Only in Norway: Bodo/Glimt played a Champions League play-off on Tuesday and a cup match the next day
Bodo/Glimt played a Champions League play-off on Tuesday and then a Norwegian Cup 1/64 final the next evening; they won the cup tie 0:5 away at Fauske Sprint.
Only in Norway: on 27 August 2026 Bodo/Glimt completed a Champions League play-off tie and less than 24 hours later were required to play a Norwegian Cup fixture.
On Tuesday the club faced NEC Nijmegen in the play-off and secured qualification for the Champions League; that match finished at around 23:00 local time. The following day, Wednesday, Bodo/Glimt were due to play a 1/64 final cup game that kicked off at 18:00.
Because the Cup match had been scheduled in advance, the players were expected to turn up despite the late finish in Europe. The Football Association of Norway declined to move the fixture — the rules left little room for postponement.
Quick turnaround and a rotated squad
Less than a day after the European clash, Bodo/Glimt travelled about 50 minutes to the venue for the Cup tie. Many members of the first team were rested for the trip, but the club still recorded a 0:5 away victory over Fauske Sprint in the 1/64 final. During the match two players were sent off.
Such rapid scheduling between elite continental fixtures and domestic cup ties is unusual in top-level professional football, and it prompted surprise even among neutral observers.
The episode has fuelled what-if questions elsewhere: can anyone imagine a similar sequence happening in Macedonian football?
Photo: press material from the event
