Bodo/Glimt have taken the Champions League by storm this season after beating some huge teams, and their latest victory over Inter Milan has earned them plenty of new supporters.
The tiny Norwegian outfit are navigating their first-ever Champions League campaign and have just secured a place in the next round after a two-leg win over the Italian giants.
Nobody saw the result coming, especially when you consider the massive disadvantage Bodo/Glimt have when it comes to financial power.
Bodo/Glimt make Champions League history
After demolishing Inter Milan 3-1 in Norway a fortnight ago, Bodo/Glimt then had to take on the daunting task of playing in the San Siro on Tuesday night. Against all the odds, though, they came away 2-1 winners to secure a spot in the last-16 of the Champions League with a 5-2 aggregate win.
Ironically, the town of Bodo has a population of around 55,000 people. To put that into perspective, you could fit every single person in that town into the San Siro, and still have roughly 20,000 empty seats.
This story of numbers runs deeper than people, though. The Norwegian club has a total squad value of just £50m, while Inter Milan’s squad is worth closer to £580m (as per Transfermarkt). In fact, the Serie A side have spent around £84m on transfers this season alone, while Bodo/Glimt’s record signing, Albert Grønbæk, cost just £4.2m back in 2022.
Bodo/Glimt had to qualify for the Champions League via a two-leg play-off back in August. They didn’t even win a game in the league phase in 2025, but they’ve sent shockwaves through the sport since the turn of the year.
They beat Manchester City in January, before grabbing a win away at Atletico Madrid just a week later to sneak into the play-off spots. Now, after dismantling Inter, Bodo/Glimt can continue their fairytale story in the next round, where they’ll face either Sporting Lisbon or get another chance to upset the odds against Pep Guardiola’s Man City side.
The incredible rise of Bodo/Glimt
Many are calling this the biggest shock the Champions League has ever produced. Indeed, a team sitting second in the little-known Norwegian league had no right to topple the Italian league leaders, but here we are.
Sure, we’ve seen the emergence of Jose Mourinho back in 2004, when his Porto side stormed to the Champions League trophy, beating Manchester United along the way. And an exciting, young Ajax team destroyed Real Madrid in the quarter-finals back in 2019. But a gap in stature like the one between Inter Milan and Bodo/Glimt has rarely ever been overturned like this.
This underdog story did not just happen overnight, though. It’s worth remembering Bodo/Glimt made it to the Europa League semi-finals last season, only to be beaten by eventual winners, Tottenham Hotspur.
They also made it to the quarter-final of the Europa Conference League back in 2022, demolishing Celtic and getting a first-leg win over Roma before crashing out.
The team play attractive, slick football, have a great work ethic and balance in the squad, and clearly do not fear anyone. All the money in the world can’t buy the right mentality and attitude, and Bodo/Glimt will now have plenty of neutrals watching their progress in the next round after proving exactly that on the biggest stage.
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