The story of Norway’s Viking World Cup photoshoot

The idea for the epic photograph originated during an international break in 2023, when Yarrow shot Haaland alone in Viking dress, waist-deep in an Oslo fjord.

It wasn’t difficult for Yarrow to capture the intended atmosphere.

“If you had to choose one sportsperson in the world that doesn’t need much hair and make up to look like a Viking, it’s Erling Haaland,” Yarrow stated.

“And so it was easy to shoot with him.”

It wasn’t the first time that Yarrow has looked to history for inspiration.

Before Team Europe teed off at Bethpage Black in September, he photographed the defending Ryder Cup champions in front of the Manhattan Bridge dressed in prohibition-era suits and hats.

The black-and-white photo, which featured at the team’s headquarters, was a talking point for the golfers as they successfully beat the United States to retain the trophy.

Sales of the photo have raised more than a million dollars for Irish charities.

Yarrow hopes that the Norway squad photo, which will sit next to a table tennis table at the side’s Greensboro base in North Carolina, has the same impact.

Four months ago, the Norway football association contacted him with a proposal.

Having developed a trusting relationship with Yarrow in his solo shoot, Haaland – “the unofficial voice of the team” – was keen to involve the photographer in their World Cup preparations.

It was “an honour” for Yarrow to accept the project, which will fundraise for Norwegian charities.

Realising his vision for photo, though, was not so straight-forward.

Yarrow had to navigate the packed schedule of Norway captain and Premier League champion Martin Odegaard – who was in Budapest with Arsenal for the Champions League final on the day of the squad shoot.

After the parade had left north London, Odegaard joined Yarrow for a solo shoot, and the cloudy conditions matched those of the original shoot – meaning his figure could be added in without too much fuss.

But it was crucial to Yarrow that Odegaard and his title rival Haaland did not steal the show.

“The one thing that was important about that picture is if, in the Norwegian squad, you’ve got someone that’s worth £200m and then you’ve got Watford’s goalkeeper [Egil Selvik] that’s worth £250,000, the third-in-line goalie – that they both occupy the same amount of the frame,” Yarrow told BBC Sport.

“That’s very important for me.

“That is was not seen to be Haaland and Odegaard and 24 others – it was important to foster a sense of team.”

Yarrow was a guest of Norway as the side beat Sweden 3-1 in a warm-up friendly on Monday, with goals by Jorgen Strand Larsen and Antonio Nusa.

He was struck by the breadth of talent in the Norway team.

“People think it’s a team of two people and it’s so not,” stated Yarrow, who was born in Glasgow.

“It’s a seriously good football team, from their wingers to their backs, and I think they’ll go quite far in the tournament.

“But, like Scotland – they’ve got to win their first game.”

The Scot was 20 years old when he captured an iconic photograph of Diego Maradona holding the World Cup trophy on the pitch at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

Now the third best-selling sports photograph of all time, he says the picture “changed my life”.

On Thursday, the World Cup returns to the Estadio Azteca for the first time in 40 years as Mexico kick off the 2026 tournament with a game against South Africa.

Yarrow has been invited to a ceremony marking the occasion but has a good reason for staying in Boston.

“I’m far too nervous about Scotland v Haiti,” Yarrow stated. “It’s masochism, really.

“We know we’re all in for a horrid 10 days. But we can’t help ourselves.”

Fortunately for Yarrow, Scotland won’t encounter his Viking warriors until the quarter-final stage at the earliest.