Reuters – More than 100,000 fans flooded the streets of the Norwegian capital Oslo on ​Monday to give their soccer team a heroes’ welcome, turning the heartbreak of their World Cup exit into a ‌massive national celebration.

A 2-1 extra-time defeat by England on Saturday brought Norway’s historic run to an end in the quarter-finals, shattering the Nordics’ dreams of a place in the last four. However, it did not stop the country celebrating their heroes.

Massive crowds under the Norwegian summer sun filled the grounds of the Royal Palace early on Monday ​afternoon, with an unofficial turnout estimated at more than 100,000 people.

The Norway squad touched down to a traditional water cannon salute ​before commencing their homecoming parade in the capital.

The line of supporters quickly packed the palace square before stretching ⁠far down the main street, Karl Johans gate, as the squad first attended an audience with King Harald.

“I have felt very proud, it ​has been amazing, I have been both at home and in Spain, and the atmosphere between the Norwegian people has been there all the time, ​so it has been unbelievable,” Norway fan Catherine Breiland told Reuters.

The team stepped out to greet the fans with the Royal Guard standing to attention behind them.

Striker Erling Haaland was noticeably absent from the final stage of the celebrations, having left early.

His departure meant he missed joining his teammates on the palace steps for one ​last “Viking row”, with tens of thousands of fans gathered below, which was led by Crown Prince Haakon on the drums.

“Erling and Sander (Berge) had to ​catch their plane as our trip from the U.S. was delayed four hours,” coach Stale Solbakken said, as the squad prepared to continue the celebrations in ‌an open-top ⁠bus parade around Oslo.

Crowds slowed the bus to a halt through central Oslo, forcing it to reverse at one point as police escorts struggled to carve out a path. Undeterred, Norway’s players celebrated with beer and waved as the party continued long after dark.

“The run the Norwegian team has had this year has been way beyond anything I’ve ever expected. I feel everybody in Norway should just honour the national team, which ​has done such an amazing job ​during this whole cup,” said ⁠Nicolai Sivesind, who travelled to Oslo to take part in World Cup events.

There was a moment of irony when the parade was halted by low-hanging overhead cables. The players, who had been standing ​and waving flags on the top deck, were forced to sit down to clear the obstruction before ​the double-decker could proceed.

Solbakken ⁠said earlier he was convinced the ball hit a camera cable above the pitch just before Jude Bellingham scored England’s equaliser in the first half of the quarter-final.

World soccer’s governing body FIFA has repeatedly denied that the ball touched any wire before the goal.

Hours after the parade began, it completed the ⁠1.3-km route ​at City Hall Square, where tens of thousands of patient supporters were still waiting ​to welcome the team.

“I don’t think anyone had imagined this,” captain Martin Odegaard told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. “The support we have received in the USA and here at home in Norway, ​has been beyond all expectations. It has been absolutely incredible to see.”

Norwegian has fulfilled its promise to British Airways after England defeated Norway 2–1 in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Ahead of the match, the two airlines agreed to a light-hearted wager on social media: the losing carrier would temporarily replace its Instagram profile picture with the winner’s logo. Following England’s victory, Norwegian changed its profile image to the British Airways logo and congratulated both the airline and the England team.

In its post, Norwegian praised its rival with the message, “Well played,” adding that while Norway’s tournament had ended, the friendly bet would remain a memorable part of its World Cup campaign. The airline also wished England success in the semi-finals against Argentina on 15 July.

The playful exchange, which attracted participation from several other airlines in the days leading up to the match, has been widely viewed as a successful example of engaging social media marketing within the aviation industry.

Oslo . They came. They fought. They scored a goal that wasn’t a goal, conceded a goal that shouldn’t have been a goal, and left the World Cup with the kind of injustice that will fuel Norwegian dinner-table arguments for generations. England 2 – Norway 1 after extra time, but let’s be honest: the scoreline should have an asterisk the size of a fjord. This was a match where Norway outplayed one of the tournament favorites for large stretches, only to be undone by two decisions that will be replayed on Norwegian screens until the next World Cup rolls around in 2030.

Let’s set the scene. It’s 1-1 deep into regulation time. Erling Haaland—our cyborg in yellow—does what cyborgs do. He bulldozes through the English defense, sets up what should be a 2-1 lead, and the entire nation of 5.4 million people collectively leaps off their sofas. Then VAR intervenes. The referee decides Haaland’s gentle hand on an England defender’s back was too aggressive, ruling out the goal for a foul. We’ve seen stronger pushes at a Bergen bus stop in January. Norwegian pundit Kristoffer Løkberg called it “unbelievably poor refereeing” and a “scandal” on live television. The rest of us called it words we can’t print in a family newspaper.

But that wasn’t even the first controversy. Just minutes earlier, England had equalized from a goal kick that appeared to hit the spidercam wire—the same cable that brings us those beautiful aerial shots and, apparently, gives England a free pass into the semi-finals. The ball dropped unnaturally, players pointed frantically, and the Norwegian bench reacted immediately. Under FIFA rules, if the ball hits an external object, play must stop and restart with a dropped ball. Instead, the goal stood. FIFA later defended the decision using data from the ball’s chip sensor, claiming there was no impact “spike” to indicate contact with the wire. But everyone watching with their own two eyes saw the ball behave like it had hit a clothesline in a backyard. Norway manager Ståle Solbakken, ever the gentleman in defeat, said: “I don’t think there’s any doubt it hit something, but unfortunately we’ll have to live with that for the rest of our lives.” We’re holding you to that, Ståle.

To be crystal clear, this heartbreaking exit has nothing to do with the domestic betting investigation that made headlines back in February. That is a separate case involving lower-league players and yellow-card conspiracies in the Norwegian domestic game. The national team? They were squeaky clean from that mess. The only thing dirty here was the refereeing, and Norwegian media have been unified in calling it exactly what it was—a scandal of officiating incompetence that robbed a golden generation of their rightful shot at glory.

So why are Norwegians so furious? Because two game-defining decisions went against us in one single match. Both were reviewed by VAR, the technology that was supposed to eliminate clear errors, and somehow both went horribly wrong. Our boys played their hearts out, pressed England relentlessly, and created the better chances for 90 full minutes. They did everything right except convince the man in the middle. Alf-Inge Haaland, father of Erling and a former Premier League player himself, summed up the national mood with brutal simplicity: “Saved by the referee… we got robbed today.” He wasn’t alone. Social media exploded with Norwegian fans demanding apologies, VAR reform, and, in some cases, a full investigation into the spidercam’s alleged conspiracy against the Nordic nation.

But through all the anger and frustration, there is a silver lining worth holding onto. This team is young, this team is hungry, and this team just proved they can go toe-to-toe with anyone on the planet—even when the universe, VAR, and a rogue television cable all conspire against them. We didn’t lose because we were worse. We lost because football is cruel, margins are razor-thin, and referees apparently need glasses. Norway exits this World Cup with their heads held high, their chins up, and a burning desire for revenge that will only grow stronger over the next four years.

Until then, we’ll be watching replays, shaking our fists at the sky, and reminding everyone that technically, that goal kick definitely hit the wire. Tusen takk, gutter. We’re still incredibly proud of you. And if FIFA ever releases that full ball data, you can bet Norwegian journalists will be first in line to fact-check every single byte. This isn’t goodbye—it’s see you later, with interest.

Erling Haaland delivered when it mattered most, scoring twice late in the second half as Norway shocked five-time champions Brazil 2-1 to reach the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals for the first time.

After a tense, goalless first half, Brazil squandered a golden opportunity when Bruno Guimaraes had a penalty saved by Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland. The miss proved costly.

Haaland broke the deadlock in the 79th minute, rising above Gabriel to head home Andreas Schjelderup’s pinpoint cross before sealing the famous victory with a powerful low strike from outside the box in the 90th minute.

Neymar converted a stoppage-time penalty for Brazil, but it proved too little, too late to prevent a stunning upset.

The victory sends Norway into the last eight, where they will face either England or co-hosts Mexico, while Brazil exit before the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1990.