Norway’s national football team chef Aron Espeland has brought with him more than 500kg of Norwegian seafood to the US to fuel the players during the World Cup, according to the Norwegian Seafood Council.
It seems nothing is being left to chance for Norway’s football heroes during the most-anticipated sporting event of the year.
Espeland says: “It is a demanding job to plan and serve four daily meals to more than 60 people over such a long period, but thanks to thorough preparations and fantastic ingredients from Norway, we are ready for the challenge. I am really looking forward to doing my part to help the players perform at their best during the World Cup.”
Espeland has temporarily relocated from Brasserie France in Oslo to the Norway team’s hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina. Together with chefs Eirik Tufte and Christian Karlsson, Espeland will ensure that Erling Braut Haaland and his teammates eat high-performance, healthy, nutritious food as they prepare for their group-stage matches against Senegal and France.
See Aron Espeland's special greeting and some of the seafood he's bringing to the US this summer
Norwegian seafood for peak performance
According to Espeland: “Proper nutrition is very important when they are performing at the highest level, so the players need to get enough vitamins and minerals every single day. It is our responsibility to put together menus that are varied, inviting, nutritious and healthy.”
Seafood provides players with the essential proteins and nutrients they need for match-day peak performance as well as post-game recovery. Norwegian seafood offers high-quality lean protein, as well as a host of other nutrients including omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, B12 and D, selenium and iron.
While all of these serve important roles in sporting performance, omega-3 is beneficial to ensure healthy circulation, heart rate and lung function while footballers are in play. Vital to brain health, research has found quicker reactions and decision-making in elite players who consume more omega-3.
Optimal vitamin D levels, too, are essential for peak performance, contributing to muscle strength – reducing the risk of injury – as well as immune support and overall athletic performance. Studies have found many athletes are deficient in vitamin D (1), which is why the role of a considered seafood-fuelled menu is so important.
Espeland explains the national team players’ relationship with seafood: “The Norwegian players love fish and shellfish, so I can promise they will be served plenty of excellent seafood while they are in the US. We have brought around 500kg of seafood from Norway. The menu includes salmon, trout, saithe, Arctic char, turbot, halibut, king crab, snow crab and langoustines.”
Off the pitch – seafood’s role in performance recovery
When it comes to the players’ recovery, omega-3-rich seafood is key – helping to prepare the body to fight post-match inflammation and speed up recovery. The high protein content of seafood is integral to the repair of muscle fibres on rest days, while zinc helps in the healing process and iron fights post-match fatigue.
Studies have found a high proportion of professional athletes lacking in the levels of omega-3 required for recovery from high-endurance sport (2). This is where Espeland’s seafood-heavy menu steps in as he makes promises to look after the nutritional needs of Norway’s World Cup heroes.
He also stresses the importance of the meals as a social arena and mood-booster for the entire national team set-up: “Good food creates a good atmosphere, so there is an added dimension when we are gathered together over a longer period. There is a balance in everything we do as a group, and that applies to the food as well. Now we just need to remember to enjoy the experiences here in the US, because being part of this will be a memory for life.”
Norway vs France – on the pitch and in the kitchen
When Norway and France meet in their final group-stage match at the World Cup on June 26, many Norwegian chefs will be watching with another competition in mind. These two countries are also battling it out at the top of the historic medal table in the prestigious Bocuse d’Or, often described as the unofficial world championship of the culinary sphere.
Norway is the most successful nation in the global edition of the Bocuse d’Or, with a total of 13 medals, while France sits just behind with 12.
Norway’s Bocuse d’Or entrant Christian André Pettersen considers France an ally when it comes to culinary prowess, but takes a different view when it comes to seafood: “I have worked a great deal with French cooking techniques myself and have a close relationship with the country. Like Norway, France has a fantastic food culture and strong traditions, but they do not have the world’s best seafood – we do.”
In March, Pettersen won silver at the Bocuse d’Or Europe in Marseille and will represent Norway for the third time when the final is held in Lyon in January 2027. He knows exactly how important food is for keeping a cool head in competitions.
“At the football World Cup in the US, the Norwegian players are competing against the best in the world and are under a lot of pressure. Their diet must not only ensure that they get the necessary nutrients, it’s also important during recovery. It is reassuring to know that Aron and his colleagues are serving the national team players the world’s best seafood from Norway,” says Pettersen.
Read more about seafood, nutrition, football star Erling Haaland, and his diet, here.
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(1) ‘Vitamin D Deficiency in Professional Football Players During Competitive Season of Italian First Division (Serie A)’ – Sport, 2024
(2) ‘The Omega-3 Index in Athletes’ – Journal of Exercise and Nutrition, April 2025
