They arrived in North America centuries before Christopher Columbus. Research shows that Vikings first made the extraordinary journey across the Atlantic more than 1,000 years ago.
Now it seems they are back.
Just look at this gang of grizzled Norse warriors gathered by a fjord, weapons in hand and long ships in the background, preparing to attack.
But if you look a little closer at the image above, maybe the warrior with the long blonde hair brandishing the sword will look quite familiar to you. That’s because this group of fearsome scouts is actually Norway’s national team, posing for an iconic image to mark their first World Cup appearance in 28 years.
Star striker Erling Haaland and his teammates gathered for the photo shoot in Oslo last weekend, the photos of which were captured by renowned photographer David Yarrow.
It arose because the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) wanted to do something different for its team’s image and be inspired by the history of the Scandinavian nation. In recent matches, Norwegian fans have made their own nod to history with their synchronized “Viking row” performance.
VIKINGS IN THE STANDERS
Norwegian fans put on a show against Sweden, turning the visiting team into a Viking longship with a display of synchronized rowing. ⚔️
A bit like the famous “Huh!” from Iceland. – but with a distinctly Norwegian twist. 🔥#Norway #Sweden #Football pic.twitter.com/4E1JJheYsX
– WePari (@WePariofficial) June 2, 2026
So the NFF approached Yarrow six months ago, after Haaland and golfer Viktor Hovland recommended him, based on his work with both on different projects.
“My response was that I wanted to dress them like Vikings,” says Yarrow, who took one of the most famous images of the World Cup, of Diego Maradona lifting the trophy at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico 1986. “I like to take people outside of how they are normally photographed.
“I knew I might get some criticism, but I wanted to play with that feeling of travel that goes back to the Vikings, like they were setting sail for America.
“So it was just a matter of doing it right. If you do it half-heartedly or in a studio, it can fail, but we really tried. We got the boats up, we dressed everyone in proper Viking gear and not pantomime.”
David and his assistants found the location on a private beach in Oslo and gathered the team on Saturday.
The only player missing was Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard, who was playing for Mikel Arteta’s team in the Champions League final that day. An empty spot was left for the 27-year-old captain, who flew to Oslo on Tuesday to be photographed and digitally added to the final line-up.
To make the scene more authentic, a historically accurate wooden pier was even built, leading to one of the boats.
“We’ve seen a lot of photos of airplanes passing by this week,” Yarrow says of photos from other countries of players preparing to board flights to the United States, Mexico and Canada. “They get a little boring. At least the Norwegians have made an effort to do something special, and it has to be the best team photo before a World Cup.”
Yarrow used elements of the TV show Vikings for his visual cues and says Haaland was influential in gaining buy-in from the team because he had previously photographed the Manchester City star as a Viking warrior.
“They did our hair and makeup and they knew my brief was to be fearsome and have sovereignty. There were a couple of kids there who looked too angelic to be warriors, but we managed it well.
“Erling looks great with his hair down, but I wouldn’t want to get angry with coach Stale Solbakken. He’s a tough guy.”
He took two main photographs of the lineup: one of the squad and another of the entire traveling group, including all the coaches and the entire coaching staff.
“Most of them don’t wear helmets, but (RB Leipzig winger) Antonio Nusa put one on,” he says. “I was going to ask him to take it off, but he showed me his peroxide blonde hair.”
The entire Norwegian team also embraced the project and says it reflects their togetherness.
“This is a continuation of how we have worked to describe the national team over time. It is about showing that this team comes from all over Norway and represents the entire country. The image reflects exactly that: we travel as one team,” says NFF president Lise Klaveness, who is also the head of Norway’s delegation for the World Cup.
“We recognized from the beginning that the Viking narrative would follow us anyway. That’s why we decided to take it over and fill it with what really defines us. It’s not just about aesthetics, but about values: togetherness, team spirit and being united.”
The term “modern Vikings” is used in the communication, but Klaveness emphasizes that it is about values and unity, not about limiting what the team represents. “This is a diverse and multifaceted team, and that is a strength. The references we use are meant to unite people, not define a type of player or background,” he says.
The uniqueness of the image is such that Yarrow knows some people might mistakenly assume it is AI. “That’s why we often film our shoots lately,” he says. “We always do things behind the scenes. However, I’m so old that I don’t really know what AI means.”
After the players’ images were taken, some of the background view elements were photographed next to a fjord in Viking Valley, Gudvangen, later that day.
It’s not the first iconic image of a sports team that Yarrow has taken. Last year, he took a photograph of the victorious European Ryder Cup team in Brooklyn, New York, under the Manhattan Bridge. That image, with the players dressed as gangsters and Prohibition-era workers, has since become one of the best-selling sports photographs of all time and has raised a considerable sum for charity.
The victorious European Ryder Cup team (David Yarrow)
“The European players loved it and it actually became the focal point of their team room,” he explains. “We expanded it to the size of a ping-pong table and now we have done the same so that Norwegian players have it at their base in Greensboro (North Carolina).
“We hope this brings some levity to what can be a stressful and pressurized time and that you can look back on a fun day of team bonding.”
Yarrow, a Scot, hopes to raise even more money for charity (the goal is $1 million) by throwing a party for more than 900 of his countrymen in Boston during the tournament.
“We (Scotland) may not be able to win the trophy,” he says. “But we can make a huge difference to others by bringing together as many Scots as we can from everywhere from Hollywood, professional sports and music.”
And what about Norway’s attackers, who face France, Senegal and Iraq in Group I? “Norway can cause some damage in the World Cup,” he says. “They have some of the best players and also the right strength to qualify early in their group.”
