As a general rule, in sporting tournaments, Scandinavians strongly support their own countries. It usually means more for a Dane to beat a Norwegian than it would mean for them to beat a German or an Italian (this applies especially when it comes to the Winter Olympics, where Norway regularly outperforms other countries its size).
Handball tournaments are also particularly competitive among the Scandinavian countries, where Denmark, Norway and Sweden regularly top international league tables.
There are also particular rivalries among the different countries – Norwegians and Swedes have a long-standing rivalry when it comes to cross-country skiing, and Denmark are historically the better football nation of the three, despite not qualifying for the 2026 World Cup when the other two did.
You might be forgiven for thinking that because of these rivalries, the three countries would never dream of supporting each other in an international tournament – just like how the Scots and the Irish would never support the English in a tournament (in fact they’d be more likely to support anyone BUT the English).
But you may find yourself experiencing supporter whiplash if you follow an international tournament while in Scandinavia, with the 2026 World Cup an excellent example. Denmark didn’t qualify and Sweden was knocked out by France, but the two countries haven’t given up. Instead, they’ve rallied around Norway as their last chance of a Scandinavian World Cup victory.
In fact, a survey of Swedish football fans by Verian for Swedish public broadcaster SVT showed (prior to the Norway-England game on July 11th) that almost three quarters of Swedes support Norway, with just 11 percent hoping that they lose. Danes are also rallying around the Norwegian team, with so many Norway supporters on the streets of Copenhagen when Norway play that you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in Oslo.
If there’s one common denominator in situations like this, it’s the word ‘brother’. Danes and Swedes often refer to Norway as their ‘little brother’, and talk about supporting ‘broderfolket’ (‘brother people’) over others. It’s the typical sibling rivalry – we want to beat them ourselves but if we can’t beat them, then we don’t want anyone else to either.
It does also help that Norway is a bit of a wildcard, with this being the country’s first World Cup since 1998 and only its fourth time ever competing in the tournament. Who doesn’t love an underdog?
So, with Norway set to play against England on Saturday there’s only one thing left to say: Heia Norge!
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