Norway's World Cup heroes received a thunderous welcome to Oslo as over 100,000 fans burst onto the streets to celebrate their quarter-final run. The city was awash with red, white, and blue as the squad touched down, sparking an impromptu party that showed no signs of slowing down. What had begun as heartbreak just two days prior – a 2-1 extra-time defeat to England – had transformed into a nationwide love-in, with fans from all walks of life coming together to hail their heroes.
The squad's homecoming was a masterclass in pageantry, complete with a traditional water cannon salute and an audience with King Harald V. Fans were over the moon, with Catherine Breiland beaming with pride: "I've felt incredibly proud – it's been amazing! I've been at home, in Spain, and the atmosphere between Norwegian people has been there all along, so this has been truly unbelievable." As the team greeted their adoring fans, the Royal Guard stood resolutely to attention behind them.
Erling Haaland was conspicuous by his absence from the final stages of the celebrations, having jetted off early. His teammates were left to lead the "Viking row" on the palace steps – an iconic moment led by Crown Prince Haakon on the drums – without their star striker. Coach Ståle Solbakken explained: "Erling and Sander had to catch our delayed flight from the US – it was a four-hour delay."
The party raged on with an open-top bus parade through Oslo, but the crowds were so dense that the bus was forced to slow to a crawl and even reverse at one point as police struggled to clear a path. The players, undeterred, celebrated with beer in hand, waving to their adoring fans long after dark. Nicolai Sivesind, who had travelled from afar for the events, summed up the mood: "This team has exceeded all expectations – I think every Norwegian should be proud of what they've achieved."
The parade hit a brief snag when low-hanging overhead cables forced the players to take their seats and wait it out. The incident drew some wry smiles – not least from coach Solbakken, who had earlier claimed that England's equaliser was aided by an interfering camera cable (a claim Fifa has consistently disputed). Eventually, the 1.3km route concluded at City Hall Square, where tens of thousands of patient supporters remained to welcome the team. Captain Martin Ødegaard told NRK: "No one could have predicted this. The support we've received in the States and here at home has been beyond anything we dared hope for – it's been truly incredible."