The presentation of the kits, the announcement of the summoned players or the farewells of the teams on their journey to the tournament. Every relevant moment in this edition of the Soccer World Cup, which is held in Mexico, the United States and Canada and starts on June 11, is becoming an audiovisual milestone and is being used to deepen the fans’ feeling of belonging. And the latest example of this has come from the Norwegian National Team.

The Nordic country, which will carry out its first participation in the sporting competition in almost thirty years, has immortalized the departure of the national team to Greensboro, North Carolina, where it will establish its headquarters during the first days of the World Cup, with a Viking-themed photograph.

Commissioned by the Norwegian Football Federation (Norges Fotballforbund), the image shows the 26 players that make up the team dressed in authentic Viking costumes, shields, weapons, war horns and ships, in the typical landscape of the fjords. The photograph, published in both color and black and white, breaks with the usual codes for the players’ farewell, which usually shows the athletes at the foot of a plane at the airport heading to their destination.

The result is an image that does not highlight individual players, as could be the case with Erling Haaland, the most representative figure in Norwegian football today, but rather focuses on a collective approach to foster team spirit. This, together with an atmosphere that celebrates and pays tribute to the heritage and legacy of Norwegian culture, conveys a deep connection with the country’s identity to promote society’s support for the team during the tournament.

In addition, it has also moved away from the omnipresence of artificial intelligence and has opted for a traditional work process, with production equipment, costumes, lights and makeup. The photograph, which is titled “The Vikings are coming”, was taken by the British David Yarrow, one of the most prominent sports photographers globally. He was responsible for the iconic photo of Diego Maradona holding the World Cup trophy in 1986 at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

The image is inspired by a photo session that David Yarrow did in 2023 with the player Erling Haaland for charity. On that occasion, the footballer immersed himself in the waters of a fjord, also dressed in Viking clothing, and with a shield and a sword.

The theme of the photograph, which has gone viral in recent days, also aligns emotionally with the habits and behaviors of the national team’s fans. Proof of this is the choreography they displayed during the friendly match between Norway and Sweden on June 1, before the photograph was published, and with which they emulated the process of rowing a Viking ship to the beat of a drum.