to this day is the team record for most goals scored by one player in a single game.
In 1949, an 18-year-old inside-forward from [[F.K. Ørn-Horten|Ørn Horten]] named [[Per Bredesen]] made his international debut. He scored in his debut and received rave reviews. Norway had uncovered a new star, and as Norway entered the 1950s, people believed Norway had a new great side in the making. Unfortunately, young Bredesen's national team career was short-lived. In 1952, Bredesen was signed a professional contract with Italian giants [[SS Lazio|Lazio]] – and according to the NFF's self-imposed amateur rules, he was banished from the national team. In an age where most countries in [[western Europe]] had introduced professional football, the old amateur ideals of the 19th century were still the rule in Norway.
===1950s===
Victories were few and far between for the Norwegian national side in the 1950s, and the few games Norway actually did manage to win were usually against fellow minnows Finland and [[Iceland national football team|Iceland]]. Norway did manage a sensational 2-1 win against [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]] in a [[1957]] [[Football World Cup 1958|World Cup]] qualifier, but other than that, there were few highlights. In the return game against the Hungarians, Norway were beaten 5-0.
Thorbjørn Svenssen remained a mainstay in Norway's central defence throughout the decade, and when he finally bowed down in 1962, he had played an amazing 104 full internationals. At the time, he was only the second footballer in history to reach a [[List of football (soccer) players with 100 or more caps|century of caps]] (the first was England captain [[Billy Wright (footballer)|Billy Wright]]. Another national team star at the time was striker [[Harald Hennum]]. His 25 international goals is a post-war record.
Nobody knows what Norway might have achieved if Per Bredesen had been available, but the amateur rules were still in force, even though they were somewhat relaxed in 1960 to allow another Italian exile, [[Ragnar Larsen]], who had recently returned home, to once again play for his country.
In 1959, Norway finished the year with four straight defeats and 22 conceded goals. Even Iceland proved too strong this year, winning 1-0 in [[Reykjavík]].
===1960s===
Following the dismal end to the last year, Austrian [[Willi Kment]] was hired as new national team coach in 1960. Another newcomer was a 17-year-old winger from [[S.K. Brann|Brann]] who was named [[Roald Jensen]], but became known only by his nickname "''Kniksen''". The slightly-built teenager was a wizard with the ball, and suddenly, Norway had a new star – and new-found optimism. Another talented youngster, attacking midfielder [[Olav Nilsen]] made his debut a couple of years later. Nilsen would be a mainstay in the side throughout the decade. "Kniksen" on the other hand, went abroad just like Per Bredesen before him, and thus became disqualified from further national team play.
There was little improvement to be found in the results column, but once in a while, Norway pulled off a shock result. They won against Sweden and [[Netherlands national football team|Holland]] in 1962, and defeated [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] by a score of 4-3 in 1963. However, this fine win was followed by a 9-0 defeat against [[Poland national football team|Poland]], just to confirm that despite the occasional victory, Norway were still among the bottom-feeders of European football.
In the [[1966 World Cup]] qualifiers, Norway emerged as serious contenders for qualification for the first time in three decades. Though the home-based amateur only rule was retained, Norway boasted a promising side including Finn Seemann, Harald Berg, Olav Nilsen and Egil Olsen. All told, they finished runners up behind [[France national football team|France]] with 7 points (3 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats) with two narrow defeats to France proving costly.
One of Norway's most shocking results in the 1960s was the victory against [[Yugoslavia national football team|Yugoslavia]] in a [[1965]] [[Football World Cup 1966|World Cup]] qualifier. The Yugoslavs had finished second in the [[1960 European Football Championship|European Championship]] a few years earlier, and was rated as one of the continent's top sides – but they had to travel home from Ullevaal with a 3-0 defeat in their bags thanks to goals from [[Finn Seemann]], [[Odd Iversen]] and the new star player from northern Norway, [[Harald Berg|Harald "Dutte" Berg]]. Norway also played well against [[France national football team|France]] in this qualifying campaign, but both matches ended with narrow defeats. This was nevertheless the closest Norway had come to reaching a major tournament since the glory days of the 1930s.
Norway once again faced France in the qualifying tournament for the [[Football World Cup 1970|1970 World Cup]]. The home match ended with a rather predictable 3-1 defeat, but in the return leg in [[Strasbourg]], Norway pulled off another shock result and won the game 1-0. [[Odd Iversen]] scored the only goal of the game.
Among the other notable facts, it might be mentioned that [[Fredrikstad F.K.|Fredrikstad]] defender [[Roar Johansen]] played 54 consecutive internationals between 1960 and 1967. Not even Thorbjørn Svenssen managed a streak like that. Another piece of trivia was that goalkeeper [[Kjell Kaspersen]] scored on a penalty in the 7-0 friendly win against [[Thailand national football team|Thailand]] in 1965. This makes Kaspersen the only goalkeeper to have scored for the Norwegian national side.
===1970s===
In 1969, the self-imposed amateur rule was finally abolished, and foreign-based professionals like "Kniksen" and Finn Seemann could once again play with the flag on their chest. It also meant that domestic stars like Odd Iversen and Harald Berg could move abroad without jeopardizing their national team eligibility.
However, the rule change did not improve the results. If anything, the national team's results in the early 1970s got even worse. During the [[1972 European Football Championship|Euro 72]] qualifying campaign, Norway picked up only one point in six games, and in a [[1972]] [[Football World Cup 1974|World Cup]] qualifier against Holland, Norway lost 9-0. The next year, they suffered a perhaps even more humiliating result by losing against [[Luxembourg national football team|Luxembourg]].
There were, however, a few bright spots. A new star emerged in the form of [[Tom Lund]], who made his international debut in 1971. A playmaker in the [[Johan Cruyff]] mold, "Tommy" was without question a great player. Many consider him to be the Norway's finest player ever, but even he couldn't carry the team on his own, and Norway continued to finish last in their [[Football World Cup|World Cup]] and [[European Football Championship|European Championship]] qualifying groups.
In the late 1970s, however, there were signs of improvement. Guided by Tom Lund and new head coach [[Tor Røste Fossen]], Norway defeated both Sweden and [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] in the qualifying campaign for the [[Football World Cup 1978|1978 World Cup]]. The win against Sweden was somewhat marred by [[Svein Grøndalen]]'s vicious tackle that left Swedish star player [[Ralf Edström]], but when Norway played their last World Cup qualifier away against Switzerland, they still had a theoretical chance of reaching the finals. However, the game ended with a 1-0 defeat, and Norway once again had to stay home.
In addition to the "A" team, Norway also fielded an [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] side in the late 1970s. To play for the Olympic side, you had to be an amateur, and not played any World Cup qualifiers. The Olympic side was, in other words, a "B" side, but their matches are nonetheless regarded as full internationals by the NFF (but not recognized by [[FIFA]]). The Olympic team got quite good results, and in 1979, they qualified for the [[Moscow]] [[1980 Summer Olympics|Games]] after beating Finland and [[Germany national football team|West Germany]]'s amateur side in the qualifiers. [[Arne Larsen Økland]] became the hero with the winning goal against the Germans. Incidentally, Økland became a professional in the [[Bundesliga (football)|Bundesliga]] shortly afterwards.
The Olympic side never got the chance to play in the Olympics, because Norway [[American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics|boycotted]] the games along with the [[United States]] and most of the Western European countries as a protest against the Soviet invasion of [[Afghanistan]].
===1980s===
The 1980s got off to a promising start for Norway with a victory against [[Bulgaria national football team|Bulgaria]]. The good run continued with a 6-1 win against Finland (a game where [[Pål Jacobsen]] scored four goals) and victory against Switzerland in a World Cup qualifier. Even a 4-0 loss against [[England national football team|England]] at [[Wembley Stadium (1924)|Wembley]] did not kill the optimism, because after all, England were one of the best teams in the world – at least in the eyes of the Norwegian public.
Narrow defeats against [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]] and [[Romania national football team|Romania]] in the spring of 1981 ensured that Norway once again failed to reach the [[Football World Cup 1982|World Cup finals]], but they still had pride to play for when England entered [[Ullevaal Stadium|Ullevaal]] on [[September 9]], [[1981]]. Norway's previous five encounters against England's full-time pros had all ended with heavy defeats and a combined goal difference of 2-24. Few people believed that trend was about to end that day. The most optimistic pundits hoped for a narrow defeat. In this game, Norway had Tom Lund and the new star [[Hallvar Thoresen]] back in the side. Both had missed the match at Wembley the year before.
The match started badly for Norway. England got off to an early lead through [[Bryan Robson]], but Norway clawed their way back into the game, and midway through the first half, Norway got an equaliser from a Tom Lund cross. The goal was awarded to [[Roger Albertsen]], but television replays have later shown that Albertsen did in fact not touch the ball, and Lund's cross went straight into the net. When Hallvar Thoresen added a second shortly before half time, the shock was in the making. Despite a heavy English pressure in the second half, Norway held on, and had achieved (in the eyes of the Norwegian media) their greatest result ever. It was after this game that radio commentator [[Bjørge Lillelien]] gave his famous "Your boys took a hell of a beating" routine.
Led by Tom Lund, Norway had a fairly good team in the early 1980s. In 1982, Norway beat [[Yugoslavia national football team|Yugoslavia]] 3-1 in a [[1984 European Football Championship|Euro 84]] qualifier with goals by Lund, Økland and current national team boss [[Åge Hareide]]. At the halfway mark, Norway looked to have a good chance of reaching the European Championship. However, Tom Lund retired at the end of the 1982 season, and without their playmaker, Norway was once again a mediocrity and gained only one point in the remaining Euro qualifiers, and once again finished last in the group.
The Olympic team was also put back together, this time to qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics. Norway only finished third in the group, behind [[Poland national football team|Poland]] and the [[East Germany national football team|GDR]] – but when the [[Eastern Bloc]] later decided to boycott the [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Olympics]], Norway were handed the vacant spot. In the finals, Norway gave a pretty good performance. The opening game against [[Chile national football team|Chile]] finished goalless, and the second game against [[France national football team|France]] finished with a narrow defeat, which meant that the 2-0 victory in the final game against [[Qatar national football team|Qatar]] was to no avail. Norway were knocked out in the group stage. On the bright side, the Olympic team included several players who would become mainstays in the "A" team in the following years, such as [[Per Egil Ahlsen]], [[Terje Kojedal]], [[Tom Sundby]] and last but not least goalkeeper [[Erik Thorstvedt]].
The team got a few more scalps in the mid-1980s. In 1985, Norway won 2-1 away against defending world champions [[Italy national football team|Italy]], and the next spring, future world champions [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] were defeated 1-0 at Ullevaal. However, both these matches were friendlies, and in the games that really mattered, Norway were still also-rans. A few weeks after the win against Italy, Norway lost 5-1 at home to Denmark in a [[Football World Cup 1986|World Cup]] qualifier. In short, Norway in the 1980s was a team that could beat anyone on a given day, but they could also lose against anyone on a given day – and there were a lot more bad days than good days.
===1990s===
In October 1990, national team coach [[Ingvar Stadheim]] resigned after a bad start to the Euro 92 qualifying campaign. His replacement was U21 coach [[Egil Roger Olsen|Egil "Drillo" Olsen]], and this coaching change would signal the start of Norway's best period in modern times. Olsen's style of play may not always have been pretty to watch, and got a lot of criticism both at home and abroad, but the style got results.
In terms of individual players, Norway in the early 1990s was probably not the best team in their history. Only defender [[Rune Bratseth]] and goalkeeper Erik Thorstvedt were regarded as true stars on the international level. These two formed the backbone of a side that otherwise included youngsters like [[Øyvind Leonhardsen]], [[Stig Inge Bjørnebye]], [[Lars Bohinen]] and [[Erik Mykland]].
The first indication that Norway had a great team in the making came in the Euro qualifier against Italy on [[June 5]], [[1991]], where goals from Bohinen and [[Tore André Dahlum]] led the side to a 2-1 win. Earlier that night, the Norwegian U21 side had defeated the Italian youngsters 6-0. Norway failed to reach the [[1992 European Football Championship|European Championship]] finals, but they remained in contention until the very last game, and finished a respectable third behind [[Soviet Union national football team|Soviet Union]] and Italy.
Towards the end of the Euro qualifiers, Olsen recalled former youth prodigy [[Kjetil Rekdal]], who had been out of the national team for more than two years after a failed spell in the Bundesliga. As the midfield anchorman, Rekdal would become one of the team's most important players throughout the 1990s.
In the qualifying tournament for the [[Football World Cup 1994|1994 World Cup]], Norway were drawn in the same group as [[England national football team|England]], [[Netherlands national football team|Holland]] and [[Poland national football team|Poland]]. Getting to the World Cup from this group was impossible, according to the pundits – but Olsen had other ideas. The qualifying campaign got off to a great start with a 10-0 win against minnows [[San Marino national football team|San Marino]]. This match was followed by a surprising win against Holland, and when Norway managed a draw in the away game against England through Kjetil Rekdal's 35-yard screamer, the Norwegian public were starting to believe that the national team might actually reach the finals.
The road to the World Cup continued in 1993, when Norway won 3-1 against [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]], followed by a great 2-0 win against England and a somewhat fortunate goalless draw against Holland in Rotterdam. The World Cup tickets were secured on [[October 13]], when Norway defeated Poland by 3-0 in [[Poznań]] after goals by [[Jostein Flo]], [[Jan Åge Fjørtoft]] and [[Ronny Johnsen]]. Norway had reached the World Cup finals for the first time since 1938. In October 1993, Norway had managed the amazing feat of being ranked the second best team in the world (behind Brazil) on the [[FIFA World Rankings]].
The finals were somewhat of a disappointment for the Norwegian team. The tournament got off to a fine start with a win against [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]] in a match that won't go down in history as a classic. Substitute Kjetil Rekdal scored a late winner. This match was followed by a 0-1, 11-10 men defeat against Italy, and after two games, all four teams in the group had collected three points. This meant that Norway would progress to the next round with a win against the [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]]. They would also progress with a draw if the match between Italy and Mexico got a winner. The match against Ireland ended in a disappointing goalless draw – and since the Italy v Mexico game also ended with a draw, Norway were knocked out by the slimmest of margins.
Next up was the [[1996 European Football Championship|Euro 96]] qualifiers. Norway looked like qualifying through most of the campaign, but stumbled in the last two games against the [[Czech Republic national football team|Czech Republic]] and Holland, and were knocked out. At this point, Bratseth and Thorstvedt had both retired and been replaced with [[Henning Berg]] and [[Frode Grodås]] respectively. Two other new faces in the [[Football World Cup 1998 (qualification UEFA)|qualifying campaign for the 1998 World Cup]] were young strikers [[Tore André Flo]] and [[Ole Gunnar Solskjær]]. Solskjær scored twice in the 5-0 win against [[Azerbaijan national football team|Azerbaijan]], and was later signed by [[Manchester United F.C.]]. Flo got his breakthrough on the international stage when he scored twice in the 4-2 friendly win against [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] at Ullevaal. Norway clinched the World Cup spot with a 4-0 win against Finland two rounds before the end of the qualifying campaign.
Just like 60 years earlier, Norway had reached a [[Football World Cup 1998|World Cup]] played in [[France]]. History would repeat itself in more ways. Just like in the last World Cup, Norway were unimpressive in the opening matches. The first two matches against [[Morocco national football team|Morocco]] and [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] ended with draws, which meant that Norway faced the difficult task of beating Brazil if they were to advance to the second round.
"[[June 23]], [[1998]]" and [[Marseille]] will always be remembered as the date and venue of one of Norway's greatest victories. Brazil did have most of the attacking play, and when [[Bebeto]] gave the Brazilians the lead after 78 minutes, it looked like Norway were heading for another early exit. However, a few minutes, Tore André Flo got an equalizer, and when Flo was obstructed in the area two minutes before the final whistle, Norway got a penalty. Kjetil Rekdal fired the penalty into the back of the net. Norway had come from behind to win against Brazil, and advanced to the second round – once again in Marseille, and once again against Italy.
The match against the Italians was a disappointing performance from the Norwegians. Italy got an early lead through [[Christian Vieri]], and Norway rarely threatened the solid Italian defence – and just like in 1938, Norway were knocked out of the World Cup by Italy. After the tournament, Egil Olsen stepped down as national team coach and was replaced by his assistant [[Nils Johan Semb]].
===2000s===
Semb's style of play was roughly the same as his predecessor's, although new players like [[Steffen Iversen]], [[John Carew]] and [[John Arne Riise]] were added. After a slow start to the [[2000 UEFA European Football Championship|Euro 2000]] qualifying campaign, Norway won their last seven games and reached the European Championship finals for the first time in their history. The finals started well, but ended with disappointment. In the opener, Norway got a deserved win against [[Spain national football team|Spain]] through Steffen Iversen's goal. In the second match, Norway played poorly and lost 1-0 against [[Yugoslavia national football team|Yugoslavia]], but Norway would still qualify for the second round if they could win their last group match against [[Slovenia national football team|Slovenia]]. A draw would also be good enough if the match between Spain and Yugoslavia ended with a draw or a Yugoslavia win.
In what must be described as an awful match, the game between Norway and Slovenia ended goalless. In the other match, Yugoslavia had a 3-2 lead after 90 minutes, which would be enough for Norway to advance. However, when Spain scored twice in stoppage time to win the game, Norway were knocked out. After the tournament, Semb had to suffer a lot of criticism for his tactics.
A slow start to the [[Football World Cup 2002|2002 World Cup]] qualifiers did not stop the criticism. After five games, Norway had gained only two points, and after a decade of glory, it became clear that Norway would not reach the finals in [[South Korea|Korea]] and [[Japan]]. Norway did finish the qualifying campaign with three straight wins, but it was too little, too late.
Despite the ever-increasing criticism, Semb remained in charge for the [[2004 UEFA European Championship (qualifying)|Euro 2004]] qualifiers, where Norway eventually finished second behind [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]], and faced a two-leg playoff against Spain. In the away leg, Norway got a respectable 2-1 defeat, which provided some cautious optimism before the return leg at Ullevaal. However, the return leg was a nightmare for the Norwegians. Spain dominated the game completely and won 3-0. After this match, Semb resigned.
Norway's next national coach became former national team hero [[Åge Hareide]], who was hired in January 2004, having coached [[Rosenborg B.K.]] to the domestic league title the previous season. The team, which was dubbed "New Norway", won their first six games, although it must be said that many of these games were against second-rate opposition. In the [[Football World Cup 2006|2006 World Cup]] [[Football World Cup 2006 (qualification)|qualifying]] campaign, results have been varying – ranging from an impressive 3-0 win against Slovenia to a disappointing home defeat against Scotland. Norway eventually finished second behind Italy, and played the [[Czech Republic national football team|Czech Republic]] in a playoff to reach the finals. In the first playoff match the Czech Republic won 1-0 in Oslo. Norway lost the match in [[Prague]] [[November 16]], [[2005]] 0-1, thus failing to make it to the [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 World Cup]].
In the [[2008 UEFA European Football Championship|Euro 2008]] [[2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|qualifiers]] Norway was drawn in a group with [[Greece national football team|Greece]], [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team|Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]], [[Moldova national football team|Moldova]], and [[Malta national football team|Malta]].
On [[16 August]] [[2006]], Norway faced Brazil in a friendly match at Ullevaal Stadium. The game ended 1-1, and Norway remained unbeaten by the Brazilians.
A successful start to the [[2008 UEFA European Football Championship|Euro 2008]] [[2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|qualifiers]] followed, breaking a run of eight games without victory, as Norway won 4-1 in Hungary, their largest away win in a qualifier since October 2001,<ref>[http://rsssf.no/2001/National.html Norwegian national team 2001] from RSSSF, retrieved [[6 September]] [[2001]]</ref> after a string of "amateurish mistakes" by the hosts.<ref>[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/soccer/09/02/bc.eu.spt.soc.hungary.norway.ap/ Solskjaer, Norway roll past Hungary], from Associated Press, retrieved [[6 September]] [[2006]]</ref> It was followed by another victory, against Moldova, but after that, Norway scored only one point in the next three qualifying matches. The team improved with two home ground 4-0 wins in a row (against Hungary and Malta). They also showed great shape by beating Argentina 2-1 in a friendly match at Ullevål. Then they got a 1-0 victory in Moldova before drawing 2-2 with Greece, in a match Norway had the upper hand. Norway then played away to Bosnia and Hercegovina, winning 2-0 without really impressing. This gave Norway a very good chance of qualification if they won their following game against Turkey. However, Norway lost 1-2 after a poor performance, and were eliminated in the final round of qualification, with Turkey securing their place with a victory against Bosnia and Hercegovina.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/standings/index.html |title= UEFA EURO 2008 - Standings|accessdate=2007-09-13 |work= [http://www.uefa.com uefa.com]}}</ref>
Starting in August 2008, Norway will compete against the [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]], [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]], [[Republic of Macedonia national football team|Macedonia]] and [[Iceland national football team|Iceland]] in Group 9 of the [[2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)|2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers]] in Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/7109776.stm |title= 2010 World Cup qualifying draw - Europe|accessdate=2007-11-25 |work= [http://news.bbc.co.uk news.bbc.co.uk]}}</ref>
==World Cup record ==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!Year
!Round
|-
|{{flagicon|Uruguay}} [[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]]||''Did Not Enter''
|-
|{{flagicon|Italy}} [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]]||''Did Not Enter''
|-
|{{flagicon|France}} [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]]||Round 1
|-
|{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950]] ||''Did Not Enter''
|-
|{{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]]||''Did Not Qualify
|-
|{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|Chile}} [[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|England}} [[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|Mexico}} [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|West Germany}} [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|Argentina|alt}} [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|Spain}} [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|Mexico}} [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|Italy}} [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|United States}} [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]]||Round 1
|-
|{{flagicon|France}} [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]]||Round 2
|-
|{{flagicon|South Korea}}{{flagicon|Japan}} [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|Germany}} [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|South Africa}} [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]]||
|-
|{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]]||
|-
|'''Total'''||3/18||
|}
==European Championship record==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!Year
!Round
|-
|{{flagicon|France}} [[1960 European Nations' Cup|1960]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|Spain}} [[1964 European Nations' Cup|1964]]||''Did Not Quality''
|-
|{{flagicon|Italy}} [[1968 UEFA European Football Championship|1968]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|Belgium}} [[1972 UEFA European Football Championship|1972]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|SFR Yugoslavia}} [[1976 UEFA European Football Championship|1976]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|Italy}} [[1980 UEFA European Football Championship|1980]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|France}} [[1984 UEFA European Football Championship|1984]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|Germany}} [[1988 UEFA European Football Championship|1988]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[UEFA Euro 1992|1992]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|England}} [[UEFA Euro 1996|1996]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|Belgium}}{{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[UEFA Euro 2000|2000]]||Round 1
|-
|{{flagicon|Portugal}} [[UEFA Euro 2004|2004]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|Austria}}{{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[UEFA Euro 2008|2008]]||''Did Not Qualify''
|-
|{{flagicon|Poland}}{{flagicon|Ukraine}} [[UEFA Euro 2012|2012]]||
|-
|'''Total'''||'''1/13'''
|}
==[[2010 FIFA World Cup qualification]]==
{{2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 9
| expanded = yes
| fixtures = yes
| tiebreakers = <!-- "yes", to display the tiebreaking notes -->
}}
==Team records==
{|
|valign="top"|
===Most capped players===
{| border=1 cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0
|- align=center style=background:#efefef
!Player
![[cap (football)|Caps]]
!Years
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Thorbjørn Svenssen]] ||104 ||1947-1962
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Henning Berg]] ||100 ||1992-2004
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Erik Thorstvedt]] ||97 ||1982-1996
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Øyvind Leonhardsen]] ||86 ||1990-2003
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Kjetil Rekdal]] ||83 ||1987-2000
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Erik Mykland]] ||78 ||1990-2000
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Svein Grøndalen]] ||77 ||1973-1984
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Tore André Flo]] ||76 ||1995-2004
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Stig Inge Bjørnebye]] ||75 ||1989-2000
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Steffen Iversen]] ||73 ||1998-present
|}
|width="50"|
|valign="top"|
===Top goalscorers===
{| border=1 cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0
|- align=center style=background:#efefef
!Player
!Goals
![[cap (football)|Caps]]
!Years
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Jørgen Juve]] ||33 ||45 ||1928-1937
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Einar Gundersen]] ||26 ||33 ||1917-1928
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Harald Hennum]] ||25 ||43 ||1949-1960
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Ole Gunnar Solskjær]] ||23 ||67 ||1995-2007
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Tore André Flo]] ||23 ||76 ||1995-2004
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Gunnar Thoresen]] ||22 ||64 ||1946-1959
|- align=center
|align=left| [[John Carew]] ||21 ||70 ||1998-present
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Jan Åge Fjørtoft]] ||20 ||71 ||1986-1996
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Odd Iversen]] ||19 ||45 ||1967-1979
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Steffen Iversen]] ||19 ||73 ||1998-present
|- align=center
|align=left| [[Øyvind Leonhardsen]] ||19 ||86 ||1990-2003
|}
|}
==Norway managers==
*[[Willibald Hahn]] 1953-1955
*[[Ron Lewin]] 1956-1957
*[[Edmund Majowsky]] 1958
*[[Ragnar Nikolai Larsen]] 1958
*[[Kristian Henriksen]] 1959
*[[Wilhelm Kment]] 1960-1962
*[[Ragnar Nikolai Larsen]] 1962-1966
*[[Wilhelm Kment]] 1967-1969
*[[Øivind Johannessen]] 1970-1971
*[[George Curtis (footballer born 1919)|George Curtis]] 1972-1974
*[[Kjell Schou-Andreassen]] and [[Nils Arne Eggen]] 1975-1977
*[[Tor Røste Fossen]] 1978-1987
*[[Tord Grip]] 1987-1988
*[[Ingvar Stadheim]] 1988-1990
*[[Egil Roger Olsen|Egil "Drillo" Olsen]] 1990-1998
*[[Nils Johan Semb]] 1998-2003
*[[Åge Hareide]] 2003-present
==Current players==
===Current squad===
The following players were called up for the friendly against [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]] on [[28 May]] [[2008]]<ref>{{no icon}} [http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=520490 Tarik og Demidov inn i landslagstroppen]</ref>. Stats correct as of [[28 May]] [[2008]].
{{nat fs g start}}
{{nat fs g player|no=33|pos=GK|name=[[Rune Jarstein]]|age={{birth date and age|1984|9|29|df=y}}|caps=3|goals=0|club=[[Rosenborg BK|Rosenborg]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=23|pos=GK|name=[[Håkon Opdal]]|age={{birth date and age|1982|6|11|df=y}}|caps=12|goals=0|club=[[SK Brann|Brann]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=5|pos=DF|name=[[Brede Hangeland]]|age={{birth date and age|1981|6|20|df=y}}|caps=44|goals=0|club=[[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]]|clubnat=England}}
{{nat fs g player|no=16|pos=DF|name=[[Jon Inge Høiland]]|age={{birth date and age|1977|9|20|df=y}}|caps=15|goals=0|club=[[Stabæk Fotball|Stabæk]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=2|pos=DF|name=[[Tore Reginiussen]]|age={{birth date and age|1986|4|10|df=y}}|caps=2|goals=0|club=[[Tromsø IL|Tromsø]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=3|pos=DF|name=[[Erik Hagen]]|age={{birth date and age|1975|7|20|df=y}}|caps=28|goals=3|club=[[Wigan Athletic F.C.|Wigan]]|clubnat=England}}
{{nat fs g player|no=6|pos=DF|name=[[John Arne Riise]]|age={{birth date and age|1980|9|24|df=y}}|caps=71|goals=8|club=[[A.S. Roma|A.S. Roma]]|clubnat=Italy}}
{{nat fs g player|no=34|pos=DF|name=[[Jarl André Storbæk]]|age={{birth date and age|1978|9|21|df=y}}|caps=17|goals=0|club=[[Vålerenga IF Fotball|Vålerenga]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=25|pos=DF|name=[[Kjetil Wæhler]]|age={{birth date and age|1976|3|16|df=y}}|caps=3|goals=0|club=[[Vålerenga IF Fotball|Vålerenga]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=8|pos=MF|name=[[Martin Andresen]] ([[captain (football)|c]])|age={{birth date and age|1977|2|2|df=y}}|caps=39|goals=3|club=[[Vålerenga IF Fotball|Vålerenga]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=|pos=MF|name=[[Eirik Bakke]]|age={{birth date and age|1977|9|13|df=y}}|caps=27|goals=0|club=[[SK Brann|Brann]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=18|pos=MF|name=[[Vadim Demidov]]|age={{birth date and age|1986|10|10|df=y}}|caps=1|goals=0|club=[[Rosenborg BK|Rosenborg]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=19|pos=MF|name=[[Christian Grindheim]]|age={{birth date and age|1983|7|17|df=y}}|caps=17|goals=0|club=[[SC Heerenveen|Heerenveen]]|clubnat=Netherlands}}
{{nat fs g player|no=39|pos=MF|name=[[Per Ciljan Skjelbred]]|age={{birth date and age|1987|6|16|df=y}}|caps=5|goals=0|club=[[Rosenborg BK|Rosenborg]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=28|pos=MF|name=[[Jan Gunnar Solli]]|age={{birth date and age|1981|4|19|df=y}}|caps=34|goals=1|club=[[SK Brann|Brann]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=7|pos=MF|name=[[Fredrik Strømstad]]|age={{birth date and age|1982|1|20|df=y}}|caps=15|goals=2|club=[[Le Mans Union Club 72|Le Mans]]|clubnat=France}}
{{nat fs g player|no=10|pos=FW|name=[[John Carew]]|age={{birth date and age|1979|9|5|df=y}}|caps=71|goals=21|club=[[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]]|clubnat=England}}
{{nat fs g player|no=9|pos=FW|name=[[Tarik Elyounoussi]]|age={{birth date and age|1988|2|23|df=y}}|caps=1|goals=1|club=[[Fredrikstad FK|Fredrikstad]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=32|pos=FW|name=[[Thorstein Helstad]]|age={{birth date and age|1977|4|28|df=y}}|caps=29|goals=9|club=[[SK Brann|Brann]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=26|pos=FW|name=[[Daniel Braaten]]|age={{birth date and age|1982|5|25|df=y}}|caps=16|goals=2|club=[[Toulouse FC|Toulouse]]|clubnat=France}}
{{nat fs g player|no=|pos=FW|name=[[Azar Karadas]]|age={{birth date and age|1981|8|9|df=y}}|caps=10|goals=1|club=[[SK Brann|Brann]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=36|pos=FW|name=[[Erik Nevland]]|age={{birth date and age|1977|11|10|df=y}}|caps=6|goals=0|club=[[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]]|clubnat=England}}
{{nat fs g player|no=11|pos=FW|name=[[Morten Gamst Pedersen]]|age={{birth date and age|1981|9|8|df=y}}|caps=40|goals=8|club=[[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn]]|clubnat=England}}
{{nat fs end}}
===Recent call-ups===
The following players have been called up since August 2007:
{{nat fs g start}}
{{nat fs g player|no=1|pos=GK|name=[[Thomas Myhre]]|age={{birth date and age|1973|10|16|df=y}}|caps=56|goals=0|club=[[Viking FK|Viking]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=|pos=DF|name=[[John Anders Bjørkøy]]|age={{birth date and age|1979|1|8|df=y}}|caps=4|goals=0|club=[[Lillestrøm SK|Lillestrøm]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=40|pos=DF|name=[[Ronny Johnsen]]|age={{birth date and age|1969|6|10|df=y}}|caps=62|goals=3|club=[[Vålerenga IF Fotball|Vålerenga]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=13|pos=DF|name=[[Frode Kippe]]|age={{birth date and age|1978|1|17|df=y}}|caps=8|goals=0|club=[[Lillestrøm SK|Lillestrøm]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=43|pos=DF|name=[[Vidar Riseth]]|age={{birth date and age|1972|4|21|df=y}}|caps=52|goals=4|club=[[Lillestrøm SK|Lillestrøm]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=|pos=DF|name=[[Pa Modou Kah]]|age={{birth date and age|1980|7|30|df=y}}|caps=10|goals=1|club=[[Roda JC|Roda]]|clubnat=Netherlands}}
{{nat fs g player|no=30|pos=MF|name=[[Simen Brenne]]|age={{birth date and age|1981|3|17|df=y}}|caps=3|goals=1|club=[[Lillestrøm SK|Lillestrøm]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=42|pos=MF|name=[[Lars Iver Strand]]|age={{birth date and age|1983|5|7|df=y}}|caps=4|goals=0|club=[[Vålerenga IF Fotball|Vålerenga]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=41|pos=MF|name=[[Alexander Tettey]]|age={{birth date and age|1986|4|4|df=y}}|caps=2|goals=0|club=[[Rosenborg BK|Rosenborg]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=8|pos=MF|name=[[Petter Vaagan Moen]]|age={{birth date and age|1984|2|5|df=y}}|caps=5|goals=1|club=[[SK Brann|Brann]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=22|pos=MF|name=[[Kristoffer Hæstad]]|age={{birth date and age|1983|12|9|df=y}}|caps=24|goals=1|club=[[Vålerenga IF Fotball|Vålerenga]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=21|pos=MF|name=[[Bjørn Helge Riise]]|age={{birth date and age|1983|6|21|df=y}}|caps=9|goals=1|club=[[Lillestrøm SK|Lillestrøm]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=|pos=FW|name=[[Sigurd Rushfeldt]]|age={{birth date and age|1972|12|11|df=y}}|caps=38|goals=7|club=[[Tromsø IL|Tromsø]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=|pos=FW|name=[[Alexander Ødegaard]]|age={{birth date and age|1980|9|13|df=y}}|caps=4|goals=1|club=[[Viking FK|Viking]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs g player|no=14|pos=FW|name=[[Steffen Iversen]]|age={{birth date and age|1976|11|10|df=y}}|caps=73|goals=19|club=[[Rosenborg BK|Rosenborg]]|clubnat=Norway}}
{{nat fs end}}
==See also==
*[[Norway women's national football team]]
*[[Sápmi national football team]]
==Notes==
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
<references />
</div>
==External links==
*[http://www.fotball.no/ Official website of The Norwegian Football Association (NFF) in English and Norwegian]
*[http://www.rsssf.no/stats/AlltimeNational.html RSSSF archive of results 1908-]
*[http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/noo-recintlp.html RSSSF archive of record international players]
*[http://www.geocities.com/thomsof/landslaget/landslaget.html Complete list of Norwegian international players]
{{fb start}}
{{International Football}}
{{UEFA teams}}
{{fb end}}
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[[ko:노르웨이 축구 국가대표팀]]
[[it:Nazionale di calcio della Norvegia]]
[[he:נבחרת נורבגיה בכדורגל]]
[[lv:Norvēģijas futbola izlase]]
[[lt:Norvegijos vyrų futbolo rinktinė]]
[[hu:Norvég labdarúgó-válogatott]]
[[mr:नॉर्वे फुटबॉल संघ]]
[[nl:Noors voetbalelftal]]
[[ja:サッカーノルウェー代表]]
[[no:Norges herrelandslag i fotball]]
[[nn:Det norske herrelandslaget i fotball]]
[[pl:Reprezentacja Norwegii w piłce nożnej]]
[[pt:Seleção Norueguesa de Futebol]]
[[ro:Echipa naţională de fotbal a Norvegiei]]
[[ru:Сборная Норвегии по футболу]]
[[fi:Norjan jalkapallomaajoukkue]]
[[sv:Norges herrlandslag i fotboll]]
[[vi:Đội tuyển bóng đá quốc gia Na Uy]]
[[tr:Norveç Millî Futbol Takımı]]
[[uk:Збірна Норвегії з футболу]]
[[zh:挪威國家足球隊]]