Team Overview: Norway

Norway finished top of group A in the women’s euros with a flawless record - three wins from three, including a win against the hosts, Switzerland. With this result, Norway will play Italy in the quarter-finals on Wednesday 16th July while they look to win their first Euros trophy since 1993, following their early exit from the tournament in 2022. They finished third in the group last time out, with England and Austria being the teams that progressed. Norway’s current form is a massive improvement from this, with them being many people’s dark horses of the tournament this year. 

📸via Reuters

Although the Euros are taking place in Switzerland this year, the support at their home country is loud! The women’s team are highly celebrated and recognised in their country after an early dominance in women’s football (World Cup winners in 1995, European champions in 1987 and 1993 and Olympic gold in 2000) making them a point of pride in Norwegian sports. As well as this, they were one of the first countries to introduce equal pay between the men and women’s national team in 2017 which makes them trailblazers in women’s football.

Some key players to look out for include Guro Reiten, Caroline Graham-Hansen and Ada Hegerberg. Reiten is a rapid winger with an eye for goal, with 8 goals in 13 matches for Chelsea last season after coming back from injury. Although she hasn’t netted any goals of this European campaign yet, she holds a dangerous threat on the left wing and could cause Italy some problems in the Quarter-Finals. Graham-Hansen on the other hand has already scored her first goal of the tournament, with it coming against Finland. The Barcelona winger/midfielder is a very technical player, with close control and ‘ankle-breaking’ skills and will be a nightmare for Italy to defend against. With these two key players, it leaves Norway with a very successful and dangerous attack. If this wasn’t enough, add Hegerberg to the mix and any team coming up against them are in trouble. The Lyon striker is a formidable presence in the Norwegian front line with a natural instinct for scoring. She is ruthless inside the box and constantly drifts between defenders. These players are only three of the multi-talented squad that Norway bring with them to the Euros, making them a very strong team.

Norway could bring some surprises and upsets to this tournament, and have the skills to go all the way and win the trophy, so look out for them this summer.