Norway Viking – Erling Haaland and Norway’s World Cup squad have been accused of “chauvinism” and facing “neo-Nazi” comparisons after a Viking-themed photoshoot in Oslo. Critics in Norway pointed to rune-like writing, shields and weapons imagery, and the kits’ design, while S
Erling Haaland posed in Viking gear on the edge of an Oslo beach. holding his place alongside Norway team-mates as the squad staged a dramatic send-off before the World Cup. Shields were up. bows and arrows were presented. axes were held aloft. and long boats sat in the background as if the team were preparing to sail. The photoshoot was bold. The reaction to it has been sharper.
The Man City striker and the group heading to the US were styled as Vikings in a set of “extraordinary shots” organised around a beach scene in Oslo. But critics say the aesthetic crosses a line. Journalist Markus Slettholm of the newspaper Morgenbladet accused the imagery of being “chauvinistic and exclusionary.” In an interview with NRK. he went further. describing it as “reminiscent of what neo-Nazis were concerned about ten years ago.”.
The backlash has split opinion in Norway, and it did not stay in the stands or social media. The debate grew loud enough that Norway manager Stale Solbakken was asked about it at a press conference. His response was blunt: “There are many bigger and more difficult topics than that. I can’t afford to waste time on that.”.
At the centre of the dispute is more than just Viking styling. Jane Haug Skjoldli. a researcher and Norwegian academic. argued that the Norway kits for the World Cup could be seen as “hyper-masculine and right-wing extremist” in comments to Klassekampen. She also said that elements of the kit are “unfortunate and typical of neo-Nazi and fascist symbolic language. ” pointing specifically to rune-like writing on the back of the shirts.
The photoshoot itself was the brainchild of the Norwegian FA. Norway fans have already been leaning into Viking themes in stadium displays. including a synchronised “Viking row” in recent games—described as similar to the Icelandic clap—and the squad photos now add another chapter to that push into national history.
The Norwegian FA commissioned Scottish photographer David Yarrow for the shoot after Haaland recommended him. Yarrow told The Athletic that he anticipated criticism aimed at the final photos. saying: “I like to take people outside of how they’re normally photographed.” He added: “I knew it might get some criticism. but I wanted to play on that sense of journey that goes back to the Vikings. as if they’re setting sail for America.”.
Yarrow said the work was designed to avoid something that would feel staged or half-hearted: “Then it was just a question of doing it right. If you do it in a half hearted way or in a studio it can fall flat but we really went for it.” He described the production decisions as intentional. with the team’s setting and outfits built to look realistic: “We got the boats in. got everyone dressed in proper Viking gear and not pantomime stuff.”.
Details from the shoot were made as carefully as the imagery. Haaland wore his hair down. while Antonio Nusa—who has his peroxide blond dyed—wore a helmet to cover it up in the name of realism. A wooden jetty in the photos was specially constructed for the shoot and taken down afterwards. The whole process was captured and posted by the governing body on its Instagram page. and fans reacted positively in the comments.
The Norwegian FA have been keen to put the message in a different frame, saying the idea is not about shrinking what the team represents to an old stereotype, but about putting on a show of unity ahead of the tournament.
It’s hard to ignore the sequence of events as the controversy has gathered momentum: a Viking-themed commission becomes a publicly shared photoshoot. the design details are questioned for their symbolism. and the national team’s manager is pulled into the debate in the middle of preparations. That chain of cause and effect is exactly why the argument has refused to fade.
Norway head into the World Cup with Haaland. Martin Odegaard and Nusa—part of what the article describes as the golden generation of Norwegian football—carrying serious hopes of reaching the knockout stages. Haaland’s Norway squad share a group with France. Senegal and Iraq. a draw that “looks on paper” to be the toughest of the tournament. even as the team’s Viking identity has become the most immediate talking point.
Even the fans are already bringing the theme to the stands. In a match against Sweden. Norway supporters turned the away end into a Viking longship. with a synchronized rowing display—set out in a clip posted on June 2. 2026 under the hashtag “#Norway #Sweden.” The squad itself are set to go to the tournament as Haaland’s team-mates prepare for what the article describes as their own Viking raid at the fourth World Cup in their history.
Erling Haaland Norway Viking photoshoot World Cup Stale Solbakken Markus Slettholm NRK Morgenbladet Jane Haug Skjoldli David Yarrow Antonio Nusa Martin Odegaard
Vikings are literally historical, how is this neo-Nazi? People just want to be mad.
I didn’t even know there was a photoshoot until this. The rune-looking stuff is always a red flag to me, even if they say it’s just “Viking.”
Wait so they’re saying the whole kit is “right-wing extremist” because there’s shields and axes?? That seems like a reach. Next they’ll compare every Halloween costume to fascists lol. But then again I guess the writing matters?
This is what happens when athletes do “bold” marketing instead of just playing soccer. I swear it’s like everything turns into politics now. If it really was rune-like writing and weapons imagery then yeah people are gonna connect dots that might be older than “ten years ago” like the article says. Also Stale Solbakken just brushing it off feels weird, like don’t answer means it’s true.