Norway's World Cup Team Ditches Tarmac for Viking Fjord Shoot

When Norway's football team needed a send-off photo for their first World Cup since 1998, they didn't gather on airport stairs like every other squad. Instead, all 26 players dressed as Vikings and posed in a Norwegian fjord, complete with authentic costumes, weapons, and shields.

British photographer David Yarrow created the epic image titled "The Vikings are coming" after first photographing Manchester City striker Erling Haaland alone in Viking dress back in 2023. Haaland loved that solo shoot so much (his sister called it "the best looking picture ever") that he pushed for Yarrow to photograph the entire team.

The project faced a major challenge when team captain Martin Odegaard couldn't make the original shoot day because he was in Budapest for Arsenal's Champions League final. Yarrow waited until after Arsenal's parade through north London, then shot Odegaard separately under matching cloudy conditions so his figure could blend seamlessly into the group photo.

But Yarrow had a crucial mission beyond creating a striking image. He insisted that every player occupy the same amount of frame, whether they were worth £200 million or £250,000.

"It was important that it was not seen to be Haaland and Odegaard and 24 others," Yarrow told BBC Sport. "It was important to foster a sense of team."

Why This Inspires

The photo represents something bigger than clever marketing. In an era where star players dominate headlines and social media, Yarrow deliberately elevated every squad member to equal status.

Behind-the-scenes footage proves the image is real, not AI-generated, showing players getting fitted in authentic costumes sourced from Oslo theatre companies. The photo now hangs beside a table tennis table at Norway's World Cup base in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Yarrow has done this before with powerful results. His prohibition-era photo of Europe's Ryder Cup team raised over a million dollars for Irish charities, and the team said it helped bond them before they retained their trophy.

The Norway photo will fundraise for Norwegian charities too. But Yarrow, who captured Diego Maradona's iconic 1986 World Cup trophy moment at age 20, believes this team has talent beyond their two superstars.

"People think it's a team of two people and it's so not," said the Glasgow-born photographer. "It's a seriously good football team."

As Norway prepares to face their opening match, they'll carry an image that reminds them they're warriors together, not just a supporting cast for their biggest names.