The Agony and Ecstasy of Football Fandom: Norway’s “Viking Row” and Other Soccer Chants: Quick Facts

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Crowd of Norway football fans in red shirts perform the Viking Row cheer in unison at a stadium during the 2026 World Cup match against Senegal.

Composite image featuring the faces of fans painted in their national flags, representing each of the 48 teams participating in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Fans performing the Mexican wave during the UEFA Euro 2016 Group A match between France and Romania at Stade de France in Paris, France.

Distressed football supporters flee across a stadium walkway, some clutching bags and holding their heads, with crowded stands and scattered debris in the background.

Argentina supporters cheer in a stadium beneath a large banner showing illustrations of Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, both wearing number 10 Argentina jerseys.

Three England soccer fans wearing lion manes and team jerseys cheer and pose with fists raised before a FIFA World Cup match at a stadium.

Merlin the Duck, a white Peking duck, wears a green Mexico national soccer team jersey and black socks while walking on a paved surface in Mexico City.

A Japan World Cup fan in face paint and costume collects trash in a blue bag among empty stadium seats after the match between Tunisia and Japan in Monterrey, Mexico.

Four USA soccer fans in striped team shirts pose together, two wearing bald eagle masks and two wearing Statue of Liberty crowns, before a World Cup match at Seattle Stadium.

Norwegian fans and the “Viking Row”

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