In the qualification for the European championship in football, Norway will play against Portugal, Denmark, Cyprus and Iceland. Cyprus has in the last years delivered unpredictable results. They have played great against Italy, only to lose 3-2, but on the other hand they have lost 6-1 against Albania last year. The country is ranked by FIFA as 68th best football nation in the world. On the national level clubs like APOEL Nicosia and Anorthosis have qualified for Champions League group stage.
The last time Norway qualified for an international competition was Euro 2000. After some years with poor results Norway assigned former coach Egil “Drillo” Olsen in 2009. Under his previously reign (1990 -1998) Norway made the World Cup finals twice, and was ranked twice as the second best team in the world by FIFA. Norway is currently ranked as 33rd on the FIFA-ranking.