Norway were once a powerhouse of women’s football. They won the World Cup in 1995, were crowned European Champions in 1987 and 1993 and added an Olympic gold medal in 2000. However, recent tournaments have not been kind to the side, despite producing a long line of global stars.
They last reached a major final at the European Championship in 2013 and have failed to get out of the group at the last two Euros. At the 2022 tournament, they suffered a humiliating 8-0 defeat by the Lionesses in the group stage.
Under Grainger they beat Northern Ireland 7-0 on aggregate to qualify for the Euros via the play-offs, while they have had mixed results in their recent Women’s Nations League group, where they finished second behind France.
This summer they open their tournament against hosts Switzerland and then play Finland and Iceland in Group A.
For Grainger, the only way is up.
“Coming from the outside is one of my biggest strengths because I don’t feel the things that they [the players] feel. I see the potential in this team.
“Norwegian people are very passionate about football. Very passionate about the national team. So, for us, there is pressure. We want to make sure that we do the country proud but also that you see a team that you enjoy watching.
“The expectation is for us to get out the group. I’m not going to sit here and say we’re going to win it, because we want to take a game at a time. It’s a cliche, it’s boring but it’s how it’s going to be.
“Women’s football has never been more competitive, the margins are fine and they’re getting finer.
“We’re going to see a lot of teams putting themselves under pressure to win it because I think expectations are high in many countries. But for us, it’s genuinely about making sure that we’re the team that we want to be.
“We will channel everything into every game to get out of that group. And then of course, once you get out the group, you take it from there.