Norwegian squad brings 300 kg of fish, 116 kg of cheese to World Cup

Norway's first World Cup squad since 1998 packed like they're catering a Viking banquet, shipping traditional Norwegian staples to their North Carolina training base.

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Add us on Google by Editorial Team Jun. 10, 2026

Norway hasn’t played in a FIFA World Cup since 1998. That’s 28 years of waiting, which apparently gives you plenty of time to plan a very ambitious grocery list.

The Norwegian national football team has shipped 300 kilograms of red fish, 116 kilograms of brunost (traditional Norwegian brown cheese), and 6,000 oranges to their training base in Greensboro, North Carolina, ahead of the 2026 World Cup. They also brought their own chefs. Because when you finally make it back to the biggest stage in world football, you’re not trusting the local Applebee’s.

The man behind the menu is Aron Espeland, a chef who has been feeding Norway’s national team for 35 years. Espeland was cooking for the squad before most of the current players were born, and he’s made it clear he expects the team to eat through all 300 kilograms of fish during the tournament.

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The brunost, for those unfamiliar, is a distinctly Norwegian product. It’s a caramelized whey cheese with a sweet, fudge-like flavor that looks more like peanut butter than anything you’d find on a charcuterie board. It’s a breakfast staple in Norway, typically sliced thin and placed on bread.

The strategy also carries a psychological dimension. Comfort food is, well, comforting. When you’re Erling Haaland or Martin Odegaard, about to play in front of millions for a country that hasn’t been on this stage in nearly three decades, a plate of familiar fish and brunost is a small anchor to normalcy.

The last time Norway appeared at a World Cup, the tournament was in France. The country’s qualification for 2026 represents a genuine milestone for Norwegian football. The 2026 World Cup is hosted across the US, Canada, and Mexico and is the first expanded tournament featuring 48 teams.

Setting up camp in Greensboro, North Carolina, puts Norway in the southeastern United States, where summer temperatures and humidity will be a far cry from Bergen or Tromso. Espeland’s 35-year tenure with the national team means he knows what these players need, and how to deliver it at scale in unfamiliar kitchens.

If the fish runs out before the tournament ends, that’ll mean Norway stuck around long enough to eat through 660 pounds of it. Espeland is probably hoping for exactly that problem.

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