Three Norway – In Boston, Norway’s World Cup storyline is being carried by sons of the 1994 squad—families spanning 32 years, Father’s Day energy, and a promise that no pressure is needed for talent to grow.
Father’s Day came early for Norway at the FIFA World Cup.
On Tuesday in Boston, the Røde, Hvite, Blå fielded three players whose dads all played together for the national team in 1994, when the tournament was last played in the United States.
For former goalkeeper Erik Thorstvedt, the moment arrived with something he didn’t expect to feel so visibly. He admitted that he had tears running down his cheeks in anticipation of his son, Kristian, taking the field against Iraq.
“It’s like a fairytale that is coming true,” Gøran Sørloth said, describing what it was like to see his son lead the line alongside Erling Haaland—whose father Alf-Inge also played in the ’94 tournament.
For the players who took the pitch in 1994, the story had ended harshly. Norway’s group stage exit left them with a sense of unfinished business: they beat Mexico. lost to Italy. and drew with The Republic of Ireland. Every team in their group finished with an identical goal difference and four points.
Norway had only conceded one goal, but they had only scored one goal—and that sealed their fate. They were eliminated because of their goals scored record, the three other teams progressed, and Italy made it all the way to the final.
None of those families could have imagined that more than three decades later. several of the same national-team dads would return to the United States to cheer for their sons in the same competition. And this wasn’t only a reunion built on 1994 alone: midfielder Patrick Berg is the son of another Norwegian international—Ørjan Berg won 19 caps between 1988 and 2000.
Soccer has long had father-son chapters. Algerian goalkeeper Luca Zidane’s father is French legend Zinedine Zidane. Still, three or four players in the same national team coming from that kind of shared lineage doesn’t feel accidental.
Outside football, the families point to something in their country’s wider culture. From the Winter Olympics to golf. tennis and track and field. Norwegian athletes are dominating on the world stage. and they’ve been doing it while their youth sports lives are shaped by a society that encourages children to play multiple sports without pressure to succeed when they’re young.
“We don’t really have to live out our ambitions through our sons,” Thorstvedt said. “We know that to enjoy football and make it the thing you like to do most in life, the most important thing is don’t put too much pressure on the kids.”
Alexander Sørloth. who comes from that same supportive orbit. played handball and was in the Norwegian national team as a speed skater at the age of 12. Kristian Thorstvedt almost didn’t turn professional as a soccer player at all. Since there was no interest in him from the Norwegian clubs, he chose to go to university in New Hampshire.
In Thorstvedt’s telling, it came down to a late call—one of those moments that can redirect a life. “As a last throw of the dice, I called an old friend of mine who was the coach of my old club, Viking Stavanger, and I asked, ‘Could you take hm on for a trial?’”
“He said, ‘OK, let him come for a week.’ He did well, he got a contract with them. The margins are so small, these sliding doors moments define our lives. I believe if he’d gone to college in New Hampshire. he would have had a great education. but he would never have had the experiences that he’s gotten now.”.
Sørloth says he prefers watching Alexander rather than looking back at his own playing experience. “It’s amazing,” he said. “I’ve been proud, really proud of him and the team and everyone. I know the trainers, I know everything about it because I’ve been there so many times myself. So, it’s a really good feeling for myself.”.
Thor stvedt, though, admitted he was still too anxious to fully relax. He was Sørloth’s roommate in ’94, and he knows what pressure can do when stakes are high. “Of course, it’s a proud moment,” he said, explaining his fear of Kristian making a costly mistake. “As a father and ex-goalkeeper. you are aware of the downsides if you make a penalty two minutes from the end or score an own goal. You’re slightly aware of those things as well, but luckily, it turned out really, really good.”.
The setting has its own weight. Norway’s 1994 World Cup appearance was their first since 1938. and after the ’98 tournament in France. they never made it back until now. Erling Haaland is a big reason for their revival. Bearing a striking resemblance to a Norse god—with an aura to match—his goalscoring prowess has some viewing Norway as a dark horse for the tournament.
“He’s scored more than a goal per match for Norway,” Thorstvedt said. “I mean, if you do that for Man City, it’s incredible, but for Norway, it’s ridiculous. We haven’t been that good and to score more than a goal per match is out of this world. We are so lucky to have him.”
But the dads also share a warning learned the hard way: there’s nothing to gain from getting carried away. “As a former player, I always say, ‘One match at a time’ – that’s the answer for me,” Sørloth told.
For now. they’re trying to do exactly what they’ve preached and practiced—enjoy the moment. keep their feet on the ground. and hope their sons can fulfill their dreams. If it doesn’t happen this time. the families may still carry the belief that there will be another run one day—only next time. it won’t be fathers in the stands.
It would be granddads.
Norway World Cup 1994 World Cup Erik Thorstvedt Kristian Thorstvedt Gøran Sørloth Alexander Sørloth Erling Haaland Alf-Inge Haaland Ørjan Berg Patrick Berg Bosnia against Iraq Father’s Day early Norwegian football legacy