Hello all, it’s past time for an update on the Norwegian Eliteserien, as we are about halfway through the 2025 season. Let’s take a look at the table to start.

So to start off near the bottom, it is definitely worth noting the success that both of the newly promoted teams have found this season: Valerenga and Bryne. Valerenga suffered a shock relegation in the 2023 season, before they won the OBOS-ligaen in 2024 and returned to Norway’s top flight. A key player for them has been Cameroonian Fidel Brice Ambina in midfield. Ambina was purchased by Valerenga ahead of their 2024 season in the 2nd tier, and after helping them return to the Eliteserien, has been their best player. Moving from Cape Town City FC to Norway, Fidel Brice Ambina has potential to improve significantly, at only 23 years old. Bryne has also found themselves with a significant cushion over the relegation zone, with 18 points from 14 matches.

Stromsgodset and Haugesund are having truly terrible seasons so far, accumulating just 6 and 2 points, respectively. A miraculous turnaround would be required for either of these teams to escape relegation. The only real standout player here who is showing that he could have a future in the Eliteserien even if his team gets relegated is Marko Lawk Farji. The 21 year old Iraqi winger became a first team regular for Stromsgodset last season, and has been performing quite well for a forward on a struggling team.

Molde is a surprising name to see so close to the bottom of the table, although they did sell several key players from last year such as Kristoffer Haugen (to Viking). Of their 5 wins, 4 came against teams in the bottom 6 of the table, along with a surprising 3-0 win over Brann. Molde will likely not be in danger of automatic relegation, but they could well end up in the relegation playoff place if they do not improve performances soon. Molde have been in the top division of Norway since 2008, and a relegation would be a real shock to the division.

There are definitely signs that the difference between the Eliteserien and the best teams in the OBOS-ligaen (2nd division) is narrowing. I am happy to see both KFUM Oslo and Frederikstad, both teams promoted in recent years, becoming stable Eliteserien clubs. Both clubs are still in position to challenge for European places, and Frederikstad have proved to be a serious challenge for the top teams in the league.

Sandefjord is also having a great season for their standards. They have not finished in the top 10 of the Eliteserien since 2009, and are on pace to do just that this season. They have assembled a very fun young squad, with key players this season such as Christopher Cheng at LB (23), Stefan Ingi Sgurdarson at ST (24), Evangelos Patoulidis on the RW (23), and Zinedin Smaljovic at CB (21). This is a promising approach for Sandefjord, who will be able to use a strong league finish this year to make significant profit on player sales.

Rosenborg have rebounded from their disappointing year last season, and are firmly in European contention now. Sander Tangvik is having a strong season in goal, Tomas Nemcik from Slovakia is enjoying a breakout season in the defensive line as well. Ole Selnaes is the heartbeat of this team though, and Rosenborg generally go as Selnaes goes, especially after wonderkid Sverre Halseth Nypan was sold to Manchester City. If his form stays strong, then Rosenborg will have a strong push for the European places, although they will have to balance Conference League qualifiers with the league matches.

Bodø/Glimt have had significant fixture congestion over the first half of the season, due to their outstanding run to the Europa League semi-finals. This period saw them drop 8 points, enough for Glimt to be significantly behind the league leaders. Knutsen’s men look to be returning to fitness and form now though, having tallied three strong wins in a row over Sandefjord, Frederikstad, and Viking. Brann (A), Rosenborg (A), and Tromso (H) are the biggest fixtures remaining for Glimt and their final league position. As of today, they are 7 points back of leaders Viking, with 3 games in hand, and the league title is within their control if they win their matches. New reinforcements have joined in the summer window, most notably Magnus Riisnaes from Valerenga, a very exciting young winger.

Brann are pushing for the title yet again, after finishing 2nd the past two seasons. Young striker Aune Heggebo, who came through their academy, had another very good start to the season, but looks to have been sold to West Bromwich Albion in the English Championship. This is a player I’ve known for a long time, and do see potential in. Brann will have to hope that Bard Finne, their veteran striker, can fill the void left by Heggebo. Finne scored 16 league goals in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but only managed 6 last year, and is underperforming his xG significantly. If Brann do not reinvest some of the ~8M fee for Heggebo, they may be resigning themselves to another year of missing out on the Eliteserien title.

Tromsø is performing much better than expected this season. Runar Norheim is a very exciting talent; the 20 year old LWB has been one of Tromsø’s best players this year and a major part of the team’s chance creation. Leo Cornic has found his form again after leaving Rosenborg, and is enjoying a good season opposite Norheim at RWB. If there’s a name you want to remember though, it is Abubacarr Sedi Kinteh. The 18 year old Gambian CB is playing his first season in Europe, and performing incredibly well for Tromsø. Kinteh is a ball playing defender, who dribbles with the ball well and creates chances. From a tactics perspective, this team is interesting, as in their 5-3-2, the midfield does not actually do that much chance creation, more focused on winning the ball and retaining possession. The wingbacks and overlapping CB’s provide a significant amount of Tromsø’s chance creation. I may publish a more in depth look at their tactics following the derby match vs. Glimt.

Finally, the league leaders Viking. While having played more matches than the other clubs (both Tromso and Bodo/Glimt could pass Viking for 1st by winning their 3 games in hand), Viking still deserve credit for putting themselves in this position. They will also be playing in European qualifiers starting this week, which could impact their league form. Viking still have the ability to push on and win the league, but it will require sacrificing the European games to do so. That is a tough decision, as the European competition prize money for reaching the League Phase and further is serious money for Norwegian clubs.

If you look at the table overall, keep an eye on the number of games played by each club. The points gap from 1st place to 6th place could be a mere 3-4 points in a few weeks’ time. This is setting up to be one of the most exciting finishes to a title race in Norway, as there have not been so many teams in contention for the title at the halfway point in past seasons. Keep an eye out for it!

If you do want to watch Eliteserien matches, they are free to stream on OneFootball.com, with a free account (this is not a promo, it’s just how I watch matches). Here are some fixtures to mark on your calendar if you want to see some of the best matches the Eliteserien has!

Fixtures to Watch For:

27th July 2025: Rosenborg v. Tromsø

9th August 2025: Bodø/Glimt v. Tromsø

10th August 2025: Sandefjord v. Viking

16th August 2025: Tromsø v. Brann

24th August 2025: Brann v. Frederikstad

31st August 2025: Sandefjord v. Bodø/Glimt ; Viking v. Rosenborg

21st September 2025: Rosenborg v. Bodø/Glimt

28th September 2025: Brann v. Bodø/Glimt

19th October 2025: Tromsø v. Viking

22nd November 2025: Tromsø v. Rosenborg

30th November 2025: Bodø/Glimt v. Frederikstad

That’s all for the mid-season review/end of season preview! I hope to keep spreading interest in the Eliteserien and Norwegian football in general.

Thanks,

LM