FK Bodø/Glimt: The most impressive underdog story in football this year!
A relatively unknown Norwegian club from the Arctic just became the talk of the entire football world with their unbelievable performances in the UEFA Champions League. Bodø/Glimt has been the surprise package of the Champions League so far, having defeated elite European clubs like Manchester City, Atlético de Madrid and three-times winners Inter Milan this season. In doing so, Glimt became the second Norwegian team since Lillestrøm in 1987/88 to progress to the knockout round in the Champions League.
It’s been an incredible journey from the Norwegian top division to Europe’s premier competition where they haven’t just made up the numbers but challenged the continental heavyweights and it looks like they aren’t done yet.
So, here we take a look at the club’s history, their achievements, what has worked well for them and why is this UCL campaign special –
History
FK Bodø/Glimt was founded as Fotballklubben Glimt in September 1916. Bodø won their first title three years later when they won the County Championship of Nordland. However, they went through several financial difficulties soon after and at one point there were talks of merging them with a ski club but the decision was dismissed and the club retained its identity.
Glimt started to improve and show positive results after making a change in their training regime in the late 1920’s and 30’s. They started to train indoors to avoid the impact of the intense Arctic winters. Consequently, they became one of the top clubs from Northern Norway.
The name change to FK Bodø/Glimt was carried out in 1948 due to another club in the region with the same name. Bodø/Glimt performed well in the Northern Division but couldn’t partake in the Norwegian Division until 1972 as teams from the North weren’t allowed to participate until then as they weren’t deemed fit to compete with the teams from the South.
It took them a further four years to gain promotion to the Eliteserien due to the complex play-off rules for the North Norwegian teams. The unfair rules were discarded in the late 1970’s to make the division fair ground for competition, irrespective of the region the club came from.
The club suffered for form in the 1980’s when they dropped down to the third division and remained away from top-flight until 1993. Getting back in the top-flight, they ended the season in second place and also won the Norwegian Cup, marking a highly successful return to the top division.
In recent years, a much-improved Glimt made a return to the Norwegian Top division after earning promotion in 2018 and haven’t looked back since then. Glimt has now earned widespread recognition with their performances in the 2024/25 Europa League and the ongoing 2025/26 Champions League, turning the football world’s attention towards a small unknown club from the Arctic.
Achievements
Eliteserien titles – 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024
1.Division titles – 2013, 2017
Norwegian Cup titles – 1975, 1993
North Norwegian Cup – 1930, 1933, 1934, 1939, 1952, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1969
2024/25 Europa League – Reached the semi-final
2025/26 Champions League – Qualified for the Round of 16 (ongoing)
What has worked well for them?
Bodø/Glimt isn’t a team consisting of superstars like the other top European clubs but they have a hardworking group of players who have immense belief and relentless mentality that they can compete against anyone and win.
A major factor in their Champions League run is their home ground. Opposition teams have found it difficult to adjust to the pitch and the cold Arctic conditions. Bodø/Glimt play at the Aspmyra Stadion in Bodø. The pitch in the stadium is made of artificial turf with under-soil heating. Their home stadium provides them a massive advantage as the opposition teams have been unable to cope with the pitch and the intense cold weather leading to great results for them.
Bodø/Glimt had been relegated in 2017 from a position of strength and that is when the club decided to bring in a mental coach. Former fighter pilot Bjorn Mannsverk came in to address a collective ‘mental breakdown’ and inspire the players to perform under pressure. He introduced military style training techniques, meditation and focus-related training to help deal with pressure situations and build resilience.
The effect was incredible as Bodø returned to the top division league the next season and went on to win several league titles. Their performances in the Europa League and this year’s Champions League could also be attributed to mental resilience and belief that they can overcome any odds and defeat any team irrespective of the reputation. They proved it by getting the better of European giants Inter, Manchester City and Atletico Madrid this season.
Sometimes, minor changes or tweaks can lead to major results and bringing in a mental conditioning coach to help the players in a period of distress turned out to be a masterstroke for Bodø.
Why is this UCL campaign special?
If anyone who follows European football thinks this isn’t wild, think again! Bodø/Glimt comes from a small arctic town Bodo in Norway. The Eliteserien (Norwegian Top Division) isn’t even Top 10 leagues in Europe and yet an inexperienced team from there, has risen against all odds on their Champions League debut and reached the UCL Round of 16 amongst European heavyweights.
If we compare their squad value to the teams they defeated, we can already see that the gulf in quality is huge and yet they haven’t let that deter them or define their performances. For context, their current squad value as per transfermrkt.com is €57.13 million while that of Manchester City is a mind boggling €1.29 billion. Imagine beating a team way higher in value, full of superstars and being helmed by a world-class coach – almost impossible to even fathom but Glimt did it in the league phase, shocking football fans all over the world. If this was just one instance, we could have dismissed it as a fluke result but they achieved big results repeatedly and then it can no longer be ignored.
They produced a similar run in the UEFA Europa League last season, reaching the Semi-final where they got defeated by eventual champions Tottenham Hotspur in a two-legged tie. Glimt also produced eye-catching performances in the Europa League as well, thrashing Roma 6-1 in the group stages and beating far more experienced teams in Lazio and Olympiacos enroute to the semi-final.
Another noteworthy point to make here is their lack of match practice as the Norwegian League has been suspended due to extremely cold weather conditions. Without regular match practice, they have taken the initiative to play friendly games in order to keep themselves fit and firing. It could be seen as a luxury as well as a deterrent. Having adequate rest as compared to the other leagues where teams are playing almost three games a week is definitely an advantage. However, lack of regular game time could also lead to rustiness and injuries.
For a club that only joined the Norwegian top division in 2018, their journey so far can only be termed as a fairy tale but we all know its anything but so. Any kind of effort takes years of hardship, sacrifices, hard work, passion and a positive attitude.
It’s heartening to see a club from a small town in Norway challenging European giants and upsetting the apple cart. We don’t know what will unfold in the Round of 16 but what Bodø/Glimt has accomplished in the Champions League so far is truly inspiring – proof that no dream is too big if we commit to it with the utmost passion, dedication and relentless determination.
