Bodø/Glimt's sensational six-year European rise
Friday, March 6, 2026
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Bodø/Glimt will reach a new milestone when they face Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, yet this is just the latest step forward for a club who have been on an impressive European journey in recent years.
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Bodø/Glimt won their first Norwegian title in 2020, and a successful navigation of the Conference League play-offs secured their return to the main stage of European competition for the first time in 15 years.
The club from the Arctic Circle have gone from strength to strength ever since, utilising the opportunities offered to them by UEFA’s expansion of European club competitions, and developing a phenomenal record on the back of that experience.
"To experience the very highest level this closely does something to you," midfielder and club captain Patrick Berg explains.
"I feel that’s where you can really take steps, both as players and as a team. We’ve benefited a lot from that."
Bodø is a town of just 45,000 inhabitants, in a region containing fewer people than some of the stadiums Bodø/Glimt have visited during their adventures this season. And yet the club's comparative stature has not held them back.
European competitions give clubs such as Bodø/Glimt a chance to test themselves against the very best, and the 2025 UEFA Europa League semi-finalists have risen to the challenge, stepping up a level and capturing the imagination of fans across the continent with a remarkable run to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
A 2-2 draw against Borussia Dortmund took their league phase tally to three points from six games in December, but Bodø produced two headline-grabbing results to seal one of the qualification spots for the knockout play-off round, beating Manchester City at home before winning 2-1 away at Atlético de Madrid to finish 23rd in the standings.
The view of the Bodø/Glimt fans
Henrik – Bodø firefighter:
"It’s a club that, despite not having the best conditions, neither financially nor geographically, has managed to reach a level that you could only have dreamed of a few years ago.
“It still hasn’t fully sunk in how far we’ve come. I followed the draw in the autumn and thought these would be some great matches, both home and away.
"There was a feeling that we could do well against several of them… But that we would go through to the knockout rounds, I hadn’t imagined that."
Stig – Bodø/Glimt supporter:
"We've achieved something fantastic, both in the Europa League and this year in the Champions League. We should be very, very proud and we are, no matter what. We are proud that we are there."
Murud – local barber:
"Most teams that come here don’t really expect much from us. But they quickly learn that it’s not easy playing against our team here.
"The first one was Roma. I don’t think they had really heard of Glimt, and then suddenly it was 6-1 at Aspmyra.
"Now, all of Europe knows about us."
Building on Europa League experience
Manager Kjetil Knutsen credits the experience gained in the Europa League over recent years in giving his team the experience required to produce such performances.
"We’ve been extremely fortunate because we’ve been in the Europa [League] over a sustained period, facing stronger and stronger opposition," Knutsen says. "Both personally and as a team, we’ve trusted the process.
"It’s clear that we’re competing at the highest level, we’ve felt that. And when we went into the final three matches with two points, and then managed to take seven points, away at Borussia Dortmund and Atlético Madrid, and beat Manchester City at home, I think that’s big.
"It shows the potential within the team. It also shows how well we take learning on board, and how strong we are in terms of the group and the culture. I’m proud of that, though I almost have to admit that it is slightly surprising that we’ve managed to achieve it."
And Bodø’s European journey will continue following their stunning 5-2 aggregate win over the 2024/25 Champions League runners-up Inter in the knockout play-off round, as Knutsen’s side won both legs to reach the round of 16 – the second-best Champions League run ever by a Norwegian club, after Rosenborg’s quarter-final effort in 1996/97.
"As players, we almost feel like we’re living in a dream," Berg says. "It’s something we’ll look back on in many years and probably think it was a bit surreal that it happened. It’s incredibly fun to be part of it."