“A legend has left us”
Former Norwegian national coach dies
12/18/2025 – 11:28 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
He became champion in three Scandinavian countries and coached the national teams from Norway, Denmark and Iceland, among others. Now Åge Hareide has died after a short, serious illness.
Norwegian football mourns the death of Åge Hareide. The former national coach died at the age of 72 surrounded by his family. His son Bendik confirmed this to several Norwegian media, including the radio station NRK.
“He has now played his last game. We are eternally grateful for all the love we received during the time he was ill,” his son said in a statement.
The Norwegian only went public with his illness around three and a half weeks ago. In an interview with the newspaper “Verdens Gang”, Hareide and his son announced that he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor in July. Ultimately, he was only able to speak to a limited extent and had motor problems. His wish was to experience the upcoming World Cup – Norway had qualified for the first time since 1998.
Hareide was a defining figure in football in Scandinavia. He coached top clubs such as Brøndby IF, Viking Stavanger, Rosenborg Trondheim and Malmö FF. He and his clubs became champions in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
He also worked as a national coach several times: from 2003 to 2008 in Norway, later from the end of 2015 to 2020 in Denmark and most recently in Iceland for almost a year and a half – his last stop as head coach. Hareide had announced his retirement from coaching several times, but always returned. Most recently he worked as a football expert for NRK.
“A legend of Norwegian football has passed away,” said Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian Football Association (NFF).