FK Bodø/Glimt

Founding years

While other towns in Nordland county like Narvik, Mo i Rana and Mosjøen had started their football clubs earlier, the larger town of Bodø was without a major football club until the latter part of 1916. The new club was founded as Fotballklubben Glimt. One of the founders was Erling Tjærandsen, who also became the club's first president and later an honorary club member. TJærandsen was also a known footballer and skier. Glimt's first match was against Bodø High School, because Glimt was the only football club in town. In 1919, Glimt won their first title: County Champions of Nordland. In the 1920s, Glimt suffered from bad morale and poor finances. At one point, there were talks about merging Glimt into the Ski Club B. and O.I, but following discussions, the intentions were not carried through. The club received an infusion of new encouragement through visiting footballing stars and coaches from southern Norway, such as Jørgen Juve in 1929. In the 1930s, Glimt also began training indoors to reduce the impact of the severe Arctic winters. This new approach in the late 1920s and early 1930s yielded some positive results and Glimt have since been a top club in Northern Norway, winning nine North-Norwegian championships, and nationally in Norway since the 1970s.

Name change and Cup entry

The club changed its name in 1948, due to an older club from Trøndelag having the same name, and has since gone by the name Fotballklubben Bodø/Glimt. The slash…

Bodø/Glimt have won 15 domestic trophies, including the Eliteserien four times and the Norwegian Cup twice. They were the first team from Northern Norway to win a national title, claiming the Norwegian Cup in 1975, and later became the first team from the region to win the Eliteserien in 2020. Between 2020 and 2024, the club won four league championships in five seasons, establishing themselves as a dominant force in Norwegian football. Prior to northern clubs being allowed to compete in national tournaments, Bodø/Glimt won the regional Northern Norwegian Cup nine times, making them the most successful club in the competition's history.

Notes

Bodø/Glimt also reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022 and the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League in 2025, becoming the first Norwegian club to reach the last four of a European competition. They qualified for the UEFA Champions League league phase for the first time in 2025, advancing to the round of 16 after defeating Inter Milan.