When considering the countries that have made an enduring name for themselves in the world of football, the usual contenders are the likes of Brazil, Germany, England, Spain, and Argentina. Few people pause to consider the frosty Nordic countries, who are more likely to generate headlines for their famous cold weather and high quality of life than they are for anything related to international sport.
However, despite their lack of global visibility, the Nordic countries of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Iceland have a lot to offer the world of football. All of these countries have been playing football in a professionalized setting for longer than most other places in the world. In addition, a number of the most talented and well-known players in history have hailed from these countries.
Sweden
In terms of success on the international stage, Sweden seems to be the frontrunner by a country mile. The country is the only one to have any kind of success in big international competitions. The Swedish national squad came 2nd during the 1958 World Cup and made it to the semifinals in 1950 and 1994. Meanwhile, Swedish clubs have enjoyed moderate success on a European level, with IFK Göteborg winning the UEFA Cup twice and Malmö FF making it to the European Cup finals in 1979. When competing against its Nordic neighbours, Sweden nearly always comes out on top, with 9 gold wins in the Nordic Football Championships, more than any other country combined.
Norway
Norway, while not as impressive as Sweden, still has a decent track record on the world stage, having qualified for the FIFA World Cup three times; in 1938, 1994, and 1998. In addition, they hold the distinction of being the only team in the world that remains completely undefeated in all of its matches against Brazil, which is definitely something to be proud of.
In the country, football is hugely popular among the locals. Football betting in Norway, as with other Nordic countries, is a prominent national pastime, with popular football betting sites such as bettingselskaper providing regularly-updated lists of the best platforms for Norwegians to place a bet. Norwegians are much more likely to place a bet on non-Norwegians clubs, especially given the prominence of Norwegian players in top foreign squads.
Finland
Finland’s football record on the global stage is undoubtedly less impressive. The national team has only qualified for the UEFA European Championships once, in 2020, and has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup in the history of the competition. They also have the worst track record in the Nordic Football Championships, being tied with Iceland for the lowest number of wins. Part of this may be to do with the fact that, unlike other European countries, Finland does not have a widespread national obsession with football, since ice hockey is by far the most popular spectator sport and one that Finland excels at on the world stage, having won the world championships in 2019. Much like Norwegians, Finns do like to place a bet, with international research showing that Finland is one of the biggest gambling countries in the world.
Despite their meagre showings on the world stage compared to other countries, these three Nordic nations still punch above their weight for such small countries. Whether they will rise to greater prominence in the future remains to be seen, but watch this space to find out.