Norway’s World Cup food prep has made headlines before a ball is kicked at USA 2026: the Scandinavian delegation arrived at their Greensboro, North Carolina base with 300 kilograms of fish, 116 kilograms of traditional brown cheese, and 6,000 oranges in tow, according to ge globo via The Sun Nigeria.
Norway World Cup food prep: renown chefs, home comforts
Renowned chefs from Norwegian gastronomy have been brought in to cook for Martin Ödegaard, Erling Haaland and the rest of the squad throughout the tournament. One name on the kitchen staff is Espeland, a Culinary Olympics gold medalist with Norway in 2020. The thinking is straightforward: familiar food, better performance on the pitch.
It’s a significant logistical operation for a side returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1998. Norway earned their place by eliminating Italy in World Cup qualifying. At USA 2026, they face France, Senegal, and Iraq in Group I.
Scotland row overshadows preparations
Norway’s Norway World Cup food prep story isn’t the only thing dominating the headlines around the squad. A cancelled behind-closed-doors training match against Scotland has caused a sharp exchange between the two camps.
Scotland cancelled the training game, which was set for Monday, June 8 at Scotland’s camp in Charlotte, citing minor fitness concerns. Norway manager Ståle Solbakken was having none of it. He called Scotland ‘unprofessional’ and said a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ had been broken, criticising Steve Clarke for not calling him directly.
The SFA pushed back, clarifying that the arrangement had been organised between team managers rather than head coaches, and noting that a similar training match had already been cancelled on the Saturday before the Monday no-show.
Norway had already played a pre-tournament friendly before the Scotland fallout, drawing 1-1 with Morocco on June 7 in New Jersey.
Norway open their Group I campaign against Iraq. Kick-off time and venue are to be confirmed by FIFA.
