Norway ships salmon, brown cheese and oranges to US base for World Cup return

Norway's national football team has brought hundreds of kilograms of traditional food to its training base in North Carolina as it prepares for its first World Cup appearance in 28 years, with team staff viewing nutrition as a key part of tournament preparation.

The squad shipped 300 kilograms of Atlantic salmon and white fish, 116 kilograms of brunost, Norway's distinctive caramelised brown cheese, and 6,000 oranges to its camp in Greensboro, where players are training ahead of the competition, says News18.

Lead chef Aron Espeland, who has worked with the national team for 35 years, expects the players and staff to consume all 300 kilograms of fish during the tournament.

A team of three chefs prepares four meals a day for a travelling party of more than 60 people, providing a menu designed around foods familiar to the players.

Team staff say the approach is intended to minimise the risks associated with sudden dietary changes while competing abroad. By serving dishes the players have eaten throughout their lives, the team hopes to avoid disruptions to digestion, sleep and concentration that could affect performance during the tournament.

The strategy is also aimed at helping players adapt to the heat and humidity of the south-eastern United States, conditions that differ significantly from those typically experienced in Norwegian cities such as Bergen and Tromsø.

For Norway, which is returning to football's biggest stage after nearly three decades away, nutrition has become an integral part of preparation, with food viewed as a tool to support training demands and aid recovery during a crucial period for the squad.

The team's "Viking kitchen" operation underscores the increasingly detailed planning that national teams employ at major tournaments, where even small factors such as diet can be considered important in maintaining player performance over several weeks of competition.