Artificial turf and coaching revolution: How Norway shaped golden generation

Norway, with a population similar to Scotland, has become a football powerhouse at the World Cup, and it is not just down to Erling Haaland. The Manchester City striker, along with Martin Odegaard – captain of both Arsenal and the national team – are the poster boys. But of Norway's 26-man squad, 17 play in Europe's top four leagues: the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, and Serie A.

The foundation was laid by two main factors: investment in artificial pitches between 2000 and 2010, and a coaching revolution sparked by the creation of the National Team School (NTS) in 2013. From 2016 to 2025, Norway built 539 artificial pitches and renovated another 586. This turned football from a summer sport into a year-round activity.

Norway is one of the richest countries in the world thanks to its oil reserves, and a unique funding mechanism channels gambling revenue to sports. State-owned operator Norsk Tipping donates 64% of its proceeds to sporting purposes. In 2026, it generated over 2 billion Norwegian kroner (£152.7 million) for sports facilities.

The NTS is not an academy or centralised school, but a national development structure connecting grassroots clubs, districts, top clubs, and the federation. Children stay with their local clubs until age 12 before potentially moving to elite environments. Haaland, for instance, was part of NTS talent camps from age 14, but initially no one thought he would become the best in his age group.

The philosophy prioritises love for the game over early selection. Martin Odegaard, who signed for Real Madrid at 16, inspired this approach. National team manager Stale Solbakken told BBC Sport that the success is the result of hard work from clubs, the federation, and players. Only four of his squad play in Norway, but three of them are from Bodo/Glimt, who reached the Champions League last 16 last season.