Bodø/Glimt has continued its series of surprises. Norwegian football is generally on the rise – but success can also turn into a sweet poison.
FK Bodø/Glimt in the round of 16 of the Champions League – an opportunity for coach Kjetil Knutsen to choose big words. “So many people are working together,” he said, “and that’s one of the reasons why we qualified for the round of 16 and made club history – and maybe even Norwegian history.”
Almost eliminated in November
The story of the club from the city of 43,500 inhabitants in the Arctic Circle is one of the rare surprises in the Champions League. At the end of November there was a lot to be said for a quick exit, on the 5th matchday after the 2:3 at Juventus the team slipped to 32nd place.
A series of successes against well-known opponents followed: a 2-2 draw at Borussia Dortmund, a 3-1 home win against Manchester City and a 2-1 away win at Atletico Madrid. So it was still enough for 23rd place and the intermediate round.
Big stage: Bodø/Glimt in SanSiro
Player Fredrik Sjövold said at the time about his already booked vacation: “I have to cancel everything.” Instead of vacation there was the intermediate round of the Champions League, in which Bodø/Glimt won twice against Inter Milan (3:1/2:1). The team has even less free time ahead of them: At the draw on Friday (12 p.m.) it will be clear whether Sporting Lisbon or Manchester City will be the opponents in the round of 16.
The tournament tree of the Champions League 2025/26
Norway’s football – promotion in Europe, World Cup qualification successful
Norwegian football is generally experiencing a heyday at the moment. The clubs worked their way to 14th place in the UEFA five-year ranking. This meant that Bodø/Glimt, as champions, were allowed to start in the qualifying playoffs in 2024 and only had to eliminate one opponent, Sturm Granz. Previously, Norway’s champions were part of the 2nd qualifying round.
Stars like Erling Haaland from Manchester City and Martin Ødegaard from Arsenal are an expression of the new strength – but Norway has also qualified for a World Cup for the first time since 1998. In the USA, Mexico and Canada, coach Stale Solbakken’s team plays in a group with Senegal, France and the winner of the playoff tournament with Suriname, Bolivia and Iraq. The expansion of the tournament to 48 teams is not an explanation here: Norway did not drop a single point in its qualifying group and defeated Italy twice.
Norway’s striker Erling Haaland celebrates with his teammates
Financial success can be a blessing and a curse at the same time
Bodø/Glimt earned around 25 million euros in the 2024/25 Europa League when the club only lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals and previously defeated Lazio. In the current Champions League season he is already guaranteed more than 50 million.
Managing director Frode Thomassen said last season that the club’s total income had already risen to 60 million euros in 2024 – in 2017 it was 4.2 million. “The club has developed over the last seven to eight years from a small second division team in Norway to a club with probably the most solid financial foundation in the country,” he said.
The Bodö/Glimt stadium
However, the money could have consequences in the Norwegian Eliteserien in the medium term. The league is still somewhat exciting, but Bodø/Glimt has won four of the last six championship titles, and at least Viking Stavanger is currently the title holder. But the gap could widen further due to European revenue: According to UEFA, the 16 clubs in the elite series earned an average of 12 million euros each in 2023.
The game plan: first Sarpsborg, then Man City?
Nobody is the current league leader in Norway – the season depends on the calendar year. On March 15th, Bodø/Glimt have to play against Sarpsborg FF. Two or three days later he might go to Manchester City.
