Norway face England in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinal on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at 5 p.m. ET in Miami — and here's the fun part: if you're learning Swedish, you already understand most of the Norwegian you'll hear in the broadcast.
My first World Cup experience happened in Sweden, where I worked and studied early in my career, and learned Swedish. Well. Sweden is out of the World Cup. So is the USA. Here's the thing nobody tells you about learning Swedish: you get a lot of Norwegian, at least that's been my experience, and as a person who watches sport through language, that leaves me rooting for Norway (in Swedish). Which team I'm actually rooting for on the whole remains a mystery. Even to me.
Before the linguistics, can we talk about the verbal footwork in the commentary booth happening this Copa Mundial? I love hearing a commentator who is originally an English speaker flexing full Spanish fluency on the Telemundo post-match panel. This gem we love at ICLS is Hatian-American Footballer Jozy Altidore!
And the Spanish commentators dipping into English mid-sentence, and even into French—did anyone else catch that "Oh là là" right after Dembélé made it 2–0 in the France–Morocco match last night? A World Cup is the only sporting event where the broadcast itself is a language exchange program.
Which brings me to my own Scandinavian language exchange, which is why I'm picking Norway for Saturday's Norway–England quarterfinal in Miami.
Swedish and Norwegian share as much as 80% of their vocabulary. Both grew out of Old Norse, and some differences come down to a jersey change: Swedish dons dots (ä, ö), Norwegian wears slashes (æ, ø). Same game, different arena.
(To be clear: this is a comment on the languages, not the cultures, which are wonderfully distinct. I've never even been to Norway—I've only ever met Norwegians abroad.)
Plenty of everyday words are identical in both languages:
💪 arm (arm)
🐟 fisk (fish)
✋ hand (hand)
🐱 katt (cat)
👟 sko (shoe)
❄️ vinter (winter)
Then there's the vowel shift, the most reliable tell:
|
Swedish |
Norwegian |
English |
|---|---|---|
|
Kött |
Kjøtt |
Meat 🥩 |
|
Mjölk |
Melk |
Milk 🥛 |
|
Röd |
Rød |
Red 🔴 |
|
Sjö |
Sjø |
Lake / Sea 🌊 |
|
Öl |
Øl |
Beer 🍺 |
That last row will matter on Saturday regardless of the result. Skål!
Other words differ by just a letter or two—gata/gate (street), hjärta/hjerte (heart), skola/skole (school), klocka/klokke (clock). The verbs track closely too: komma/komme (to come), se/se (to see), sjunga/synge (to sing). Norwegian loves a soft -e ending where Swedish uses -a. Or so I've heard.
Let me be clear. Not everything transfers. They are two different languages, two different cultures. A Swedish flicka (girl) is a Norwegian jente. A Swedish vecka (week) is a Norwegian uke (same amount of days).
Swedish and Norwegian football vocabulary is a close match too! I should know. I looked it up for the game!
The people on the pitch:
|
Swedish |
Norwegian |
English |
|---|---|---|
|
Målvakt |
Målvakt |
Goalkeeper |
|
Back |
Back / Forsvarer |
Defender |
|
Mittfältare |
Midtbanespiller |
Midfielder |
|
Anfallare |
Angriper / Spiss |
Forward / Striker |
|
Domare |
Dommer |
Referee |
|
Tränare |
Trener |
Coach |
The moments that matter:
|
Swedish |
Norwegian |
English |
|---|---|---|
|
Mål |
Mål |
Goal |
|
Hörna |
Hjørnespark |
Corner kick |
|
Straff |
Straffe |
Penalty kick |
|
Frispark |
Frispark |
Free kick |
|
Inkast |
Innkast |
Throw-in |
|
Gult kort / Rött kort |
Gult kort / Rødt kort |
Yellow / Red card |
One glorious divergence: the match itself. Swedish says match. Norwegian says kamp. Swedish has the word kamp—but it means "struggle" or "fight." Which, if you've watched England in a penalty shootout, might be the more accurate word anyway.
Jag skriver det här stycket på svenska, för det är precis det som är poängen: om du läser detta och förstår, då förstår du också nästan norska. Två språk till priset av ett. På lördag sitter jag i soffan med en öl (eller en øl?).
(If you speak Norwegian and understand that, congratulations—you're further along in Swedish than you think.)
So here we are. Saturday, July 11, Miami. Norway—fresh off eliminating Brazil—against an England side unbeaten in five. Haaland with seven goals; Kane sits on six. Two of the best strikers alive, one spot in the semifinal.
England, I wish you well. You gave the world the word football and then let the rest of us translate it. But Sweden is out, Norway is in and language is how I get my kicks.
Here is where you can cheer on Norway! NRK or in Swedish TV4Play. And of course in soccer's original language: español on Telemundo!
Here is where you can learn! Swedish and Norwegian are among the 85+ languages ICLS teaches. Learn one, eavesdrop on another. I wasn’t aware of this myself until I began meeting Norwegian speakers through traveling and living in the DC-area.
The tournament runs through July 19.
Heja Norge!
For nå.