Norway women’s soccer team roster: players, profiles, stars

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup marks a significant milestone for the women’s game. It will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, a first in the history of the tournament. Established by FIFA in 1991, the Women’s World Cup stands as the ultimate championship in women’s soccer. As the ninth edition approaches, it is worth noting that only four nations (the U.S., Germany, Japan and Norway itself) have emerged victorious in this prestigious quadrennial event, which features 32 teams from around the globe.

As part of AS USA’s collaboration with the Guardian, we bring you the player profiles of each of the Norway women’s National Team members. Written by Christina Paulos Syversen, who works for TV2 Norge, these profiles include everything about these players, from their positions to their clubs and accomplishments.

You can also check out the full in-depth team team guide for the Norway side.

Goalkeepers

Aurora Mikalsen

Date of birth: March 21, 1996

Position: Goalkeeper

Club: Brann

Profile: Mikalsen was an outfield player until her mid-teens but always found the goalkeeping role fascinating. She says the huge consequences of personal mistakes and decisions is something that excites her: “The decisive situations, the consequences of one person’s mistakes. It might frighten the life out of others, but it appeals to me, it brings the best out of me.” Her strong, deep voice is heard clearly over the arena when she plays for her club Brann or the national team, directing her teammates. The 27-year-old had spells at Manchester United and Tottenham in the Women’s Super League and travels to the World Cup, having been Hege Riise’s first choice in goal since the 53-year-old took over.

Guro Pettersen

Date of birth: August 22nd 1991

Position: Goalkeeper

Club: Vålerenga

Profile: Stepped into the role as Norway’s No1 goalkeeper at last year’s Euros after injury to Cecilie Hauståker Fiskerstrand. That meant she was between the posts for the harrowing 8-0 defeat against England but Pettersen has thick skin and has called out online abusers before. In January 2020 she posted a video on Twitter sharing some of the derogatory comments she received after posting a video of a goal she had scored in training on TikTok. “To everyone who doesn’t “like” women’s football, please keep it to yourself,” she wrote. Won goal of the season in the Swedish top flight in 2021 while playing for Piteå after scoring from the halfway line. Plays with a protective headgear after suffering several concussions during her career.

Cecilie Hauståker Fiskerstrand

Date of birth: March 20th 1996

Position: Goalkeeper

Club: LSK Kvinner

Profile: Having been back up to Ingrid Hjelmseth for years Fiskerstrand was looking forward to finally being Norway’s No1 at Euro 2022 when disaster struck just before the tournament. In May she ruptured her ACL and was forced to spend a long time on the sidelines. However, despite being initially devastated, she decided to use the recovery period to get new perspectives in life. She travelled to England and spent the summer as a pundit for TV 2 during the Euros while working her way back to full fitness. Nicknamed “Fisken” (“The Fish”), the goalkeeper is rarely seen without a smile on her face and loves a workout. As her Norway teammate Maria Thorisdottir once said: “If you can’t find ‘Fisken’, just go to the nearest gym – she’ll be there”.

Defenders

Maren Mjelde

Date of birth: November 6th 1989

Position: Defender

Club: Chelsea

Profile: A real leader on and off the pitch for Norway and Chelsea, Mjelde recently signed a new deal that will keep her at the west London club for another year. She brings calmness and experience to both country and club and has picked up five league titles and four cup wins during her time in England. Scored a penalty in the last minute of extra time in the 2022-23 Champions League quarter-final against Lyon to take the tie to extra time, after which she scored another spot kick to ensure Chelsea reached the semis. She said once that “I have female role models I look up to, but especially my mum” and added: “She has the biggest heart, and I want to be like her when I get older.” Has been studying for a business degree and also started taking her coaching badges.

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Tuva Hansen

Date of birth: August 4th 1997

Position: Defender

Club: Bayern Munich

Profile: Hansen definitely comes from a football family: Her father, Hugo, played 14 times for Norway in the 80s while her older sister has 13 caps to her name and was part of the World Cup squad in 2015. Older brother Cato is also capped at U21-level. The most famous family member, however, may be her dog. The cockapoo Vilja has gone viral on social media the last few years, gathering more than one million followers on TikTok. Hansen has said there are similarities between being a dog owner and a team captain but jokes that the dog listens more to her than her teammates. Joined Bayern Munich in January and promptly won the Frauen Bundesliga title, having teamed up again with the coach Alexander Straus, who had her at Brann.

Guro Bergsvand

Date of birth: March 3rd 1994

Position: Defender

Club: Brighton

Profile: Being able to play professional football in the Women’s Super League in England is certainly not something Bergsvand is taking for granted. A series of knee injuries kept her on the sidelines for around two years while playing college football in the US in her mid-20s and she thought of retiring but she did not give up and had her breakthrough at the age 27. She won two league titles with Brann before a move to Brighton early this year. Was named “role model of the year” in Norwegian football in 2021 with the jury saying: “She is a role model and an inspiration for all young players who are going through a difficult time, doubting themselves and in need of proof that what can seem impossible, actually is possible.”

Anja Sønstevold

Date of birth: June 21st 1992

Position: Defender

Club: Inter

Profile: At the beginning of her career Sønstevold combined playing football at a top level in Norway while finishing a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She spent 10 years in the Norwegian top flight with Kolbotn and LSK Kvinner before moving abroad at the age of 28 in 2020. Her French adventure at Fleury was marred by injuries and lack of playing time so she moved to Inter a year later and she has thrived in Italy, even scoring a goal of the month contender from 30 yards in November 2021. The tough-tackling, left-sided defender is enjoying life in Milan and has a contract until the end of next season. She has described herself as “very dedicated and very ambitious” doing things on and off the pitch at “100%” only, there is no other way for her.

Marit Bratberg Lund

Date of birth: November 7th 1997

Position: Defender

Club: SK Brann

Profile: Bratberg Lund has one of the most lethal left feet in Norwegian football and has delivered an impressive number of assists and goals since joining the club in 2021. She is especially accurate from the penalty spot and has, at the time of writing, only missed once in nine years since making her debut in Toppserien nine years ago. Why did she start taking penalties? “No one else wanted to and I didn’t mind,” the keen golfer once said. “I think the key is not to worry about missing, but I know that is easier said than done. The former Norway coach Martin Sjögren was not convinced by the left-back despite her consistent performances but his successor, Hege Riise, was quick to pick Bratberg Lund and called her in August of last year and she has impressed ever since.

Mathilde Hauge Harviken

Date of birth: December 29th 2001

Position: Defender

Club: Rosenborg BK

Profile: A relative youngster in the squad, Harviken has impressed with her calm yet ruthless style of play since her first call up to the national team in August last year. Some might say her attributes are down to her upbringing in Elverum, a town in the east of Norway renowned for the inhabitants’ calm personalities. Was named breakthrough player of the year in the Norwegian top flight in 2022 and said of her first international call-up: “I certainly didn’t expect that, it was a nice surprise. Now we have to see how much I get to play.”

Sara Lindbak Hørte

Date of birth: November 24th 2000

Position: Defender

Club: Rosenborg BK

Profile: Not the tallest player in the game but second to none when it comes to heading. The 1.77m tall defender is a threat going forward and a security blanket at the back thanks to her aerial prowess, whether that is for club or country. She scored on her international debut against Albania in September last year and her coach at Rosenborg, Steinar Lein, says: “I’ve never seen a female player with such good technique. In fact I’ve barely even seen it on the men’s side.” Has been at Rosenborg since 2022, following three years at Kolbotn.

Midfielders

Thea Bjelde

Date of birth: June 5th 2000

Position: Midfield

Club: Vålerenga IF

Profile: The chess-loving midfielder shot to prominence at the age of 14 as she was one of the best players in a boys team from Sogndal who were playing at the international tournament Norway Cup. At the age of 15 she was travelling three hours one way to train with women’s team Arna-Bjørnar in the Bergen region. A year later she moved there and has never looked back. A complete midfielder with a big engine, she is the player who carries on running when you think it is not possible. Now at Vålerenga, she was a late call-up to Euro 2022 but did not play before making her international debut in October 2022.

Frida Maanum

Date of birth: July 16th 1999

Position: Midfield

Club: Arsenal

Profile: Her qualities showed through when given a chance for Arsenal this season, with the 5-1 win against Lyon in the Champions League one of several special nights in the competition. The Arsenal manager, Jonas Eidevall, described her as “brilliant” that night and she is one of the Norway coach, Hege Riise, most important players going into the World Cup. In June she was rewarded with a new contract by Arsenal and said: “I feel like I’ve changed since I came here. Moving to Sweden was hard but then moving to England was probably even harder. But I’ve learned a lot in the last two years and I’ve really enjoyed it.” An extremely determined player, she had an Excel spreadsheet at the age of 14 to record her progress.

Vilde Bøe Risa

Date of birth: July 13th 1995

Position: Midfield

Club: Manchester United

Profile: Having lost her father to a heart attack in 2013, Bøe Risa set herself the goal to become a professional footballer. She has succeeded and says she thinks of her father every time she steps on to the pitch. The transfer to her childhood favourites Manchester United from Sandviken in 2021 was a dream come true for the central midfielder who, after a couple of years in Swedish football, is also fluent in Swedish language and loves to speak it whenever possible. One of the key players in the Norway squad she arrives at the World Cup after a hugely impressive WSL season with United, who finished second, just two points behind Chelsea.

Ingrid Syrstad Engen

Date of birth: April 29th 1998

Position: Midfield

Club: Barcelona

Profile: A hugely influential midfielder who has just got better and better since joining Barcelona from Wolfsburg in 2021, where she won the league and Champions League double in 2023. “I could not imagine playing anywhere better,” she said recently. “I enjoy living in the city and play for a very good team.” Has been described as the “social media queen” of the Norwegian national team. Her game intelligence means she has been used as a centre-back as well for club and country.

Guro Reiten

Date of birth: July 26th 1994

Position: Midfield

Club: Chelsea

Profile: The 29-year-old keeps improving and after being instrumental in Chelsea’s latest title win with 11 assists (most in the league) and nine goals she was chosen as the player for a four-metre tall mural on Portobello Road to celebrate the team’s success. “What an honour,” she said. It’s been a good year for me and I’m so proud to be a part of this club. Moments like that make all the sacrifices and hard work worth it.” Her second season in London was tough due to injuries and the pandemic but it had a happy, yet strange ending. She recalls: “My Chelsea teammates and I were asked to join a Zoom call so I logged in from Norway during a camping trip. Emma Hayes came on and, all of a sudden, popped open a bottle of champagne: ‘We’ve won the league!’ It felt so weird to find out we had won it on points per game.” Voted Norwegian female player of the year for 2022.

Forwards

Caroline Graham Hansen

Date of birth: February 18th 1995

Position: Attack

Club: Barcelona

Profile: The Barcelona forward announced in August last year that she needed a break from international football and posted on Instagram: “After a season with heart problems and almost 50 games I feel a fatigue that means I have been forced to listen to my body. I need to rest.” In April, though, she was back to the huge relief of Norway fans and, of course, the national team coach, Hege Riise. Described as a “thinker”, she is a spectacular player with a dominant role for a world-class side in Barcelona. A leader on the pitch, she likes to keep a low profile off it. While struggling with knee injuries during her years at Wolfsburg, she wrote down her innermost thoughts in the Notes app on her mobile and used them as motivation on her way back.

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Emilie Bosshard Haavi

Date of birth: June 16th 1992

Position: Midfield/attack

Club: Roma

Profile: Was devastated when left out of Martin Sjögren’s Euro squad last summer and, having been left out from Hege Riise’s first squad, her participation at the World Cup looked like a distant dream. But a player whose last World Cup ended with a ruptured ACL in training the day after the second group game has forced her way into the final 23 after an impressive season with Roma. She won the Serie A title with the capital club, her 17th trophy of an extraordinary career. After a rare defeat this season, against Juventus, she posted on Instagram: “The sensation of losing a game only increases my will to win.”

Amalie Vevle Eikeland

Date of birth: August 26th 1995

Position: Midfield

Club: Reading

Profile: Always a huge talent Eikeland made her top-level debut at age 15 for Arna-Bjørnar. When asked as a teenager who she looked up to, she said: “Lionel Messi is off course a player everyone looks up to, but Maren Mjelde is a very good role model and certainly was for us youngsters at Arna/Bjørnar (their former club). The way she came through the ranks at club level, reaching the international team and then playing abroad.” Now they are at the World Cup together. Has been with Reading since 2019 but may look to leave after they were relegated at the end of the 2022-23 season.

Julie Blakstad

Date of birth: August 27th 2001

Position: Midfield/winger

Club: Manchester City

Profile: One of the most promising players of her generation, Blakstad asked Manchester City’s permission to join Swedish side Häcken on loan in March to get enough playing time to make the World Cup squad. It paid off. Labelled a wonderkid after graduating with top marks in no fewer than 19 subjects at high school. Education has always been important for Blakstad and in 2020 she turned down an offer from Chelsea and moved to Trondheim to play for Rosenborg and begin her bachelor’s degree in industrial economics at NTNU. Impressively versatile she can play in defence, in midfield and as a winger. “I’ve watched quite a bit of [Cristiano] Ronaldo [when it comes to shooting], he has a particular technique,” she says.

Ada Hegerberg

Date of birth: July 10th 1995

Position: Attack

Club: Lyon

Profile: Arrives at the World Cup after another injury-hit season, missing six months with an unspecified injury, before returning in March. Still one of the best players in the world, she is hugely important to Norway. The first ever female winner of Ballon d’Or made her comeback for the national team last summer after a five-year absence. The superstar had become frustrated at what she perceived as a lack of support for the women’s team and for the development of girls’ football in Norway. Announcing her return to international football in March 2022 she said: “I love football, and I want to play football. I took a decision in 2017 that I stand by. But I had lot of time to reflect over the past two years, on many aspects.”

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Sophie Román Haug

Date of birth: June 4th 1999

Position: Attack

Club: Roma

Profile: Described by the previous national team coach, Martin Sjögren, as the best header in Norwegian women’s football behind Ada Hegerberg, the 23-year-old got her international breakthrough last autumn when the Lyon star was injured, scoring five goals in four games. Haug has now returned from surgery herself, on an ankle, and comes into the World Cup full of confidence having helped Roma win the Serie A title with a winning header in a 3-2 victory against Juventus. Has also impressed off the pitch by picking up the Italian language quicker than many other players. “It’s important for me to show everyone around me that I’m happy to be here and that I want to be here and to learn Italian to be able to communicate with people, and to do more things,” she told Total Italian Football.

Karina Sævik

Date of birth: March 24th 1996

Position: Attack

Club: Avaldsnes

Profile: Sævik has returned to her best this season, scoring most weekends for title-chasing Vålerenga, her form earning her a place in Hege Riise’s World Cup squad. A superb goal, which went viral in 2019, catapulted her onto the international scene but moves to Paris St-Germain and Wolfsburg did not work out as planned and she was back in Norway with Avaldsnes in 2021. The 27-year-old forward plays with a lot of energy and is an excellent finisher but feared the worst when Riise got in touch on the eve of the World Cup squad announcement. “I thought it couldn’t be a positive sign but then she sent a message that it was good news and then I called her,” she said.

Anna Langås Jøsendal

Date of birth: April 29th 2001

Position: Midfield/winger

Club: Rosenborg

Profile: One of the Norwegian top flight’s most dominant players in 2023, Jøsendal has been rewarded with a place in Hege Riise’s World Cup squad. Spent many years battling a hamstring injury, which even led to her pondering quitting the game, but those problems are now a thing of the past and she says it has made her a stronger player. A player with speed, impressive individual technique, and a strong left foot, Jøsendal is the first-ever female international from Odda, a small town of about 4,800 inhabitants and famous for its smelters, located in the beautiful Hardanger district on Norway’s west coast. Can play both at left-wing and at left-back.