Vikings have taken over New York City.
Norwegian soccer fans descended upon Manhattan in anticipation of Norway vs. Senegal at New York New Jersey Stadium on Monday night.
At one point, a sea of red and navy took over Times Square to perform the “Viking ship” celebration to send off the Norwegians for their second group stage match.
It felt like everyone got in on the festivities, including the NJ Devil, the mascot of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils.
The mascot took part in the rowing, blending into the sea of red.
The Norwegian fanbase has made a name for themselves with their celebrations. They’ve rowed up escalators and stormed stadium gates in a similar fashion to how their ancestors would conduct invasions. They even brought the rowing celebration to the New York subway system.
The celebration has been worldwide. Norway’s members of Parliament paused proceedings in the Oslo capital to perform the “Viking Row” chant in synchronization.
Norway have established themselves as a team to watch this World Cup beyond the celebrations. They defeated Iraq 4-1 in their first match of the tournament, and their first World Cup match in 28 years, on Tuesday at Boston Stadium.
Star striker Erling Haaland scored two goals in the opening match before going incognito to explore New York with girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen, including a stop at the famous Katz’s Deli in lower Manhattan.
After their second group stage match with Senegal Monday, the Norway national team will go back to Boston to face France in their final group stage match on Friday.
As of Monday morning, Norway and France are tied for the lead in Group I.