To provide background, the town in which the club is located is called Bodo. It resides in the Northern half of the country, just above the Arctic Circle, making it one of the coldest places on the planet. The town’s economy largely rests on its bustling fishing industry due to its proximity to the ocean. The town itself only has a population of around 42,000, making it the second-largest town in the region. For context, the stadiums of most Champions League teams have a capacity of around 60,000. In 2018, Bødo/Glimt were promoted into Norway’s Top Division, the Eliteserien, making their captivating rise even more astonishing, due to how recently they’ve been promoted and are already competing in Europe.
In 2021, the Norwegian outfit made the Champions League qualifying round and slowly rose up the levels of European competition. From the Europa Conference League in 2024 to the Europa League Semi-Finals in 2025. It was clear to anyone that Bødo was on the rise.
“I’ve known about Bodo Glimt for a while now, since they lost to Tottenham in last year’s Europa League semi-final,” junior Jay Wu said.
This year, many have counted Bodo Glint out of the Champions League. They struggled early on in the group stages, and many believed that they wouldn’t even be able to make it to the round of 32, a bracket that decides which sides advance to the round of sixteen.
The Arctic team didn’t lose faith in themselves at all. Their high-flying attacking soccer is sparking shocking results. First, it was a two all draw at Dortmund. Borussia Dortmund have struggled consistently throughout the season, not advancing to the round of 16 in the Champions League since 2021. Many claimed, therefore, that the stalemate was nothing special, but merely a fluke. These so called soccer experts could not be more wrong.
“I didn’t really think they could make a run, but they certainly proved me wrong,” junior Atharv Malpani said.
Bødo then went on to beat Atletico Madrid and Manchester City. Two heavyweights of European soccer. In stunning fashion, they embarrassed teams, clawing their way into the round of 32 for the first time in their history. Their remarkable run continued further by beating last year’s Champions League finalists Inter Milan, across two legs. Attackers Jens Petter Hauge and Kasper Høgh both proved influential across the three games.
“The revolution of Jens Petter Hauge as a formidable attacker on the world stage is incredible not just for Norwegian soccer but the sport as a whole,” junior Tori Sobiecki said.
The shock result placed Bødo/Glimt as the first Norwegian side to ever advance to this phase of the tournament. They will face Sporting Lisbon across two legs, hoping to replicate the incredible form they found against the Italian giants in the form of Inter Milan. Many are still counting against them, clearly not learning from the scalding lessons given to Manchester City and Atletico Madrid.
This story always means more to true fans of sport. In an era where teams shell out millions of dollars for the top players and receive huge cash injections, the mystique that soccer once captured is slowly being lost. The fact that a small local team from Norway can compete with squads worth triple their valuations suggests that perhaps the underdog experience may never truly leave the world’s favorite game.
