Norwegian captain Martin Odegaard handed the drum sticks over to his teammate, all-universe striker Erling Haaland, after Norway bounced Brazil, the five-time World Cup champion, out of the 2026 tournament in a 2-1 Round of 16 victory at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday. Haaland scored both goals in the defining victory, to date, in Norwegian soccer history: so he would lead “The Viking Row,” the viral Norwegian fan cheer in which someone bangs a drum and the red-clad Norwegian supporters in the stands simulate a rowing motion, while chanting “Ro!” which sounds like roo, which is Norwegian for “row.”
Haaland pounded the drum, twice, with his left hand. “Ro!” the crowd responded. He did it again, looking somewhat dissatisfied with the response. A third time. Now, he was happy. By the sixth or seventh double-bang, he was picking up the pace. Sixteen double-bangs in all, before he slammed the sticks onto the pitch and jumped around, smiling, with his jubilant teammates.
What once seemed like a cute ritual from a pleasant Nordic nation, happy to be in its first World Cup in 28 years, is now morphing into a global soccer power anthem. Its force should be taken seriously, largely because of the 6-ft, 5-in striker with the blonde man-bun. Norway has advanced to its first World Cup quarterfinal in its history and will play England, who defeated co-hosts Mexico, on July 11 in Miami.
Haaland now has seven goals in this World Cup, tying him with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé for the tournament lead. He’s scored in an unfathomable 14 straight competitive games for Norway, piling up 27 goals over this period. Haaland now has 62 goals in 54 games for his country. Mbappé has 63 for France—in 103 games. “For Erling, I'm lost for words,” says Norway midfielder Andreas Schjelderup. “We’re all lost for words. I think we’re all just happy that he’s Norwegian.”
“Let’s be honest, to score seven goals for Norway in the World Cup is quite special,” say
