Industry – July 13, 2026
The final course: Norway’s World Cup ends with a seafood banquet
Norway's World Cup campaign ended in defeat to England, but the squad's six-week stay in the United States concluded with a final banquet of Norwegian seafood.
Back at the team hotel in Miami after the quarter-final loss, the players were served king crab, langoustine, snow crab, salmon and halibut prepared by head chef Aron Espeland and his team.
The meal formed part of a wider promotional campaign by the Norwegian Seafood Council, which supplied the national squad throughout the tournament.
According to the council, Norway's players and staff consumed almost 500 kilograms of seafood during their stay, alongside around 100 kilograms of Norwegian brown cheese.
"I would like to thank everyone who supplied the fantastic seafood," Espeland said.
"That applies not only to this celebration dinner, but to all the meals we have served over the past six weeks. The entire squad has eaten almost 500 kilograms of seafood and 100 kilograms of brown cheese during the stay, so the Norwegian ingredients have been very well received. The quality has been fantastic."
The final dinner included 15 kilograms of king crab, 20 kilograms of langoustine, 10 kilograms of snow crab, three kilograms of salmon fillet and three kilograms of halibut.
"The response was fantastic, and everyone appeared to really enjoy the seafood," said Espeland.
The Seafood Council also ran a series of promotional activities during the tournament, including an aerial banner over Miami featuring striker Erling Haaland and Norwegian salmon.
Karine Rød Haraldsson, the council's representative in the US, said the farewell meal was intended as a reward for the squad's performance.
"Although the World Cup is now over for Norway, we are incredibly proud of the players' efforts," she said.
"To show our appreciation, it was natural to give our best men some of the very best the sea has to offer.
