Bodø/Glimt were one of the surprise packages of last season’s Champions League, producing a remarkable run that took them all the way to the last 16.
They finished 23rd out of 36 teams in the league phase, collecting nine points from their eight matches. Under the competition’s new format, that was enough to secure a place in the knockout phase play-offs, where they were drawn against Serie A giants Inter Milan.
Few would have expected the Norwegian champions to progress, but they stunned the Italian side by winning 5-2 on aggregate. That sent Bodø/Glimt into the last 16, where their impressive European adventure saw them beat Sporting CP in Norway, only for the Portuguese side to overturn that deficit in Lisbon.
Their emergence as a European surprise package, however, had begun even earlier. In 2024-25, they reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, where they were eliminated by Tottenham. That success was followed by their first-ever appearance in the Champions League league phase, and they quickly demonstrated that their progress was no fluke.
But that all that European success did not guarantee them direct entry into this season’s Champions League league phase. Bodø/Glimt qualified for the 2026-27 competition by winning the Norwegian title, and Norway’s position in the UEFA association rankings means that its champions must come through the qualifying rounds.
They have already discovered just how precarious that route can be. In the third qualifying round, Bodø/Glimt faced Union Saint-Gilloise, drawing 3-3 in Belgium before suffering a major scare in the second leg. Union took a 2-1 lead in Bodø, leaving the Norwegian side facing elimination. Bodø/Glimt eventually fought back to force extra time and scored the decisive goal in the 117th minute, winning 3-2 and progressing 6-5 on aggregate.
Now they face another two-legged play-off this time against Dutch side NEC Nijmegen, with a place in the Champions League league phase at stake.
Bodø/Glimt have already proved that they can compete with some of Europe’s biggest clubs, but they must now negotiate another dangerous qualifying tie simply to earn the opportunity to do it again.
