Norway took an official photo in the Viking style and divides opinions in the Scandinavian nation
The Norwegians sought to be original in their official photo by remembering the Viking culture, but apparently it did not seem good to all their fans.
The Norwegian team sought to innovate with its official photo for the 2026 World Cup and in theory achieved an impact with the design of the graphic highlighting its Viking origins, but when they expected to have impressed all Norwegians, they were surprised to see how it divided opinions in their country.
The players of the Scandinavian team, led by Manchester City's star forward Erling Haaland, posed like Vikings at the foot of a fjord and the image was spread on social networks by the Norwegian football authorities a week before the start of the World Cup.
The graphic that tried to praise the Viking roots of this nation that returns to a World Cup tournament after a long absence of 28 years was published on the official account of the social network
Norway seeks to revive old laurels, since it has not played in a final phase of a major tournament since Euro 2000 and whose previous World Cup experience dates back to France 1998 and before that in the United States 1994, where it defeated Mexico 1-0 and much earlier in France 1938.
The photo was taken up by newspapers such as Morgenbladet or Klassekampen, which compiled in their pages adverse comments from experts and columnists who denounce the use of the Viking cliché, the abuse of masculinity or the possible association with the extreme right, reinforced by the use of runic characters in the names of the players on the shirts.
But not everything was negative, as the Red party deputy, Mímir Kristjánsson, said on public television NRK that: "I think it is fantastic. This is a football World Cup in which cultures from all over the planet meet. Norway must bring its own culture with it."
While the national team coach: Ståle Solbakken said that: "There are more important and problematic issues. I don't want to spend time on that," when asked at a press conference.
Norway was placed in Group I along with France, Senegal and Iraq, against which it will debut on June 17 at Boston Stadium (Gillette Stadium), located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States; the second will be against Senegal at New York New Jersey Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey).
The third game will be against France at Boston Stadium (Foxborough, Massachusetts) and where the Vikings may risk their lives against the French in a duel with a reserved prediction.