When Viking FK play away from home in Europe, they invariably have a long way to travel. Based in Stavanger in south-west Norway, Viking will be swapping Scandinavia for Stuttgart when the teams meet in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday evening.
Around 1,150 kilometres separate Viking’s Lyse Arena and the MHP Arena, but the journey is guaranteed to be a memorable one for the Norwegian outfit. Viking have qualified for the league or group phase of Europe’s premier club competition for the first time, having lost to FC Barcelona in the first round of the 1992/93 competition on their last appearance. For the Scandinavians, simply taking part is already a major achievement.
‘Everything we’ve ever dreamed of’
“It was overwhelming and everything we’ve ever dreamed of,” coach Morten Jensen said after his side’s victory over Dinamo Zagreb in the play-offs. Viking had recovered from 2-0 down to draw the first leg 2-2 away from home, before coming from behind again in the return game on home soil to secure a 3-1 win. Key to the success was captain Zlatko Tripic: the Croatian-born winger scored in both legs and is an integral cog of Viking’s attack.
Tripic has made over 220 appearances for Viking in all competitions since joining the club in 2021. German football fans might recognise his name too – between 2014 and 2017, Tripic made 36 Bundesliga 2 appearances for SpVgg Greuther Fürth.
Head coach Morten Jensen :
It was overwhelming and everything we’ve ever dreamed of.
Head coach duo in charge since 2021
Viking’s head coach structure is an intriguing one, with Jensen and Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim in dual charge since 1 January 2021. The duo make all key decisions together while sharing responsibilities and workload equally. Rather than being a temporary fix, this approach is seen as a crucial part of Viking’s philosophy.
The results speak for themselves. Under Aarsheim and Jensen, Viking have established themselves as one of the top teams in Norway and won their first Eliteserien title in 34 years in 2025. This season, they are three points behind leaders Bodø/Glimt with 11 matches left to play, leaving them firmly in contention to defend the crown.
