Norway’s famous Viking Row celebration has become one of the biggest fan attractions of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as supporters prepare for Saturday’s quarter final against England.
The chant and rowing motion have been seen across the United States during the tournament. Fans have performed it in Times Square, outside stadiums and back home in Oslo as Norway continue their dream run.
People with deep knowledge of Viking history say the celebration captures the spirit of their ancestors, even if the rowing style is not quite right.
“I really like the Viking Row. It’s really good as a chant. It gets people fired up. It gets people going,” said Knut Roger Brekke of the Oseberg Viking Heritage Foundation.
The foundation built a full size replica of the Oseberg ship, a Viking vessel discovered near Tonsberg in 1903. Brekke said real Viking sailors would have rowed much more slowly to save energy during long journeys.
“If you’re actually going to row one of these things out at sea, you need to go for hours and hours. So you need to take it slow. You need to do a little rest,” he said.
The original Oseberg ship was built around the year 820 and was later used as a burial ship for two powerful women.
Norway have already made history by reaching the World Cup quarter finals for the first time. A win over England would send them into the semi finals, where they would face either Argentina or Switzerland.
Ole Harald Flaten of the heritage foundation hopes the team’s success will spark greater interest in Viking culture.
“The Viking spirit is wanting to win and to do it together,” he said.
“Hopefully, there will be lots and lots of people who want to row a Viking ship after Norway have won the World Cup.”
