Did Norway Just Take the Greatest World Cup Team Photo Ever?
The Norwegian soccer side has let it be known that they are heading to the United States in warrior-like fashion via a spectacular team photo.
Just like their ancestors thousands of years ago, the Norwegians are getting ready to cross the oceans for the promise of glory and gold. And to mark this momentous occasion, photographer David Yarrow assembled the team for an epic picture with the players clad in Viking gear.
The photograph was taken on a private beach near the Norwegian capital of Oslo on Saturday. Yarrow, a well-established photographer from the U.K., got longships in the background and Viking clothing to drive home the effect.
“I like to take people outside of how they’re normally photographed,” Yarrow tells The Athletic. “I knew it might get some criticism, but I wanted to play on that sense of journey that goes back to the Vikings, as if they’re setting sail for America.”
The photograph was taken on Saturday with all of the players except one; Arsenal’s Martin Ødegaard was busy playing in the Champions League final, but a space was left for him for when he flew to Oslo on Tuesday and was digitally inserted. Some of the background landscape was also composited: elements were taken from Viking Valley in Gudvangen, which was photographed later that same day.
Norwegian soccer fans embrace their Viking history by imitating rowing a longship in the stands and chanting “Hoo!”
“We recognized early on that the Viking narrative would follow us regardless,” Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) president Lise Klaveness tells The Athletic. “That’s why we chose to take ownership of it and fill it with what truly defines us. It’s not about aesthetics alone, but about values: togetherness, team spirit, and standing united.”
Yarrow has form for this type of photo, having taken a team picture of the European Ryder Cup team last year in front of the Brooklyn Bridge, with all the golfers dressed up as members of the mob. The Athletic notes that that photo has become “one of the best-selling photographs of all time, and raised a considerable sum for charity.” Yarrow says that such photo shoots can provide levity and become a catalyst for team bonding.
While the Europeans went on to win the Ryder Cup, it’s difficult to see Norway finding similar success in the U.S. Despite star players like Man City’s Erling Haaland and the aforementioned Ødegaard, Norway isn’t among the favorites at this summer’s tournament that stars next week.
