Thousands of jubilant Norwegian supporters took to the streets of Oslo in the early hours of Tuesday morning to celebrate their national team’s place in the World Cup knockout stage, with a large crowd marching on the royal palace in an attempt to rouse 89-year-old King Harald V from his sleep.
Norway’s thrilling 3-2 victory over Senegal ended at around 4am local time, yet the result sparked immediate and widespread celebrations across the capital despite Tuesday being a normal working day. Supporters flooded Oslo’s streets, with one particularly spirited group marching up the city’s main thoroughfare chanting “We’re going to wake up the King” before converging on the palace square.
Upon reaching the royal residence, hundreds of fans sat on the ground to perform the famous Viking rowing celebration, the same gesture Erling Haaland and his teammates had performed on the pitch in New Jersey after the final whistle. Videos of the scenes outside the palace spread rapidly across social media.
The Norwegian Royal House declined to confirm whether King Harald and Queen Sonja had been woken by the festivities or had stayed up to watch the match. In a brief statement, it said only: “The Royal House rejoices with the rest of the country over the men’s national team’s victory last night.”
Norway’s qualification for the round of 32 marks their deepest run in the tournament since 1998 and has ignited a wave of national euphoria not seen in a generation.
