News Focus
- Norway’s national team wore Viking costumes for their official World Cup farewell photo
- Photographer David Yarrow rejected the traditional aeroplane steps setting for a dramatic fjord backdrop
- All 26 players received equal space in the frame regardless of their market value
- Captain Martin Odegaard completed his shoot separately after Arsenal’s Champions League final
- The photograph will raise funds for Norwegian charities during the 2026 tournament
The Norwegian Football Association asked famous British photographer David Yarrow to take the team’s official send-off picture. Yarrow is well known for his creative sports photography. He decided to ignore the usual tradition of taking photos on aeroplane steps.
Instead, the entire squad travelled to one of Norway’s famous fjords. All 26 players dressed in real Viking clothing from head to toe. They held weapons and shields for the camera. Yarrow called the picture “The Vikings are coming”.
The idea began during an international break in 2023. Yarrow had photographed Erling Haaland alone in a fjord near Oslo. The Manchester City striker wore Viking dress and stood in water up to his waist. Yarrow said Haaland looks like a Viking naturally. “He does not need much hair and make-up to look the part,” the photographer explained.
Creating the final image proved difficult. Norway captain Martin Odegaard plays for Arsenal. He was in Budapest for the Champions League final on the day of the team shoot. After the victory parade in north London, Odegaard met Yarrow for a solo session. The cloudy weather matched the original shoot. This meant editors could add him to the group photo easily.
Yarrow insisted on treating every player equally. Haaland is worth £200 million. Watford goalkeeper Egil Selvik, who is third choice for Norway, is worth £250,000. Yarrow made sure both players occupied the same amount of space in the picture. “It was important to create team spirit,” Yarrow told BBC Sport. “I did not want people to see only Haaland and Odegaard plus 24 others.”
The photograph will hang next to a table tennis table at Norway’s base in Greensboro, North Carolina. Sales of the image will raise money for Norwegian charities. Yarrow hopes it will have the same success as his previous charity work.
Yarrow watched Norway beat Sweden 3-1 in a warm-up match this week. Jorgen Strand Larsen and Antonio Nusa scored the goals. The photographer praised the team’s quality. He said people wrongly believe Norway only has two good players. “This is a seriously good football team,” he said. “I think they will go quite far in the competition.”
The Scottish photographer has a special link to World Cup history. When he was 20 years old, he took the famous photo of Diego Maradona holding the trophy in Mexico City in 1986. That picture became the third best-selling sports photograph ever. Yarrow said it “changed my life”. The 2026 World Cup returns to the same stadium in Mexico this Thursday.
Yarrow plans to skip the opening ceremony. He will stay in Boston to watch Scotland play Haiti instead. He admits watching his national team causes him pain. “We know we are in for a difficult time,” he said. Scotland and Norway cannot meet until the quarter-final stage at the earliest.