Women's EURO team guide: Norway

Group A fixtures

Thursday 7 July
Norway vs Northern Ireland (21:00 CET, Southampton)

Monday 11 July
England vs Norway (21:00 CET, Brighton & Hove)

Friday 15 July
Austria vs Norway (21:00 CET, Brighton & Hove)

How they qualified: Group C winners (P6 W6 D0 L0 F34 A1)
Women's EURO best: Winners (1987, 1993)
Women's EURO 2017: Group stage

Key player: Caroline Graham Hansen

Fast approaching 50 goals and 100 caps for her country, Graham Hansen burst on to the scene aged 18 in Norway's run to the 2013 final and the flying winger, capable of beating any defender, is now recoginsed as one of the world's best. A key part of Barcelona's awesome attack, she was brilliant in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup when deployed as one of two central forwards.

One to watch: Elisabeth Terland

Operating wide in midfield, Terland – set to turn 21 a couple of weeks before the finals – made her senior debut in April and soon got amongst the goals in Norway's 2023 World Cup qualifying campaign. "Terland fits in well with the way we play," said Norway coach Martin Sjögren after her debut. "Her foremost quality is finding the space between the opponents' defence and attack. Something that has surprised me is her ability to get past players."

Coach: Martin Sjögren

Having achieved success at club level with Malmö (now Rosengård) and Linköping in his native Sweden, Sjögren was appointed by Norway at the end of 2016. Oversaw the disappointing Women's EURO 2017 campaign but has built a close-knit squad that plays attacking football and had a promising 2019 World Cup run followed by a flawless EURO qualifying performance. Has now welcomed Ada Hegerberg back to the squad after nearly five years away.

Tactics

Sjögren used a 4-4-2 formation in the World Cup with Graham Hansen partnering Isabell Herlovsen, now retired. In EURO qualifying, though, 4-3-3 was favoured, Lisa-Marie Utland in the central role, flanked typically by Graham Hansen and Guro Reiten, with the versatile Frida Manuum and Terland also options.

They even went 3-4-3 in the pivotal 4-0 defeat of Belgium with Terland and Reiten as wing-backs, emphasising Norway's strength down the flanks. Graham Hansen's Barcelona club-mate Ingrid Syrstad Engen is key in the centre of midfield, where Manuum can also operate. Hegerberg's spring return opened up new options.

Pedigree

The unhappy 2017 campaign in the Netherlands, when they lost all three games, was a rare group exit for Norway, who had only suffered that fate once before at EURO and once in a World Cup. By contrast they were world champions in 1995 and before that twice EURO victors, as well as runners-up in 2005 and 2013, two tournaments where they proved their tradition as a nation that performs when it matters as they had not been tipped to get that far. Their huge improvement at the 2019 World Cup, when they made the quarter-finals, are a sign that Sjögren's team are a danger to anyone.