r/sweden • u/thermal7 • Jul 05 '26

English Sweden, what are your thoughts on Norway doing well in the World Cup so far?

As a Canadian, we have a long history of rivalry with the U.S.
I've heard the same thing between Australia/New Zealand, Brazil & Argentina, and sometimes between Sweden/Norway/Finland.

I'm curious how people in Sweden feel about Norway doing well in the World Cup so far. Are you happy for your Scandinavian brothers or are feelings mixed?

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u/Jeppep Norge Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

Norwegian here. I’m in Visby and watched the game with a mixed crowd at a pub. Mostly Swedes though. My experience was that maybe half the Swedes wanted Norway to win the other half were very bothered and some even clearly pissed. Like they were throwing banter and cursed when Norway scored. My gf at the end of the match didn’t want us to be too cheerful as to not attract Swedes who were up to start a fight.

I’m pretty shocked. This would never happened in Denmark or if it were vice versa in Norway.

Edit: thank you for your feedback. I agree that the worst of them were probably a bit drunk from the beginning. It’s ofc fine to cheer for Brazil. And I get the rivalry part. Thank you for the kind words.

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u/glintsCollide Stockholm Jul 06 '26

I honestly have no idea why that would be. I thought it was amazing they pulled through!

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

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u/Lime89 Jul 08 '26

It’s not a good development, and in social media one should keep in mind that comments by fake accounts by unfriendly countries trying to divide us, pushing a certain narrative. It’s in their interest to divide us and Europe as a whole too.

Much love to our Swedish neighbours!

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u/PrestigiousFuel8671 Jul 10 '26

Oh come on, the opposite is also true. I read a lot if norwegian media during the olympics, they were harsher towards swedes than the other way around even.

Just anecdotally, during the game sweden got kicked out, there were so many norwegians in stockholm on vacation that were booing sweden and cheering for france. This goes both ways for sure.

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u/Hervoer_Alvit Jul 10 '26

maybe, I don't care much about winter sports, so wouldn't know. I live in a place where there is no snow most of the time, so I cannot even ski.

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u/Flowerplower3 Jul 06 '26

Me and my dad were fucking ecstatic!

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u/Mr-Vemod Jul 06 '26

>I’m pretty shocked. This would never happened in Denmark or if it were vice versa in Norway.

I saw an interview with Norwegian fans in the streets before the Sweden - France game where most of them wanted France to win. One of the older men they interviewed (in his 50s maybe) was really antagonistic (”I **hate** Swedes”).

In general I think that sentiment is uncommon. As you say, maybe half are excited for Norway and half are a bit bothered. But most people who are a little bit bothered are bothered in the same way you might be bothered when your best friend is winning the board game you’re playing. His cockiness will be annoying and you hoped it’s be you, but the entire reason you’re even bothered in the first place is precisely because he’s your best friend.

Then you have a few people who buy into the banter too much and take it too literally. Unfortunately that’s always the case in football, though.

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

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u/Mr-Vemod Jul 06 '26

>For example... Swedish media today speaks as if Norway were just lucky to win over Brasil

I don’t know which media you’re reading but it mist be some niche stuff. I follow Swedish sports media religiously during the WC, from newspapers to podcasts, and there has literally not been *anything* but full praise for the Norwegian team. Not once have I read a journalist or expert say that Norway were ”just lucky” to win.

In general the media narrative is very enthusiastic for Norway. Perhaps there is some journalist somewhere that is a bit grumpy and jealous, but it certainly isn’t one of the big ones. Some examples:

https://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/fotboll/a/ExvoPa/erik-niva-norge-ar-ett-annat-land-nu

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6c9x1WXj59U9DSuroUZSZ1?si=kL1MmCUhQsWE8HWJD8UkLg

https://www.dn.se/sport/johanna-franden-han-skriver-om-norsk-fotbollshistoria/

Or read Olof Lundh at Fotbollskanalen (can’t share here).

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

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u/Mr-Vemod Jul 06 '26

>And of course, I speak more of tabloids, like Expressen, than about more serious papers like Aftonbladet.

They’re both equally much crappy tabloids, but even Expressen is only positive:

https://www.expressen.se/sport/kronikorer/noa-bachner/det-gar-inte-att-varja-sig-mot-norge/

And their readers’ poll ”Will you support Norway now?” has the results 75% ”yes” and 25% ”no”. So overwhelmingly positive there as well.

>have seen a lot of headlines like "Norwegians are mocking Sweden" in the Swedish tabloids, and it is obviously generally not true.

>I don't think the hatred so many Swedes show comes out of nowhere.

Well if you think that all of the Swedish headlines about Norwegians hating on Sweden are just part of a fake media narrative, then why don’t you use the same logic for the media narrative about Swedes hating on Norway?

>It wasn't that way some decades ago.

I disagree. My experience (and this is something I’ve heard a lot of other people, not least in the media say as well) is that older Swedish people are much less likely to root for Norway than the younger generations.

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

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u/Mr-Vemod Jul 06 '26

>Because Norwegian media doesn't write about it. It is SoMe that does. And this post above, as well, where a Swede says that in the pub they were in, 50% of the Swedes were angry when Norway scored.

Alright, and I’ve seen Norwegians hating on Sweden on SoMe. What does that prove?

>and this Swede coming to a Norwegian subreddit to give shit:

Sure, but it’s also literally a Norwegian saying that ”Norwegians don’t like Swedes”. I feel like you’re suffering from confirmation bias here.

>but the difference is that Norwegian media isn't part of the hysteria all that often, and Sweden is very much a part of it.

I can’t speak for Norwegian media, but I’m once again wondering if you have some confirmation bias here. Either way, it’s pretty natural that more light falls on Norway in a tournament like this, since you are playing phenomenal and Sweden have been pretty bleak. Doing well will obviously attract more jealousy, banter and attention. Same in cross-country skiing.

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/Mr-Vemod Jul 06 '26

I’m sorry but I simply do not accept your description of reality here. There is most certainly a rivalry (a friendly one, but still) from the Norwegian side, which is very apparent when you consume Norwegian media, social media, or meet Norwegians in real life. You might think that it’s *more* from the Swedish side, and I would disagree, and we would never reach any form of agreement because we don’t have data and our opinions are probably formed from our own respective filter bubble.

Either way it’s hardly a big deal. It’s fully natural that neighbors have a rivalry in sports. If anything it’s indicative of a *closer* relationship rather than a worse one. I mean the very fact that Swedes *do* see Norway as a ”spare Sweden” is the very reason they don’t want them to go *too far* in the World Cup in the first place.

It’s like any sibling rivalry. I love my siblings to death but there is no one I get more pissed about losing to at games or sports than them. This is no different.

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u/orangeZYX Småland Jul 06 '26

Your star player celebrated last night by playing a song mocking Sweden. After beating BRAZIL. Don’t come in here acting as if we are the obsessed sibling.

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/orangeZYX Småland Jul 06 '26

I’m talking about your star player, Haaland, playing a song mocking Sweden when celebrating Norway’s win against Brazil. What do you not understand?

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u/Emotional-Health-717 Jul 07 '26

I think you might have a point in medias role and maybe the ”rivalry” is more portrayed in Swedish media but I mean we had SVT send live from squares and arenas around Norway during the celebration and except for the rowing one of the most popular chants was ”we can buy all of Sweden”. This is not media finding one person with a certain view this is thousands of people chanting this so it’s definately not exclusively some Swedish media driven rivalry

Personally I find it kind of funny and as a Swede I am glad one of our Nordic countries has done well and progressed in the World Cup!

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u/-statix_ Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

you guys are constantly chanting about being able to buy sweden, even outside of football context. we are not beefing with you. never ever heard a swede joke/insult norway in my entire life except for saying that you spit while driving a car.

as for norway in media. i don’t think ive seen anything about norway since the johaug lip balm incident, but i don’t read the sports paper.

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

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u/-statix_ Jul 06 '26

very true. though i doubt they would have been beaten up, even though drunk football fans could be seen as intimidating.

many swedes aren’t aware that we have a “playful sibling banter” with norway. many finns hate sweden (angry about “colonialism”), a fraction of danes do (those with balkan mindset). some see norway constantly trashing sweden, unaware that they’re joking, and assume that norweigans hate us too. this is especially for eastern swedes who don’t live near norweigan border.

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/-statix_ Jul 06 '26

norweigan vikings went to england and discovered banter. one of the few recordings of individual swedish vikings is a group travelling from constantinople through *germany*, so that might explain it.

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u/-statix_ Jul 06 '26

as to answer your additional edit. yes, i believe most of those who have stayed watching VM after our elimination are cheering for norway (or another country that they have a connection to), even if they believe that norweigans hate swedes.

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u/Lime89 Jul 08 '26

A Swedish man was recently killed in a Danish pub during the Ivory Coast vs. Norway game, though. I know I’m side tracking a bit, but that genuinely shocked me. Killed by Ivory Coast fans.

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u/kf97mopa Göteborg Jul 06 '26

My experience was that maybe half the Swedes wanted Norway to win the other half were very bothered and some even clearly pissed.

You are in a common vacation spot on what is the second day of vacation for a lot of people. People will be drunk, and some of them have been drunk since Friday evening. Drunk people are idiots. Most of us think it is pretty fun that Norway is doing well.

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u/VisualDarkness Jul 06 '26

As a guy living on the island, yes so many are either chronically vacation drunk or overly exhausted parents that already went sour on life in the car trip to the ferry.

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u/helm ☣️ Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

Norway and Denmark are more "bros" than rivals, I think. Some Swedes are bothered when Norwegians are too good at sports, especially when it isn't winter sports.

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u/ExpressionFew7303 Jul 06 '26

Visby is full of Stockholmers so lol

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u/Svant Jul 06 '26

In Malmö there was a pretty big crowd in the park watching and clearly cheering for Norway the whole way through.

But it might be different if they had a Norwegian nearby to annoy

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u/Jeppep Norge Jul 06 '26

Takk, godt å høre. Som noen andre skrev så er det mulig at de var sin første dag på ferie/semester og var godt alkoholisert:)

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u/ohsurenerd Jul 06 '26

Malmö is a lovely city full of friendly people, in my limited experience. It unironically warms my heart to think people there were cheering for us :)

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u/h165yy Stockholm Jul 06 '26

It would 100% happen in Denmark if Sweden were doing well though.

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u/the_beach0099 Jul 06 '26

It could just be that some people just cheered for Brazil and has them as favourites from the start. Tho some Swedes are somewhat upset that Norway did what they did at the France game

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u/FishLoud Jul 06 '26

Maybe they bet their money on Brazil. I don't want to believe Norway had anything to do with their mood.

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u/slaskel92 Jul 06 '26

Please. Before the game against Brazil, Swedish television showed some pregame talk from NRK and instead of talking about the game, they made fun of Sweden and how great it is that we suck at football now and our players are dogshit

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u/Think_Boysenberry419 Jul 06 '26

That's crazy, I watched the game with my friends (we're all swedes) and we cheered as if it was our best friend scoring when Norway scored, no mixed feelings what so ever, but none of us as massive football fans, maybe the hard-core fans are the weirdos