After Brighton and Hove Albion’s eighth-place finish in the Premier League last season, they qualified for European football for just the second time in the club’s history.
Before they enter the Conference League’s League Phase, they must overcome Tromso IL in a two-legged qualifier. So, who are Tromso?
Who are Tromso IL?
Tromso are a Norwegian club who were founded in 1920 and play in the country’s top division, Eliteserien. They are currently halfway through their league season, as their campaign began in mid-March, and sit third in the table on 34 points.
Gutan – their nickname, which translates to ‘The Lads’ – trail table toppers Bodo Glimt by four points and are unbeaten in their last five league matches.
Despite never winning the league, Tromso finished as runners-up in 1990 and 2011. Plus, they won the Norwegian Cup twice, in 1896 and 1996.
That latter cup win earned Tromso a place in the European Cup Winners’ Cup, where they famously beat Chelsea 3-2 in the second round.
The snow-covered pitch played into Tromso’s hands, and players such as Gianfranco Zola and World Cup winner Frank Leboeuf struggled immensely in an arctic blizzard for 90 minutes.
Chelsea managed to redeem themselves back at Stamford Bridge though, beating Tromso 7-1.
In 2020, Gutan were relegated to the second tier of Norwegian football, but came straight back up the following season. They haven’t looked back since, going from strength to strength each season.
How they got here
Originally, they were in the Europa League qualifiers ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, but dropped down to the third-tier European competition after losing 4-1 on aggregate to Hradec Klalove.
In the Conference League qualifiers, they beat Romanian outfit CFR Cluj 7-1 on aggregate, winning 5-0 away from home in the first leg, and 2-1 at the Romssa Arena.
Their home ground has a capacity of 6801, meaning Brighton will likely receive an away allocation of around 350 tickets.
Another important feature of their home ground is that it is in the Arctic Circle, an area where many European sides struggled last season against fellow Norwegian side Bodo Glimt.
The saving grace for Brighton is that in August, the weather is expected to be around 16 degrees with sunny spells.
How to get to Tromso
Although Tromso’s squad value totals only £24.1 million, the Seagulls must not come into this tie complacent. One player to keep an eye out for is 24-year-old striker Hein Asen Larsen, who has scored three times during European qualification in just two matches.
He’s also netted seven goals and claimed two assists this season, making him Tromso’s most influential player. While he’s no Yasin Ayari, Swedish midfielder David Edvardsson has also been key in pulling the strings in midfield.
The manager, Jorgen Vik, is only 36 years old and in his first managerial position. He had a very short-lived football career between April 2014 and December 2015, making just eight appearances for Tromsdalen.
For the 350 supporters who manage to secure a ticket for the first leg, the three-hour-and-40-minute flight to Tromso will cost £457. From London Gatwick, fans can now fly directly to the city located on the island of Tromsoya, where the population is just 39,882.
Written by Isabelle Martin
Leave a Reply