Norway brought its own food and a personal chef to the United States for the World Cup. The Scandinavian country’s football federation did not trust that its players would adjust to American cuisine and did not want to risk a tummy ache.
Sounds pretty soft to me.
To be honest, I do not know whether other international soccer teams are taking a similar approach toward their food or if this is a one-off occurrence. Either way, the Norsemen are missing out on some delicious bites!
Norway is using North Carolina as its home base.
The Norway national football team qualified for the World Cup for the fourth time in 2026. It broke a 28-year drought behind the strong play of Eling Haaland. The 25-year-old international superstar scored 16 goals for his country during qualifying. He, Martin Odegaard, Alexander Sorloth, Antonio Nusa and Oscar Bobb are the most important players for The Lovene.
Although they must all work together to find success over the next few weeks, Norway will not make any noise at the World Cup if Haaland does not continue to score. Its ability to win hinges entirely on its biggest star’s ability to find the back of the net.
Norway will play three group stage matches against Iraq, Senegal and France on June 16, June 22 and June 26. They will be played in Boston, New Jersey and Boston again.
When not on the road for a match, the Norwegian team is using the University of North Carolina Greensboro as its home base.
Haaland even got the chance to check out the Stanley Cup Final in Carolina.
Erling today 🙌🙌🙌 pic.twitter.com/anjc3DxHMe
— FOOTBALL CENTRAL (@worldball4u) June 12, 2026
However, it doesn’t sound like he or his teammates are getting in on the local cuisine. They haven’t hit a Bojangles or Cook Out. I haven’t seen them try local barbecue. Norway isn’t chowing down on a breakfast of biscuits and gravy.
The Norwegian soccer team brought its own food to the World Cup.
Norway’s staff views nutrition as a key part of tournament preparation. They are not alone in that thinking.
With that in mind, the squad shipped more than 1,000 pounds of traditional food to its training base in North Carolina to avoid a potential tummy ache. Lead chef Aron Espeland has worked with the national team for 35 years. He and his two sous chefs are in charge of every meal. They designed their menu around foods that are already familiar to the players.
Norway wants to minimize the risk associated with sudden dietary changes while abroad. It hopes to avoid any potential distruptions to digestion, sleep and concentration that could have an impact on performance during the World Cup.
The Viking kitchen brought ~660 pounds of Atlantic salmon and white fish to the United States with ~255 pounds of brunost and 6,000 oranges. Brunost is a Norwegian “brown cheese” that is often served for breakfast or lunch on bread or waffles. Unlike traditional cheeses, it is made from whey. The leftover milk, whey and cream is boiled down until the sugars caramelize, which yields a rich, caramel-like flavor.
Needless to say, Norway is not taking any chances. It might be a long shot to win the World Cup but it was not going to squander its first opportunity in nearly three decades.