Norway’s Viking Row Sweeps World Cup, From Parliament to Fighter Jets

The simple, choreographed rowing motion is everywhere. Thousands of Norway fans have performed the Viking row in stadiums at the World Cup. Players have done it on the pitch. Even Norwegian MPs did it in parliament. The trend has spread far beyond the game. Fans rowed in New York’s Times Square. Prince Sverre Magnus, third in line to the throne, rowed in an Oslo subway carriage. Care home residents in their 90s joined in from rural Norway. Royal Air Force pilots even performed the row inside their F-35 fighter jets. The coordinated gesture has become a national symbol of support. It unites everyone from royalty to the elderly, proving the chant is bigger than football.