"We have been playing at the highest level, and the margins were not in our favour, but that's life, and now we need to breathe a bit," head coach Solbakken said.

"This is the way it is, this is at the top level, it can't get any higher than this and we had a few problems in the beginning, the first 20 minutes, but I really applaud the boys."

Appearing at the global stage for the first time since 1998, Norway cruised through the group stage before edging Cote d'Ivoire 2-1 in the Round of 32.

That was followed by a stunning 2-1 defeat of five-time champions Brazil in their last-16 showdown only to come up just short against England.

Solbakken expressed hope that his players had brought their nation joy.

"I hope that the summer of '26 has been okay for everybody and that we've done something good together. We have had fantastic support from all of Norway, and we lived up to the hype, and that's what I'm really proud of," Solbakken said.

"We said that we would step up when we got to the World Cup from the fantastic qualifiers, and we've managed to do so, and the boys did so. And we have been here together for 6-1/2 weeks. I don't see that people have been bored for a second, and that's good to know."

Photos: AFP