Norway women's national football team

Women's national association football team representing Norway

Norway
Shirt badge/Association crest
AssociationFootball Association of Norway
(Norges Fotballforbund)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachGemma Grainger
CaptainMaren Mjelde
Most capsHege Riise (188)[1]
Top scorerIsabell Herlovsen (67)
FIFA codeNOR
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 16 Steady (15 March 2024)[2]
Highest2 (July – August 2003)
Lowest16 (December 2023)
First international
 Sweden 2–1 Norway 
(Kolding, Denmark; 7 July 1978)
Biggest win
 Norway 17–0 Slovakia 
(Ulefoss, Norway; 19 September 1995)
Biggest defeat
 England 8–0 Norway 
(Falmer, England; 11 July 2022)
World Cup
Appearances9 (first in 1991)
Best resultChampions (1995)
European Championship
Appearances12 (first in 1987)
Best resultChampions (1987, 1993)

The Norway women's national football team is controlled by the Football Association of Norway. The team is former European, World and Olympic champions and thus one of the most successful national teams. The team has had less success since the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.

History

Norway women's national football team emerged in 1978 for the Nordic Championship tournament, which was relatively early for Western Europe, but late for the Nordic countries, beating only Iceland. Having little culture for official clubs and a series system, Norway had a lot to do to catch up to especially Sweden and Denmark. Their early history therefore consisted of losing to their neighbours and eventually beating Northern Ireland for their first win.

A power to be reckoned with

Eventually, Norway marked themselves as one of the better countries in Europe, if inferior to their Nordic neighbours.[3] They beat England, France and Switzerland. In the first qualification for the European Competition for Representative Women's Teams (later renamed UEFA Women's Championship), Norway played opposite Sweden, Finland and Iceland. Norway lost both matches against Sweden, but beat Finland over both matches. A surprising home draw against Iceland mattered little, Norway took the second spot in a qualification where only the best teams qualified. Sweden later won the Euros.

The start of the golden years

Norway seemed to have problems with Sweden, and they lost 0–5, their biggest loss at the time (if repeated later) shortly afterwards. Compared to other teams, however, Norway improved, and they beat Denmark and West Germany in the qualification for the 1987 Euros. The Euros, consisting as the men's Euros had been until 1980 of two semi finals and a final played in one of the countries qualified for it. In this case, Norway was the host for the four matches. Norway beat Italy in the semifinals and met Sweden in the finals. The finals was the first time Norway beat Sweden in a match, as Norway won 2–1. This made the national football team the first Norwegian sports team ever to have won anything, eleven years ahead of the Norway women's national handball team.

Norway continued to win the next year as they beat Sweden again in a final in 1988 FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament, in China. In the 1989 Euros Norway made the finals against West Germany, but this time lost 1–4. After that loss the coaches resigned, leaving the helm to Even Pellerud. Pellerud saw Norway progress to the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup. Before the first official world cup, Norway made it to the fourth (and Norway's third in a row) final of the Euros, where Norway again met Germany. Germany won in extra time. In the World cup Norway made it to the semifinals, where they lost to the USA.

Following that, Pellerud led the team to the 1993 Euros. Norway beat Denmark in the semifinals and Italy in the finals, winning their second Euros. Norway followed up with winning the 1994 Algarve Cup, the first ever to be arranged. The focus the next year was the World Cup and its antecedent Euros, which also functioned as a qualifier for the World Cup. Norway met Italy already in the quarter-finals, and won it. Sweden managed to come back and thrash Norway in the second semifinal in Sweden, winning 5–7 after two matches. Norway was still qualified for the World Cup.

World Champions and beyond

The 1995 World Cup in Sweden is part of Norwegian sports heritage. Norway won all their matches in the group stage, and continued to meet an unconvincing Denmark in the quarter-finals. Norway was up 3–0 with five minutes to go, and while conceding a goal a minute later, Norway was never threatened. The next encounter for Norway was the US, and in a close match, USA could never respond to an early goal by Ann Kristin Aarønes, and the USA lost their first official international tournament. Norway met Germany in the finals. Having lost two Euro finals, Norway were not among the favourites, but they defeated Germany by two goals scored within the space of four minutes, becoming world champions. Pellerud resigned shortly afterwards.[4]

From the first women's football in the Olympic Games, it was considered equal with the world cup in rank. Norway qualified as a matter of course because of their win in the World Cup. Norway drew with Brazil, and beat Germany and Japan, proceeding to the semi-finals. There they lost to the US after extra time, but won the bronze medal after defeating Brazil.

The 1997 Euros turned out to be a big disappointment for the ruling world champions at home, and Norway only made it to the semi-finals. This was the last time the two-year gap was used, making it easier to focus on the two competitions separately. Norway eased through to the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, where they beat all their opposition in the group stage. They met Sweden in the quarter-finals, proving that now Norway had the upper hand by beating them 3–1. Surprisingly, Norway lost heavily to China, who won 5–0, thus equaling the embarrassment Sweden defeated Norway some 13 years earlier. In the bronze final, Norway lost to Brazil on penalties in front of a record 90,185 spectators.

Norway was not among the biggest favourites to win the Sydney Olympics. They started off losing to the US, but picked up nicely by beating Nigeria and China, the latter by one goal. In the semi-finals Norway beat Germany with a lucky own goal by Tina Wunderlich after Germany pressed the Norwegians for the better part of the match. The final saw Norway against heavy favourites USA in an even match. Tiffeny Milbrett took the lead for the US, but Norway equaled the score by Gro Espeseth and stayed in the game with a good keeper in Bente Nordby. Norway took the lead in the match via a header by Ragnhild Gulbrandsen, but Milbrett scored in stoppage time to prolong the match to extra time with golden goal. Norway scored the winner in what seemed like a handball.[5] The coach Per-Mathias Høgmo quit after achieving this feat.

Decline

Åge Steen took over as coach, but under his tutelage, things went from top to mediocre. In the 2001 Euros Norway's play was lackluster, and while making it to the semi-finals thanks to the French national team, Norway lost clearly to Germany. In the 2003 World Cup, Norway disappointed with a fumbling 1–4 to Brazil in the group stage before losing to USA in the quarter-finals. As Greece was arranging the 2004 Summer Olympics, there were only two additional spots for European teams, and Sweden and Germany, who had both proceeded to the finals, took them. Steen continued for another year, as stipulated by his contract, but was replaced in late 2004.

Brief recovery

Under the new coach, Bjarne Berntsen, Norway took things up a notch by reaching the final of the 2005 Euros with a classic 3–2 win over Sweden in extra time in the semifinal. Again Germany defeated Norway to win the championship. Norway continued to achieve reasonable results except in the Algarve Cup where the results started to slip.

Despite this Norway qualified for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China. They drew with Australia and narrowly beat Canada, and then a 7–2 win over Ghana took them to the top of their group. Norway then progressed further by beating China 1–0, but lost 0–3 to Germany in the semifinal. In the bronze final Norway lost 1–4 to the US to finish in fourth place in the World Cup, which qualified them to enter the Beijing Olympics. Norway's top scorer Ragnhild Gulbrandsen was awarded the Bronze Boot behind Marta of Brazil and Abby Wambach of the United States.

From there Berntsen's fortunes began to wane. First he was criticized for telling Lise Klaveness she had no future in the national team under him, at 1 a.m. at Oslo airport as they were arriving back from China, a gross error that he later admitted. Then in the 2008 Olympics Norway first impressively beat USA, then lost to Japan 1–5 and went out in the quarter-finals against Brazil. In October 2008, five players refused to play in the National Team, making comments that implied playing under Berntsen was too much of a burden, which led to a media outcry. With a reduced team, and also after some less controversial resignations, Norway produced a relatively good result at the 2009 UEFA Women's Championship by beating Sweden 3–1 in the quarter-finals, even with an embarrassing 0–4 against Germany and a modest 1–0 against Iceland and 1–1 against France. After the championship, Berntsen's contract ended.

Landsem

Eli Landsem, the first woman coach and the first coach with experience of coaching women's football, took over at the end of 2009. Under her some of the players who had previously elected not to play returned. Landsem produced acceptable results and the team qualified to play in the 2011 FIFA World Cup after winning all but one of the matches in their qualification group. However Norway failed to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in its history after losing to Brazil (0–3) and Australia (1–2).[6] As a result, they also failed to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

The next task was qualification to the 2013 European Cup competition, with Norway in Group 3 with Iceland, Northern Ireland, Belgium, Hungary and Bulgaria. The campaign began badly with 3–1 losses to Iceland and 64th-ranked Northern Ireland, but in 2012 the position was recovered with wins in the last six matches, and Norway finished top of Group 3 with eight wins from ten matches.[7] They later went on to finish as runners-up in the finals in Sweden.

Struggle

At the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Norway was drawn into a group with Germany, Thailand and the Ivory Coast. Norway performed well in the group stage, as the team beat Thailand 4–0 and the Ivory Coast 3–1. They drew 1–1 against former champions Germany. Norway would lose 2–1 in the round of sixteen to England. England went on to win the bronze medal.

2016–present

On 16 December 2016 Martin Sjögren was introduced as the new coach of Norway. He had previous coaching experience in the Damallsvenskan with Linköpings and LdB FC Malmö.[8]

Norway qualified for Euro 2017 without losing a game. They were drawn into Group A alongside the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. Norway was the highest ranked team in Group A, and were predicted by many to win the group. They ended up being one of the biggest disappointments of the tournament as they lost all three group games without scoring a goal.[9]

On 9 September 2017 Norway striker and 2016 UEFA Women's Player of the Year Ada Hegerberg announced she was taking a break from international duty, and was unsure when or if she would return.[10]

On 7 October 2017 the Norway Football Association announced that Norway's male and female players would receive equal financial compensation, with the men making a contribution to the women's team. This equalled nearly a fifty percent increase in compensation for the women.[11]

On 4 September 2018 Norway defeated the Netherlands 2–1 in their final group game of UEFA World Cup Qualifying. As a result, Norway won qualifying Group 3 and secured an automatic berth in the 2019 World Cup, while the Netherlands who won Euro 2017 were forced to go to the play-off.[12]

Euro 2022

In their Euro 2022 group stage match against England, the host country of the competition and eventual champions, on 11 July 2022, the team suffered their biggest defeat, losing 8–0.[13] Norway was eliminated after the first round, as in 2017, after losing the final Group A match against Austria (0–1),[14] having won only one match, in the opening match against Northern Ireland (4–1).

All-time record

Competition Stage Result Opponent Position / Notes
1984 EC QS GS: Gr.1 2–2 / 1–0 Iceland Iceland 2 / 4
3–0 / 3–0 Finland Finland
0–2 / 1–2 Sweden Sweden
1987 EC QS GS: Gr.1 0–0 / 2–0 Finland Finland 1 / 4
3–2 / 0–0 Germany West Germany
2–2 / 5–2 Denmark Denmark
Norway 1987 EC SF 2–0 Italy Italy Advanced
F 2–1 Sweden Sweden Champions
1989 EC QS GS: Gr.3 3–3 / 0–2 Finland Finland 2 / 4
0–1 / 1–2 Denmark Denmark
2–0 / 3–1 England England
QF 2–1 / 3–0 Netherlands Netherlands Qualified
West Germany 1989 EC SF 2–1 Sweden Sweden Advanced
F 1–4 Germany West Germany Runners-up
1991 EC QS GS: Gr.3 1–0 / 4–0 Finland Finland 1 / 4
4–0 / 1–0 Belgium Belgium
2–0 / 0–0 England England
QF 2–1 / 2–0 Hungary Hungary Qualified
Denmark 1991 EC SF 0–0 (8–7 p) Denmark Denmark Advanced
F 1–3 (a.e.t.) Germany Germany Runners-up
China 1991 WC GS: Gr.1 0–4 China China 2 / 4
4–0 New Zealand New Zealand
2–1 Denmark Denmark
QF 3–2 Italy Italy Advanced
SF 4–1 Sweden Sweden
F 1–2 United States United States Runners-up
1993 EC QS GS: Gr.1 10–0 / 6–0 Switzerland Switzerland 1 / 3
0–0 / 8–0 Belgium Belgium
QF 3–0 / 3–0 Netherlands Netherlands Qualified
Italy 1993 EC SF 1–0 Denmark Denmark Champions
F 1–0 Italy Italy
1995 EC QS GS: Gr.1 6–1 / 9–0 Czech Republic Czech Republic 1 / 4
8–0 / 4–0 Hungary Hungary
2–2 / 4–0 Finland Finland
QF 3–1 / 4–2 Italy Italy Qualified
1995 EC SF 4–3 / 1–4 Sweden Sweden Eliminated
Sweden 1995 WC GS: Gr.2 8–0 Nigeria Nigeria 1 / 4
2–0 England England
7–0 Canada Canada
QF 3–1 Denmark Denmark Advanced
SF 1–0 United States United States
F 2–0 Germany Germany Champions
United States 1996 SO GS: Gr.1 2–2 Brazil Brazil 1 / 4
3–2 Germany Germany
4–0 Japan Japan
SF 1–2 United States United States Eliminated
BM 2–0 Brazil Brazil Third place
1997 EC QS GS: Gr.1 (Class A) 17–0 / 4–0 Slovakia Slovakia 1 / 4
3–1 / 0–0 Germany Germany
2–0 / 7–0 Finland Finland
Norway Sweden 1997 EC GS: Gr.2 5–0 Denmark Denmark 3 / 4
0–0 Germany Germany
0–2 Italy Italy
1999 WC QS GS: Gr.3 (Class A) 6–1 / 0–0 Netherlands Netherlands 1 / 4
0–1 / 3–2 Germany Germany
2–1 / 2–0 England England
United States 1999 WC GS: Gr.3 2–1 Russia Russia 1 / 4
7–1 Canada Canada
4–0 Japan Japan
QF 3–1 Sweden Sweden Advanced
SF 0–5 China China Eliminated
3P 0–0 (4–5 p) Brazil Brazil Fourth place
Australia 2000 SO GS: Gr.2 0–2 United States United States 2 / 4
3–1 Nigeria Nigeria
2–1 China China
SF 1–0 Germany Germany Advanced
F 3–2 United States United States Champions
2001 EC QS GS: Gr.2 (Class A) 4–0 / 1–0 Switzerland Switzerland 1 / 4
4–0 / 5–0 Portugal Portugal
3–0 / 8–0 England England
Germany 2001 EC Gr.2 3–0 France France 2 / 4
1–1 Italy Italy
0–1 Denmark Denmark
SF 0–1 Germany Germany Eliminated
2003 WC QS GS: Gr.1 (Class A) 4–0 / 1–1 Ukraine Ukraine 1 / 4
5–0 / 5–1 Czech Republic Czech Republic
3–0 / 3–1 France France
United States 2003 WC Gr.B 2–0 France France 2/4
1–4 Brazil Brazil
7–1 South Korea South Korea
QF 0–1 United States USA Eliminated
2005 EC QS GS: Gr.2 (Class A) 6–0 6–1 Belgium Belgium 2 / 5
2–0 2–0 Netherlands Netherlands
1–1 1–2 Denmark Denmark
2–0 2–0 Spain Spain
Play-offs 7–2 2–1 Iceland Iceland
England 2005 EC GS: Gr.2 0–1 Germany Germany 2 / 4
1–1 France France
5–3 Italy Italy
SF 3–2 Sweden Sweden
F 1–3 Germany Germany
2007 WC QS GS: Gr.1 (Class A) 4–1 1–1 Ukraine Ukraine 1 / 5
4–0 3–0 Serbia Serbia
1–0 2–1 Italy Italy
3–0 4–0 Greece Greece
China 2007 WC Gr.C 2–1 Canada Canada 1 / 4
1–1 Australia Australia
7–2 Ghana Ghana
QF 1–0 China China
SF 0–3 Germany Germany
3P 1–4 United States United States
China 2008 SO Gr.3 2–0 United States United States 2 / 4
1–0 New Zealand New Zealand
1–5 Japan Japan
QF 1–2 Brazil Brazil
2009 EC QS GS: Gr.6 3–0 7–0 Israel Israel 1 / 5
3–0 4–0 Austria Austria
3–0 0–0 Russia Russia
3–0 3–0 Poland Poland
Finland 2009 EC GS: Gr.2 0–4 Germany Germany 3 / 4
1–0 Iceland Iceland
1–1 France France
QF 3–1 Sweden Sweden
SF 1–3 Germany Germany
2011 WC QS GS: Gr.2 3–0 2–2 Netherlands Netherlands 1 / 5
1–0 4–0 Slovakia Slovakia
14–0 7–0 North Macedonia Macedonia
5–0 3–0 Belarus Belarus
Play-offs 1–0 2–0 Ukraine Ukraine
Germany 2011 WC GS: Gr.D 1–0 Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea 3 / 4
0–3 Brazil Brazil
1–2 Australia Australia
2013 EC QS GS: Gr.3 1–3 2–1 Iceland Iceland 1 / 6
6–0 5–0 Hungary Hungary
1–0 3–0 Belgium Belgium
1–3 2–0 Northern Ireland Northern Ireland
3–0 11–0 Bulgaria Bulgaria
Sweden 2013 EC GS: Gr.B 1–1 Iceland Iceland 1 / 4
1–0 Netherlands Netherlands
1–0 Germany Germany
QF 3–1 Spain Spain
SF 1–1 Denmark Denmark
F 0–1 Germany Germany
2015 WC QS GS: Gr.5 4–1 2–1 Belgium Belgium 1 / 6
7–0 11–0 Albania Albania
2–1 0–2 Netherlands Netherlands
5–0 6–0 Greece Greece
2–0 2–0 Portugal Portugal
Canada 2015 WC GS: Gr.B 4–0 Thailand Thailand 2 / 4
1–1 Germany Germany
3–1 Ivory Coast Ivory Coast
Round of 16 1–2 England England
2017 EC QS GS: Gr.8 1–0 2–2 Austria Austria 1 / 5
1–0 5–0 Israel Israel
4–0 10–0 Kazakhstan Kazakhstan
4–0 2–0 Wales Wales
Netherlands 2017 EC GS: Gr.A 0–1 Netherlands Netherlands 4 / 4
0–2 Belgium Belgium
0–1 Denmark Denmark
France 2019 WC GS: Gr.A 3–0 Nigeria Nigeria 2 / 4
1–2 France France
2–1 South Korea South Korea
Round of 16 1–1 (4–1 p) Australia Australia
QF 0–3 England England
Australia New Zealand 2023 WC GS: Gr.A 0–1 New Zealand New Zealand 2 / 4
0–0 Switzerland Switzerland
6–0 Philippines Philippines
Round of 16 1–3 Japan Japan

Results and fixtures

  • The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Legend

  Win   Draw   Lose   Void or Postponed   Fixture

2023

Spain  v  Norway
6 April Friendly Spain  4–2  Norway Ibiza
18:00
Stadium: Estadi Municipal de Can Misses
Attendance: 2,336
Referee: Ivana Projkovsk (North Macedonia)
Sweden  v  Norway
11 April Friendly Sweden  3–3  Norway Gothenburg, Sweden
Report Stadium: Gamla Ullevi
Portugal  v  Norway
16 April Unofficial Portugal  1–2  Norway Māngere, New Zealand
Stadium: Centre Park
New Zealand  v  Norway
20 July FIFA WC Group New Zealand  1–0  Norway Auckland, New Zealand
19:00 UTC+12 Wilkinson 49' Report Stadium: Eden Park
Attendance: 42,137
Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan)
Switzerland  v  Norway
25 July FIFA WC Group Switzerland  0–0  Norway Hamilton, New Zealand
Report Stadium: Waikato Stadium
Attendance: 10,769
Referee: Stéphanie Frappart (France)
Norway  v  Philippines
30 July FIFA WC Group Norway  6–0  Philippines Auckland, New Zealand
Report Stadium: Eden Park
Attendance: 34,697
Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin (Canada)
Japan  v  Norway
5 August FIFA WC R16 Japan  3–1  Norway Wellington, New Zealand
Report Reiten 20' Stadium: Wellington Regional Stadium
Attendance: 33,042
Referee: Edina Alves Batista (Brazil)
Norway  v  Austria
22 September 2023–24 UEFA Nations League Norway  1–1  Austria Oslo
19:00
Report Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion*
Attendance: 7,011
Referee: Iuliana Demetrescu (Romania)
Portugal  v  Norway
26 September 2023–24 UEFA Nations League Portugal  3–2  Norway Barcelos, Portugal
19:15 (18:15 WEST)
Report
Stadium: Estádio Cidade de Barcelos
Referee: Ewa Augustyn (Poland)
Norway  v  France
27 October 2023–24 UEFA Nations League Norway  1–2  France Oslo
18:00 (19:00 WEST)
Report
Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion
Attendance: 9,062
Referee: Rebecca Welch (England)
France  v  Norway
31 October 2023–24 UEFA Nations League France  0–0  Norway Reims
Report Stadium: Stade Auguste-Delaune
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (Ukraine)
Norway  v  Portugal
1 December 2023–24 UEFA Nations League Norway  4–0  Portugal Oslo
Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion
Attendance: 2,383
Referee: Ivana Martinčić (Croatia)
Austria  v  Norway
5 December 2023–24 UEFA Nations League Austria  2–1  Norway Sankt Pölten
Stadium: NV Arena
Attendance: 1,300
Referee: Marta Huerta de Aza (Spain)

2024

Croatia  v  Norway
23 February 2023–24 UEFA Nations League play-offs Croatia  0–3  Norway Osijek, Croatia
18:00 Report Stadium: Opus Arena
Attendance: 3,132
Referee: Abigail Byrne (England)
Norway  v  Croatia
27 February 2023–24 UEFA Nations League play-offs Norway  5–0
(8–0 agg.)
 Croatia Stavanger
18:00
Report Stadium: Viking Stadion
Referee: Veronika Kovarova (Czech Republic)
Note: Norway won 8–0 on aggregate, and therefore both teams remained in their respective leagues.

Coaching staff

Current coaching staff

Position Name Ref.
Head coach Gemma Grainger
Assistant coach Ingvild Stensland
Lee Skyrme
Goalkeeping coach Jon Knudsen

Players

Current squad

The following 23 players were called up for the 2023–24 UEFA Women's Nations League play-off matches against Croatia on 23 and 27 February 2024 respectively.[16]

Caps and goals are correct as of 23 February 2024, after the match against Croatia.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Cecilie Fiskerstrand (1996-03-20) 20 March 1996 (age 28) 45 0 Norway LSK Kvinner
12 1GK Guro Pettersen (1991-08-22) 22 August 1991 (age 32) 7 0 Germany Werder Bremen
23 1GK Aurora Mikalsen (1996-03-21) 21 March 1996 (age 28) 20 0 Norway Brann

2 2DF Marit Bratberg Lund (1997-11-07) 7 November 1997 (age 26) 13 1 Norway Brann
3 2DF Maria Thorisdottir (1993-06-05) 5 June 1993 (age 30) 68 3 England Brighton & Hove Albion
4 2DF Tuva Hansen (1997-08-04) 4 August 1997 (age 26) 38 1 Germany Bayern Munich
5 2DF Guro Bergsvand (1994-03-03) 3 March 1994 (age 30) 27 4 England Brighton & Hove Albion
6 2DF Maren Mjelde (captain) (1989-11-06) 6 November 1989 (age 34) 176 20 England Chelsea
13 2DF Thea Bjelde (2000-06-05) 5 June 2000 (age 23) 18 0 Norway Vålerenga
16 2DF Mathilde Harviken (2001-12-29) 29 December 2001 (age 22) 19 0 Norway Rosenborg

7 3MF Ingrid Syrstad Engen (1998-04-29) 29 April 1998 (age 25) 71 6 Spain Barcelona
8 3MF Vilde Bøe Risa (1995-07-13) 13 July 1995 (age 28) 71 2 Spain Atlético Madrid
11 3MF Guro Reiten (1994-07-26) 26 July 1994 (age 29) 88 19 England Chelsea
15 3MF Justine Kielland (2002-11-22) 22 November 2002 (age 21) 1 0 Norway Brann
18 3MF Frida Maanum (1999-07-16) 16 July 1999 (age 24) 77 14 England Arsenal
19 3MF Elisabeth Terland (2001-06-28) 28 June 2001 (age 22) 29 8 England Brighton & Hove Albion
20 3MF Signe Gaupset (2005-06-18) 18 June 2005 (age 18) 1 0 Norway Brann
21 3MF Lisa Naalsund (1995-06-11) 11 June 1995 (age 28) 16 0 England Manchester United

9 4FW Karina Sævik (1996-03-24) 24 March 1996 (age 28) 48 8 Norway Vålerenga
10 4FW Caroline Graham Hansen (1995-02-18) 18 February 1995 (age 29) 106 46 Spain Barcelona
14 4FW Ada Hegerberg (1995-07-10) 10 July 1995 (age 28) 81 47 France Lyon
17 4FW Celin Bizet Ildhusøy (2001-10-24) 24 October 2001 (age 22) 17 6 England Tottenham Hotspur
22 4FW Sophie Román Haug (1999-06-04) 4 June 1999 (age 24) 18 11 England Liverpool

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the squad in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Sunniva Skoglund (2002-05-22) 22 May 2002 (age 21) 2 0 Norway Stabæk v.  Sweden, 11 April 2023

DF Marthine Østenstad (2001-03-18) 18 March 2001 (age 23) 1 0 Norway Brann v.  Austria, 5 December 2023
DF Anja Sønstevold (1992-06-21) 21 June 1992 (age 31) 31 1 Italy Inter Milan v.  Portugal, 26 September 2023
DF Sara Hørte (2000-11-24) 24 November 2000 (age 23) 5 1 Norway Rosenborg 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup

MF Cesilie Andreassen (1996-10-13) 13 October 1996 (age 27) 3 1 Norway Rosenborg v.  France, 31 October 2023

FW Cathinka Tandberg (2004-06-18) 18 June 2004 (age 19) 1 0 Sweden Linköping v.  Austria, 5 December 2023
FW Mimmi Löfwenius (1994-02-16) 16 February 1994 (age 30) 2 0 Norway Vålerenga v.  Portugal, 1 December 2023 INJ
FW Amalie Eikeland (1995-08-26) 26 August 1995 (age 28) 47 3 Norway Brann v.  Portugal, 26 September 2023
FW Julie Blakstad (2001-08-27) 27 August 2001 (age 22) 30 3 Sweden Hammarby v.  Portugal, 26 September 2023
FW Emilie Nautnes (1999-01-13) 13 January 1999 (age 25) 9 1 Norway Rosenborg v.  Portugal, 26 September 2023
FW Emilie Haavi (1992-06-16) 16 June 1992 (age 31) 101 16 Italy Roma 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
FW Anna Jøsendal (2001-04-29) 29 April 2001 (age 22) 9 0 Norway Rosenborg 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup

WIT Withdrew from the squad
INJ Injured
ST Named to the standby list

Previous squads

Records

As of 27 February 2024, after the match against Croatia.[1]
Players in bold are still active with Norway.

Most caps

Hege Riise currently holds the record for the most appearances for the Norway women's national football team.
# Name Career Caps Goals
1 Hege Riise 1990–2004 188 58
2 Solveig Gulbrandsen 1998–2015 183 55
3 Maren Mjelde 2007– 176 20
4 Bente Nordby 1991–2007 172 0
5 Trine Rønning 1999–2016 162 22
6 Linda Medalen 1987–1999 152 64
7 Heidi Støre 1980–1997 151 22
8 Ingvild Stensland 2003–2016 144 10
9 Ingrid Hjelmseth 2003–2019 138 0
10 Unni Lehn 1996–2007 134 24

Most goals

Isabell Herlovsen currently holds the record for the most goals scored for the Norway women's national football team.
# Player Career Goals Caps Average
1 Isabell Herlovsen 2005–2019 67 133 0.5
2 Marianne Pettersen 1994–2003 66 98 0.67
3 Linda Medalen 1987–1999 64 152 0.42
4 Ann Kristin Aarønes 1990–1999 60 111 0.54
5 Hege Riise 1990–2004 58 188 0.31
6 Solveig Gulbrandsen 1998–2015 55 183 0.3
7 Dagny Mellgren 1999–2005 49 95 0.52
8 Ada Hegerberg 2011– 47 81 0.58
9 Caroline Graham Hansen 2011– 46 106 0.43
10 Ragnhild Gulbrandsen 1997–2007 30 80 0.38

Competitive record

FIFA Women's World Cup

FIFA Women's World Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Match Win Draw* Loss GF GA Match Win Draw* Loss GF GA
China 1991 Runners-up 6 4 0 2 14 10 UEFA Women's Euro 1991
Sweden 1995 Champions 6 6 0 0 23 1 UEFA Women's Euro 1995
United States 1999 Fourth place 6 4 1 1 16 8 6 4 1 1 13 5
United States 2003 Quarter-finals 4 2 0 2 10 6 6 5 1 0 21 3
China 2007 Fourth place 6 3 1 2 12 11 8 7 1 0 22 3
Germany 2011 Group stage 3 1 0 2 2 5 10 9 1 0 42 2
Canada 2015 Round of 16 4 2 1 1 9 4 10 9 0 1 41 5
France 2019 Quarter-finals 5 2 1 2 7 7 8 7 0 1 22 4
AustraliaNew Zealand 2023 Round of 16 4 1 1 2 7 4 10 9 1 0 47 2
2027 To be determined To be determined
Total 9/10 44 25 5 14 100 56 58 50 5 3 208 24
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Match history

FIFA Women's World Cup history
Year Round Date Opponent Result Stadium
China 1991 Group stage 16 November  China L 0–4 Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou
19 November  New Zealand W 4–0 Guangdong Provincial Stadium, Guangzhou
21 November  Denmark W 2–1 Ying Dong Stadium, Panyu
Quarter-finals 24 November  Italy W 3–2 Jiangmen Stadium, Jiangmen
Semi-finals 27 November  Sweden W 4–1 Ying Dong Stadium, Panyu
Final 30 November  United States L 1–2 Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou
Sweden 1995 Group stage 6 June  Nigeria W 8–0 Tingvallen, Karlstad
8 June  England W 2–0
10 June  Canada W 7–0 Strömvallen, Gävle
Quarter-finals 13 June  Denmark W 3–1 Tingvallen, Karlstad
Semi-finals 15 June  United States W 1–0 Arosvallen, Västerås
Final 18 June  Germany W 2–0 Råsunda Stadium, Solna
United States 1999 Group stage 20 June  Russia W 2–1 Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough
23 June  Canada W 7–1 Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, Landover
26 June  Japan W 4–0 Soldier Field, Chicago
Quarter-finals 30 June  Sweden W 3–1 Spartan Stadium, San Jose
Semi-finals 4 July  China L 0–5 Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough
Third place play-off 10 July  Brazil D 0–0 (4–5 pen) Rose Bowl, Pasadena
United States 2003 Group stage 20 September  France W 2–0 Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
24 September  Brazil L 1–4 RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
27 September  South Korea W 7–1 Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
Quarter-finals 1 October  United States L 0–1
China 2007 Group stage 12 September  Canada W 2–1 Yellow Dragon Sports Center, Hangzhou
15 September  Australia D 1–1
20 September  Ghana W 7–2
Quarter-finals 23 September  China W 1–0 Wuhan Stadium, Wuhan
Semi-finals 26 September  Germany L 0–3 Tianjin Olympic Centre Stadium, Tianjin
Third place play-off 30 September  United States L 1–4 Hongkou Stadium, Shanghai
Germany 2011 Group stage 29 June  Equatorial Guinea W 1–0 Impuls Arena, Augsburg
3 July  Brazil L 0–3 Volkswagen-Arena, Wolfsburg
6 July  Australia L 1–2 BayArena, Leverkusen
Canada 2015 Group stage 7 June  Thailand W 4–0 TD Place Stadium, Ottawa
11 June  Germany D 1–1
15 June  Ivory Coast W 3–1 Moncton Stadium, Moncton
Round of 16 22 June  England L 1–2 TD Place Stadium, Ottawa
France 2019 Group stage 8 June  Nigeria W 3–0 Stade Auguste-Delaune, Reims
12 June  France L 1–2 Allianz Riviera, Nice
17 June  South Korea W 2–1 Stade Auguste-Delaune, Reims
Round of 16 22 June  Australia D 1–1 (4–1 pen) Allianz Riviera, Nice
Quarter-finals 27 June  England L 0–3 Stade Océane, Le Havre
Australia New Zealand 2023 Group stage 20 July  New Zealand L 0–1 Eden Park, Auckland
25 July  Switzerland D 0–0 Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
30 July  Philippines W 6–0 Eden Park, Auckland
Round of 16 5 August  Japan L 1–3 Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington

Olympic Games

Summer Olympics record
Year Result Match Win Draw* Loss GF GA
United States 1996 Third place 5 3 1 1 12 6
Australia 2000 Champions 5 4 0 1 9 6
Greece 2004 Did not qualify
China 2008 Quarterfinal 4 2 0 2 5 7
United Kingdom 2012 Did not qualify
Brazil 2016
Japan 2020
France 2024
United States 2028 To be determined
Australia 2032
Total 3/7 14 9 1 4 26 19
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

UEFA Women's Championship

UEFA Women's Championship record Qualifying record
Year Result Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
1984 Did not qualify 6 3 1 2 10 6
Norway 1987 Champions 2 2 0 0 4 1 6 3 3 0 12 6
West Germany 1989 Runners-up 2 1 0 1 3 5 8 4 1 3 15 11
Denmark 1991 Runners-up 2 0 1 1 1 3 8 7 1 0 16 1
Italy 1993 Champions 2 2 0 0 2 0 6 5 1 0 30 0
England Germany Norway Sweden 1995 Semifinals 2 1 0 1 5 7 8 7 1 0 40 6
Norway 1997 Group stage 3 1 1 1 5 2 6 5 1 0 33 1
Germany 2001 Semifinals 4 1 1 2 4 3 6 6 0 0 25 0
England 2005 Runners-up 5 2 1 2 10 10 10 8 1 1 31 7
Finland 2009 Semifinals 5 2 1 2 6 9 8 7 1 0 26 0
Sweden 2013 Runners-up 6 3 2 1 7 4 10 8 0 2 35 9
Netherlands 2017 Group stage 3 0 0 3 0 4 8 7 1 0 29 2
England 2022 Group stage 3 1 0 2 4 10 6 6 0 0 34 1
Switzerland 2025 To be determined To be determined
Total 12/14 39 16 7 16 51 58 96 76 12 8 336 50
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Algarve Cup

The Algarve Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's soccer hosted by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it is one of the most prestigious women's football events, alongside the Women's World Cup and Women's Olympic Football.

Algarve Cup record
Year Result
Portugal 1994 Champions
Portugal 1995 Third place
Portugal 1996 Champions
Portugal 1997 Champions
Portugal 1998 Champions
Portugal 1999 Third place
Portugal 2000 Runner-up
Portugal 2001 Fifth place
Portugal 2002 Runner-up
Portugal 2003 Third place
Portugal 2004 Runner-up
Portugal 2005 Fifth place
Portugal 2006 Fifth place
Portugal 2007 Fifth place
Portugal 2008 Third place
Portugal 2009 Ninth place
Portugal 2010 Sixth place
Portugal 2011 Fifth place
Portugal 2012 Seventh place
Portugal 2013 Third place
Portugal 2014 Tenth place
Portugal 2015 Fifth place
Portugal 2016 Did not enter
Portugal 2017 Eleventh place
Portugal 2018 Seventh place
Portugal 2019 Champions
Portugal 2020 Third place
Portugal 2022 Third place

Invitational trophies

See also

  • flagNorway portal
  • Sports portal
  • iconGames portal
  • iconAssociation football portal
  • iconWomen's association football portal

References

  1. ^ a b Fotballforbund, Norges. "Norge Kvinner Senior A – Toppscorer, gule og røde kort". fotball.no – Norges Fotballforbund.
  2. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  3. ^ "U.S. vs. Norway: Big rivalry of contrasts and styles – Chicago Tribune". Articles.chicagotribune.com. 1 October 2003. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  4. ^ Jere Longman (13 June 1999). "WOMEN'S WORLD CUP; Norway's Rivalry With U.S. Is Intense – New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  5. ^ "CNNSI.com – Olympic Sports – Norway's golden goal dethrones United States – September 28, 2000 12:53 PM". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. 28 September 2000. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  6. ^ "Norge ute av VM – og OL | Aftenposten.no". Fotball.aftenposten.no. Archived from the original on 17 September 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  7. ^ "Women's EURO 2013 – Qualif. Grp –". Uefa.com. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  8. ^ "Martin Sjögren named as Norway's Womens Team Coach". 16 December 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  9. ^ "Euro 2017 women's football finals: your group-by-group guide". TheGuardian.com. 6 November 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  10. ^ "Ada Hegerberg takes a step back from international duty: A look at the NFF". 9 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  11. ^ "Norway FA agrees deal to pay male and female international footballers equally". TheGuardian.com. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  12. ^ "Women's World Cup qualifiers, play-off contenders". 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  13. ^ Lordanic, Marissa (12 July 2022). "England destroy Norway 8–0 in astonishing Euro 2022 statement". Optus Sport. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  14. ^ "Austria-Norway | UEFA Women's EURO 2022".
  15. ^ "All-time women national team record (1978–2023)". www.rsssf.no. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  16. ^ Madsen, Christer (16 February 2024). "Norges tropp til kampene mot Kroatia" [Norway's squad for the matches against Croatia] (in Norwegian). Norwegian Football Federation.
  17. ^ "Algarve Cup (Women)". RSSSF.
  18. ^ a b "Grand Hotel Varna Cup and Albena Cup (Women)". RSSSF.
  19. ^ "Cyprus Tournament (Women) in Agia Napa 1990–1993". RSSSF.

Notes

External links

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  • FIFA profile
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