FIFA World Cup 2026: Over 100,000 fans welcome Norway home despite qu…

Oslo [Norway], July 14 (ANI): Norway’s memorable FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign may have ended in quarter-final heartbreak, but the team’s return home turned into a nationwide celebration on Monday (local time) as more than 100,000 supporters gathered across Oslo to welcome their heroes, reported Reuters.

The Norwegian side, whose impressive run at the tournament came to an end after a 2-1 extra-time defeat against England in the quarter-finals, received a grand reception from fans despite missing out on a place in the last four. newsbetting.bond

Wow! Tusen takk, Norge pic.twitter.com/OW2CXlcFtl

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— Fotballandslaget (@nff_landslag) July 13, 2026

The squad arrived in Oslo to a traditional water cannon salute before beginning a homecoming parade through the Norwegian capital. Thousands of fans gathered around the Royal Palace and lined Karl Johans gate, the city’s main thoroughfare, as the players first attended an audience with King Harald before greeting supporters from the palace steps.

The celebrations featured one final “Viking row", with Crown Prince Haakon leading the traditional chant on the drums. However, star striker Erling Haaland was absent from the event after leaving early to catch a flight.

Borte bra, hjemme best pic.twitter.com/VVhJTi6YVM

— Fotballandslaget (@nff_landslag) July 13, 2026

Norway’s national football team also shared a video of the homecoming celebrations on its official X account, ‘Fotballandslaget’, alongside the Norwegian proverb, “Borte bra, hjemme best" (Away is good, home is best), capturing the mood of a nation proud of a team that exceeded expectations on football’s biggest stage.

Explaining the absence of Haaland and midfielder Sander Berge, head coach Stale Solbakken said, “Erling and Sander (Berge) had to catch their plane as our trip from the U.S. was delayed four hours," as per Reuters.

Captain Martin Odegaard thanked supporters for their overwhelming backing throughout Norway’s historic World Cup campaign.

“I don’t think anyone had imagined this," Odegaard told Norwegian broadcaster NRK, according to Reuters. “The support we have received in the USA and here at home in Norway has been beyond all expectations. It has been absolutely incredible to see."

The open-top bus parade through central Oslo encountered unexpected delays as the huge crowds slowed its progress. At one stage, the bus was forced to reverse while police cleared a path through the sea of supporters.

The celebrations were briefly interrupted by low-hanging overhead cables, forcing players standing on the top deck to sit down before the bus could continue its journey.

The incident carried an ironic connection to the team’s quarter-final defeat, after Solbakken had claimed following the England match that the ball struck a camera cable before Jude Bellingham’s equaliser, an assertion that FIFA has repeatedly rejected.

Despite the delays, the parade eventually reached City Hall Square, where tens of thousands of fans had gathered patiently to celebrate the team’s historic FIFA World Cup campaign. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

New Delhi [India], July 14 (ANI): Indian table tennis stars Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah created history on Monday by climbing to World No. 2 in the latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) men’s doubles rankings, becoming the highest-ranked Indian players or pair ever in the senior world rankings.

The Indian duo improved one place from last week’s career-best World No. 3, surpassing the previous national record held by Archana Kamath and Manika Batra, who had reached World No. 4 in the women’s doubles rankings in 2022, according to Olympics.com.

China’s Lin Shidong and Huang Youzheng continue to occupy the top spot with 5,160 ranking points, while Thakkar and Shah are second with 3,390 points. France’s celebrated Lebrun brothers, Alexis and Felix, who were ranked second last week, slipped to fifth, paving the way for the Indian pair’s rise.

The landmark achievement is the latest reward for a remarkable run of consistency by Thakkar and Shah over the past year. Guided by Indian table tennis legend Sharath Kamal, the duo have established themselves among the world’s elite through a series of impressive performances on the WTT circuit.

Their campaign includes a semi-final finish at the 2026 Singapore Smash, a runners-up finish at the 2025 WTT Star Contender Foz do Iguacu and the title at the 2026 WTT Contender Lagos, results that significantly boosted their world ranking.

The rise comes at an ideal time for Indian table tennis, with the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, less than three months away. Thakkar and Shah are expected to spearhead India’s men’s doubles challenge after narrowly missing out on a medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, where they lost in the quarter-finals to South Korea’s then World No. 1 pair of Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon.

India heads into the 2026 Asian Games with strong representation across the doubles events. Diya Chitale and Manush Shah are currently ranked World No. 5 in mixed doubles, while Diya Chitale and Yashaswini Ghorpade occupy the World No. 10 spot in women’s doubles.

In the singles rankings, Thakkar remains India’s highest-ranked men’s player at World No. 38, followed closely by Shah at World No. 40. Manika Batra continues to be India’s top-ranked women’s singles player at World No. 51, although the former Commonwealth Games champion has been named among the reserves for the upcoming Asian Games.

The latest rankings underline India’s growing stature in international table tennis and provide a timely boost as the country prepares for another major multi-sport event later this year. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Former India captain Kris Srikkanth criticised the team management's handling of young player Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He questioned the decision to drop the fifteen-year-old after just three T20 international matches. Srikkanth compared this situation to his own captaincy experience with Sachin Tendulkar. He emphasized the importance of backing young talent for confidence building. The former opener expressed strong disappointment with the current leadership's approach.