{"id":336900,"date":"2026-07-11T12:32:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T12:32:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/336900\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T12:32:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T12:32:16","slug":"miami-beach-becomes-home-for-norways-viking-row","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/336900\/","title":{"rendered":"Miami Beach becomes home for Norway\u2019s Viking row"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ahead of the match between Norway and England in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals, Norwegian fans took over Miami Beach to perform their now viral \u201cViking Row,\u201d where they drop onto the ground and move their arms as if rowing a boat through water. On Friday, hundreds of Miami locals joined Norwegians to help row their team to victory on Ocean Drive.<\/p>\n

The Viking Row, an homage to Norway\u2019s Viking ancestry, mirrors the energy of soldiers arriving to shore, ready for battle. A more recent phenomenon for Norwegian fans, the chant was first used in March before Norway began playing in the World Cup. Now, a social media sensation, fans from all over the world have fallen in love with Norway\u2019s battle cry.<\/p>\n

In Friday\u2019s 90-degree heat, red-faced fans were unbothered by the sweltering sun and the rough concrete of Ocean Drive. Having started their afternoon drinking at Miami Beach\u2019s restaurants and bars, just as the Tartan Army did weeks before, fans and locals gathered to begin their \u201cvoyage\u201d at peak sunlight. Miami Beach mayor Steven Meiner even joined the chant, giving a warm welcome to the hundreds of fans waiting for tomorrow\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

\"Anders Anders R\u00f8berg-Larsen, the district mayor of Grorud, a district in Oslo, Norway, joins soccer fans along Ocean in Miami Beach. PHOTOGRAPH BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Anders R\u00f8berg-Larsen, mayor of Grorud, a district in Oslo, Norway, carried a Norwegian flag over the crowd. Dressed in sunglasses, a Viking helmet, and a jersey, he was a beacon for Norwegians and locals alike. A crowd surrounded him with phones at the ready, eager to snap a picture with him.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t plan on traveling to Miami, but after Norway beat Brazil, he figured it was time to take the trip. He plans to attend the game tomorrow, where he\u2019ll be able to see the team in action once more.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t dream of this,\u201d R\u00f8berg-Larsen said. \u201cI\u2019m very into soccer, we have some good players, but to go all this way, I think it\u2019s unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n

He knows it\u2019ll be a tough matchup, and while he can\u2019t guarantee Norway\u2019s victory, he\u2019s looking forward to seeing how tough they fight. But he says it\u2019s been a blast to share Norway\u2019s pride with Miami and with the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeet us, join us now in the party, and you will get to know us,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re very nice people, so we\u2019d love to speak to all of you!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A Norway fans celebrate on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach ahead of their match against England. PHOTOGRAPH BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Per Olav Tegnander led the second row minutes after the first one concluded. Standing with a microphone on a fire truck, he calmed the crowd before slamming down and shouting, \u201cRow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel ready like spaghetti,\u201d Tegnander said.<\/p>\n

He says he\u2019s performed hundreds of rows as Norway progressed to the quarterfinals. It\u2019s a chant that rallies the troops and keeps the energy up, even when the game gets close.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in our prime, so it\u2019s nice to be here,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re doing the row collectively. We got to row the boat together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tegnander is happy to see that more people are witnessing Norway\u2019s vibrant community.<\/p>\n

\"A Mie Elise Lyngstad Gilstad joins Norway fans to perform their \u2018Viking Row\u2019 on Ocean Drive. PHOTOGRAPH BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the culture of Norway. There\u2019s this unity, but there\u2019s more room for us to grow as a community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

June Skamdsen, 46, was ready to cheer on Norway\u2019s star player Erling Haaland, who hails from the same city in Norway as she does.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s ready to row, sing and scream throughout the game tomorrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cNorwegians, we have a heart,\u201d Skamdsen said. \u201cNorway is a small country. The U.S. is very big. So I\u2019d like to set Norway on the map.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A Norway fan Sivert Lovendahl Mogstad Eri shows his support along Ocean Drive in Miami Beach. PHOTOGRAPH BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Anna and Juliana Silva, two Brazilians who came to witness the row, said they were still reeling from Norway\u2019s victory over their team but they found the Norwegians\u2019 excitement contagious.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cool to see the row in person,\u201d Juliana said. \u201cIt was bittersweet at first, but they\u2019re adorable.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ahead of the match between Norway and England in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals, Norwegian fans took over…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":336901,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-336900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=336900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}