How Norway built their way back to the World Cup

For the first time since 1998, Norway have qualified for the men's FIFA World Cup. Led by stars such as Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard and Alexander Sørloth, Norway enter the 2026 tournament after a perfect qualifying run of eight wins in eight games while scoring an incredible 37 goals – eight more than any other team.

But Norway’s qualification is not simply the story of a golden generation, it also reflects a wider shift in how the country identifies, develops and supports young players.

"This national team is a product of the systematic work that has taken place in Norwegian football over many years," says Håkon Grøttland, head of player and coach development at the Football Association of Norway (NFF), who highlights five interconnected developments that have helped the country produce players capable of competing at the highest level.

Artificial pitch revolution

In a country of long winters and challenging weather, artificial pitches have become a crucial part of Norway’s football infrastructure, ensuring football is a year-round sport. Developing artificial pitches has been a focus for more than 20 years, and between 2016 and 2025 alone, 539 new artificial pitches were built, while a further 586 were renovated.

"Players can train throughout the year in stable conditions," Grøttland explains. "That means we can train in a different way, with more game-like practice, and develop players with better touch and skills in tight spaces."

The creation of more artificial pitches has been a key factor in Norway's football developmentBongarts/Getty Images

Building expertise

Around 2010, Norwegian football began to look more critically at itself. Results had been disappointing, the country was not producing enough top players, and there was a growing sense that it needed to learn from others.

What followed was a broader shift in knowledge and priorities, with recognition that player development requires specific competence, shared learning and closer cooperation between clubs, academies, regions and the national association.

For Grøttland, Norway’s ability to share knowledge across that system, rather than keeping it within individual clubs or academies, has become one of the country’s strengths.

"I believe we are the best in the world at cooperation, openness and sharing competence," he says.

That shift has led to a major focus on coach education at grassroots and youth level. Since 2011, more than 17,000 coaches have completed Norway’s full grassroots coaching pathway, while almost 2,000 have completed the UEFA B diploma course since 2017.

Smarter training methods

Another major shift came when Norwegian football developed a more football-specific approach to training, moving away from principles borrowed from other sports and towards a system built around the specific demands of football.

"We began to train much more intelligently," Grøttland says. "Football developed its own methodology for training and learning."

This created the foundation of a broader national framework for training and talent development.

Landslagsskolen

That framework found its clearest structure in Landslagsskolen, the 'national team school'. Launched in 2015, this model created a clearer pathway for players to progress from club level through district and regional football to the youth national teams.

It is designed to balance the Norwegian grassroots model with systematic talent identification and development: children remain in their local clubs, enjoying the game with their friends, with no formal selection until the age of 12. From there, around 10% of each national age group enters the first level of Landslagsskolen, giving Norway a broad arena for identifying and preparing players for international football.

"Landslagsskolen has been absolutely crucial,” Grøttland says. "It has created a bridge through the system and set a common direction for football knowledge, training methodology and playing principles."

Landslagsskolen has helped create a clear pathway for youth player developmentThomas Brekke Sæteren – NFF

Ownership and self-development

Finally, at the heart of Norway’s talent approach is now a broader understanding of what talent means. It is not only about technical ability or physical potential, but about building a culture where players take responsibility for their own development and for the team around them.

"For us, talent is ownership of your own development. You can see that in the national team. These are players who take ownership of themselves and the team," Grøttland says.

He believes this has become a distinctive feature of many Norwegian players: reflective, self-driven and willing to take responsibility.

"I am very proud of the national team we have now," he says. "It is not only that they are incredibly good footballers. They are good people and players who do not put themselves above others. They are team players. That is the kind of people we want to develop."