As the Norwegian men’s national football team prepares to face England in a critical 2026 World Cup quarterfinal this Saturday, an unprecedented wave of fan enthusiasm has swept across Europe, leaving official Norway national team jerseys completely sold out at all major retail outlets. The Norwegian Football Association (NFF) has openly admitted that it drastically miscalculated consumer demand for the 2026 kits, which have been stuck in a persistent state of out-of-stock at Nike and official partner retailers ever since their launch this past March.
The sky-high demand is largely driven by the global superstar status of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, whose standout performances for both club and country — including Norway’s stunning knockout-stage victory over Brazil to secure a quarterfinal spot — have turned the national team’s new jersey into one of the most sought-after sports merchandise items in the world right now. Every time retailers restock new batches of the kit, stores are flooded with fans within minutes, with countless supporters even resorting to camping outside storefronts overnight just to secure their spot at the front of the line.
NFF Commercial Director Runar Pahr Andresen confirmed to Norwegian broadcaster TV2 that overall demand for the 2026 jersey has blown past every internal forecast, with 2026 order volumes hitting an all-time record for the association. This year, the NFF has ordered approximately 250,000 kits, a massive jump from the 50,000 units sold over the same period in 2025. Andresen added that the association has never generated as much revenue from jersey sales as it has this year, a surprising milestone that underscores just how explosive fan interest has become.
One of the most visible examples of this frenzy unfolded in Oslo earlier this week, when local sporting goods chain Torshov Sport received a long-awaited new shipment of jerseys on Tuesday. By the time the store opened for business on Wednesday morning, a 600-meter-long queue had wrapped around multiple city blocks, with some diehard fans waiting more than 12 hours in line, bringing folding chairs to stay comfortable during their wait. Store manager Anders Lilleberg told Norwegian outlet VG that the energy around the restock was unlike anything he had seen in his decades in the industry. “I’ve been here for many years, but I’ve never encountered the kind of atmosphere that is there now. It’s absolutely wild,” Lilleberg said. The retailer is now taking pre-registrations for its next restock, but cannot guarantee that all registered fans will receive their jerseys in time for Saturday’s high-stakes match.
The iconic red home jersey, featuring the traditional blue cross from the Norwegian flag, has been completely sold out at Nike and most official retailers for weeks. A Nike spokesperson told the BBC that the brand recognizes the disappointment among fans who have been unable to purchase the kit, and that teams are working overtime to ramp up inventory levels. Additional shipments of both the 2026 home match and stadium jerseys are expected to arrive in Norway in the coming days, with broader distribution to follow across European retailers, the spokesperson confirmed.
With official stock depleted, many desperate fans have turned to third-party resale platforms, where markup prices have reached exorbitant levels. The official Nike 2026 Stadium Home jersey retails for £89.99 (around $100) when available, but is now being resold for as much as £355 ($476) on secondary market sites. The black away stadium jersey, which also carries a £89.99 retail price, is currently listed for as much as £231 ($310) before adding shipping fees and taxes.
Norway’s unexpected deep run in the 2026 World Cup has only amplified this hype: the team defeated Iraq, Senegal, and Ivory Coast in the group stage before knocking out powerhouse Brazil in the knockout round to secure their quarterfinal spot. Saturday’s match against England will kick off at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium at 22:00 BST (17:00 EST), with millions of fans around the world expected to tune in.