What You Don’t Know About: Bodø/Glimt

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Hooligan Soccer

·1 May 2025

What You Don’t Know About: Bodø/Glimt

History will be made on Thursday when Bodø/Glimt take the pitch against Tottenham Hotspur. Not only are they the first Norwegian club to advance to a semi-final in any major European competition, it’s the first club whose entire municipal population (~42,800) could fit in the stadium, with 20,000 seats to spare.

The Bodø/Glimt Factsheet

Bodø is one of the northernmost cities in the world, and lies on the southern edge of the Arctic Circle. From June 1 through July 14 the sun does not set. In December the sun does not appear above the horizon.
The club was founded in 1916.
“Glimt” is Norwegian for “Gleam.”
The team’s home ground, Aspmyra Stadium, is not indoors. The pitch is artificial turf with under-soil heating elements to prevent ice and snow accumulation.
Fans carry giant yellow toothbrushes to every game. Why? Supposedly it started in the 1970s when supporters used toothbrushes as conducting batons to orchestrate crowd chanting. Hey, tradition is tradition. A normal-sized yellow toothbrush is given to the captain of the opposing team during the coin toss and club crest exchange.
They have won the Eliteserien, Norway’s top flight, four of the five years since 2020.
Of the 28 players of the roster, 23 are Norwegian, 4 are Danish and 1 is Russian. This makes them one of the most nationally homogenous teams in the Europa League.
Under the new Champions League qualifying rules, they played in the second, third and fourth qualifying rounds with the following results: 2nd round: defeated Lativan club RFS 7 – 1 on aggregate.. 3rd round: defeated Polish club Jagiellonia Białystok 5 – 1 on aggregate. 4th round: lost to Red Star Belgrade 3 – 2 on aggregate. Red Star advanced to the Champions League group stage Bodø/Glimt to the Europa League.

2024/25 Europa League Campaign

Bodø/Glimt finished ninth in their Europe League group stage on 14 points. In their campaign they notched wins against Porto, Braga, Beşiktaş, and Maccabi Tel Aviv. They were just pipped on qualification to the Round of 16 by Rangers based on goal differential.

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Their home record is particularly strong, with nine home wins in their 2024/25 UEFA campaign. Their sole loss was to Qarabağ in the group stage.

They have scored five more goals than Tottenham (27 to 22), but have also played two extra games (due to the Playoff Knockout).

Path to the Semis

Playoff Knockout Round: Defeated Twente FC 6 – 4 on aggregate. They lost the away tie 2 – 1.
Round of 16: Defeated Olympiakos 4 – 2 on aggregate. Once again, they lost the away tie 2 – 1.
Quarter Finals: Defeated Lazio 3 – 2 in penalties after drawing 3 – 3 on aggregate. An away goal from Andreas Helmersen in extra time forced the shootout, and Russian goalkeeper Nikita Haikin made a critical save to put his team through.

Bodø’s Role in History

Bodø played a small but significant role in the foundation of the modern Norwegian state. In 1818 the town seized a large cargo of contraband goods illegally imported by a British trading company. The traders broke out of prison, harming numerous citizens as they fled. At the time the area was ruled by a Swedish monarchy, who subsequently sided with the British and forced the Norwegians to pay a sizable compensation to the smugglers. This injustice was one of many incidents that led to the peacful dissolution of the kingdom of Sweden-Norway in 1905 and the foundation of an independent Norway.