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NewsFebruary 25, 2026

A Town of 50,000 Just Knocked Out Inter Milan. Now Watch Norway at the World Cup.

If you woke up this morning and thought "there is no way a club from above the Arctic Circle just eliminated last year's Champions League finalists," we have news for you.

It happened. Bodø/Glimt — from the small Norwegian city of Bodø, population 50,000, a sixteen-hour drive north of Oslo — walked into the San Siro on Tuesday night and beat Inter Milan 2-1. That made it 5-2 on aggregate over two legs. Not a fluke. Not a lucky draw. A demolition.

How Did We Get Here?

Bodø/Glimt were nearly bankrupt in 2016. Their stadium, Aspmyra, holds 8,200 people and was built in 1966. They got promoted to Norway's top division in 2018. And somehow, in the Champions League league phase, they beat Manchester City and Atlético Madrid — then landed Inter Milan in the playoff round and knocked them out too.

Read that again.

In the first leg in Norway, Glimt won 3-1 in front of just 7,845 fans. On Tuesday at the San Siro — in front of 70,441 — Jens Petter Hauge capitalized on a Manuel Akanji mistake to make it 1-0 in the 58th minute. Håkon Evjen added a second in the 72nd with a beautiful team move. Alessandro Bastoni pulled one back for Inter, but it was too little, too late.

Captain Patrick Berg called it "the biggest thing I've experienced in the course of my career." Manager Kjetil Knutsen, who has been the architect of this fairy tale, said it best: "A team from a small town up north. It is unbelievable."

The Bigger Picture

This is the first time a Norwegian club has won a Champions League knockout tie. Ever. Bodø/Glimt are also the first team from outside Europe's top five leagues to win four consecutive Champions League matches against top-five-league opponents since Ajax in 1972.

They now advance to the Round of 16 draw on Friday, where they could face Sporting or Manchester City. Yes, Man City again. At this point, would you bet against them?

Meanwhile, the Rest of Tuesday

Bodø/Glimt were not the only story. Here is what else happened on Tuesday in the Champions League playoff second legs:

  • Atlético Madrid 4-1 Club Brugge (7-4 aggregate) — Alexander Sørloth scored a hat trick, and USMNT midfielder Johnny Cardoso scored a screamer. Atléti rolls on.
  • Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 Olympiacos (2-0 aggregate) — Leverkusen did enough to advance.
  • Newcastle 3-2 Qarabağ (9-3 aggregate) — Sandro Tonali and Joelinton scored inside six minutes. Qarabağ, bless them, conceded 29 goals this Champions League campaign.

And today, Wednesday, four more second legs wrap up the playoff round: Real Madrid vs. Benfica, PSG vs. Monaco, Atalanta vs. Dortmund, and Juventus vs. Galatasaray. The Round of 16 draw happens Friday.

Why This Matters for World Cup Fans in Chattanooga

Here is the thing. Norway qualified for the 2026 World Cup with a perfect qualifying record — eight wins, zero losses. They are drawn into a group with France and Senegal and play all their group matches in the northeastern U.S. (Boston and New Jersey).

So the country that just produced one of the greatest underdog stories in Champions League history is also sending a squad to the World Cup this summer — a squad that could include Bodø/Glimt players who just embarrassed European royalty.

If you love an underdog story, if you love the idea of a tiny Arctic town punching above its weight on the world stage, Norway at the World Cup is your team to watch. And Chattanooga is the place to watch them.

Sign up now to help plan watch parties for every World Cup match in Atlanta and beyond. The tournament starts in June, and Chattanooga is just two hours from Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Fairy tales do not write themselves. But watch parties? Those need you.

Join the list.

Sources