CBS Sports Golazo interviews Norwegian fan group leader Oule Freya about the viral Viking Row celebration taking over the 2026 FIFA World Cup， tracing its ancient battle origins and revealing plans for a Times Square mass rowing event.
📝 详细摘要
In this 9-minute CBS Sports Golazo studio segment， hosts sit down with Oule Freya — leader of the Norwegian national team supporter group Olia， affectionately dubbed 「Mr. Row」 — to break down the explosive fan phenomenon sweeping the 2026 World Cup: the Viking Row. After Norwegian fans turned Boston into a sea of synchronized rowing during Norway's first World Cup appearance in 28 years， the group is moving its cultural takeover to the New York and New Jersey area.
Oule Freya traces the rowing ritual back to the Viking era itself: ancient Norse warriors would lower their sails， extend their oars， and row ashore in unison right before entering battle — a martial symbolism that maps directly onto the national team 「going into battle」 on the pitch. He explains how the Olia supporter network coordinates thousands of fans through WhatsApp， Messenger， Facebook， and Instagram， enabling spontaneous flash-mob rows across stadiums， parks， bars， and even escalators.
Looking ahead， Freya outlines two headline NYC events: a boat cruise organized jointly with the Norwegian Soccer Association， and a public Viking Row flash mob at Times Square's Red Steps at 8 PM the night before the next match. On the field， he keeps expectations measured — getting through the group stage is the real goal， with Freya noting visible nerves in the team's friendly against Morocco.
The segment closes with a live studio demonstration， with Freya leading hosts and crew through the full rowing sequence: sit on the floor， wait for two drum beats， extend arms like gripping an oar， lean forward， and pull back hard on the downbeat while chanting. The result is an infectious， participatory showcase of Norwegian fan culture at its viral best.
💡 主要观点
- The Viking Row traces its roots to the actual Viking era， when Norse warriors rowed ashore in unison before battle. Oule Freya explains that the rowing sequence is not a modern invention but a direct echo of ancient Norse battle preparation — lowering sails， extending oars， and rowing to shore in rhythm before combat. This deep historical symbolism gives the celebration an authenticity and gravitas that generic fan chants lack.
💬 文章金句
- oh well the rowing goes way way back i mean we could go way back to the Viking era you know they took in their sails they put out their ores went into shore and they did that right before battle so it kind of fits with the national team like we're going into battle let's get to work and let's roll
- we waited for this for 28 years we're loving it and we're having a good time with the Scottish people as well
- then I'm actually trying to get a row going in at Time Square see how many people we could gather there tonight actually at 8 p.m at the Red Steps
- you could see that they were so nervous at the start like making some passes to the to different players that went to the other team bad touches all over the place and I'm like this is not the guys i mean you could clearly see that they were so nervous
📊 文章信息
AI 初评：77
来源：CBS Sports Golazo
作者：CBS Sports Golazo
分类：体育运动
语言：中文
阅读时间：3 分钟
字数：648
标签： Viking Row, Norway World Cup, FIFA World Cup 2026, Soccer Fan Culture, Norwegian Supporters