© Imago
In Bodø, just under 80 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, where winters are harsh and dark and the weather is never quite predictable, the people have adopted a motto: You have to celebrate whenever the occasion arises. Two weeks ago, their club once again made sure that this small town will have many more occasions to celebrate, as Bodø/Glimt qualified for the Champions League for just the second time ever. And they will kick off at Allianz Arena on Thursday, travelling to Munich with plenty of confidence.
Unbeaten run
Bodø/Glimt warmed up for their encounter with Germany’s record champions with a 2-1 win over Fredrikstad to defend their lead in the Norwegian Eliteserien standings. They have now gone 18 competitive games without a loss, including Champions League qualifiers that saw them eliminate Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and then Nijmegen.
Bodø/Glimt remain top of the Norwegian standings after Friday’s 2-1 victory at Fredrikstad. | © Imago
Bodø/Glimt were the surprise package in last season’s Champions League. With their thrilling style of play, the team won the hearts of European fans and made it all the way to the round of 16. But behind this sensation lies hard work and a clear philosophy rooted in the region’s values.
A symbol for people in the region
“Looking back many years, it was very hard. People had to go out fishing just to survive. The people who built this city never gave up. They kept going and kept moving forward. Today, you can see the results of that,” says Bodø-born Jens Petter Hauge – the club’s top scorer with six goals in the last Champions League season – in a documentary on Germany’s Sportschau. It’s not just the city – now very popular with tourists and the European Capital of Culture in 2024 – that’s evolving. The club is increasingly becoming a symbol of identity for the residents.
“Førr evig” (Forever) is Bodø/Glimt’s club anthem that highlights the attitude and sense of belonging that the region’s residents share with the club. | © Imago
When the club faced bankruptcy in 2010, the city’s residents, fishermen and businesses joined forces, and the club was saved. Since then, Bodø/Glimt has grown steadily. There’s a system behind this success. After the threat of bankruptcy, the club imposed clear rules on itself, including that the majority of players should come from the region. The same system is followed throughout the entire club, from the youth teams to the senior side. One person who has shaped this philosophy is Kjetil Knutsen, head coach since 2018.
Success on the big stage
In recent years, the club has established itself as Norway’s most successful team, winning the championship for the first time in 2020 and claiming the title again in 2021, 2023 and 2024. Bodø/Glimt have also made a huge splash on the European stage, particularly over the past two seasons. In 2024/25, the Norwegians reached the semi-finals of the Europa League. A year later, following sensational victories over Manchester City and Atlético Madrid, they advanced to the round of 32 in the Champions League and would eliminate Inter Milan, who had reached the final in 2023. In the round of 16 against Sporting Lisbon, however, their run came to an end despite a 3-0 first-leg victory, losing 5-0 after extra time in Lisbon.
Jens Petter Hauge was Bodø/Glimt's most dangerous attacker during the last Champions League season. | © Imago
“Bodø/Glimt plays a major role in why Norwegian football is doing so well right now,” says Hauge, who has also played for AC Milan and Eintracht Frankfurt. This progress is evident not only in the national team’s success, having made it to the quarter-finals at the World Cup this summer. For the first time in 27 years, two Norwegian clubs – Bodø/Glimt and Viking, who Bayern will also face in the league phase – are competing in the Champions League. “The league is getting better and better. There are a lot of good players coming up through the youth ranks who can see that it’s possible to become a very good soccer player even if you’re from Norway,” says Hauge.
Bayern’s previous Norwegian opener
For Bayern, this is their first match against a Norwegian team since 2000, when the Munich side faced Rosenborg twice in the group stage. The home game against the Norwegians was the opening match of the 2000/01 Champions League season – a campaign that ultimately saw Bayern crowned champions of Europe for a fourth time.
We spoke with Jan Einar Aas, the first Norwegian to play for Bayern, about the rise of football in his home country:
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