Morten Jensen, VFK coach: “It is very well deserved. He is one of the country's best players, and it came as no surprise to us that he is going to the World Cup. All of Viking and Stavanger are proud that Joe Bell is our player. In the World Cup he will represent his own country, but also us in a way. I think most people in Stavanger will follow New Zealand and cheer for Bell.”
Right on, brother. They reckon that Bell was the first active Viking player to be selected for a World Cup squad since Reidar Kvammen for Norway all the way back in 1938... although that honour didn’t last too long with Henrik Falchener since included in Norway’s class of 2026. There’s still hope for Gianni Stensness and Nick D’Agostino (the latter has been on loan at Brisbane Roar) who are in the wider training squad for Australia and could yet make the final cut.
But there is a worry here because Bell has a calf injury and hasn’t played for a month. He’s missed four straight games... though according to the linked article he reckons he’ll be fine for the World Cup opener. The thing is, Viking have won all four of those games so it hasn’t really been a talking point. After losing their season opener they’re now on a nine-game winning streak and sitting happily at the top of the table same as how they finished 2025.
It’s possible that they’ve been taking it easy with Bell and that he’d have been playing if not for the World Cup (which VFK will be healthily remunerated for, remember). They did have a game scheduled against Lillestrøm this upcoming weekend but thanks to having two players selected for World Cup squads they’ve been allowed to postpone that. Whatever the deal is with Bell’s calf, it’s full steam ahead for the World Cup now with no more Eliteserien matches until mid-July.
about 1 month ago· edited about 1 month ago· History
No Bell as Viking win 3-0. Stensness also missing with suspension.
Apparently they have a highly promising young player Tobias Moi coming through who could fill Bell’s spot if Joe Zen decides to move on. Moi picked up a yellow and is suspended for the next game.
But surely Bell waits to see how Viking go with their UCL playoff first, before considering a potential move elsewhere.
UEFA draw to be made tomorrow or Tuesday our time, re who Viking will line up against in their 2 legged Champions League playoff.
Norwegian club Viking FK was drawn to face the winner of the tie between GNK Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) and FK Kauno Žalgiris (Lithuania) in the champions league play off draw.
Assume that this will likely be Dinamo Zagreb, which may be a winnable tie for Bell.
about 1 month ago· edited about 1 month ago· History
Zagreb will be tough. They won the Croatian League last season by a clear 18 points.
CB Scott McKenna (in Scotland's squad for the WC) one of their better known players. Stjepan Radeljić also at the WC with Bosnia. Some young age group internationals with Croatia, Sweden etc.
Euro transfer window closes 31st August. Maybe if Viking don't win the two legged UCL qualifier tie (so drop into the Europa League?) Bell secures a transfer elsewhere?
Niche Cache. Hopefully a non serious injury. Be a right bugger if he missed those UCL playoff games.
Over in Norway there was a 3-0 win for Viking FK away against Start. By far their most comfortable outing since the Eliteserien resumed... however Joe Bell had no part in it. He pulled up injured during the week and wasn’t able to recover in time, adding to a disturbingly long list of absentees just two weeks out from their Champions League playoffs. They now know they’ll face either Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) or FK Kauno Zalgiris (Lithuania) in that two-legged tie, with the winner moving into the UCL league phase and the loser dropping into the Europa League league phase. Gianni Stensness was also suspended for the Start game. Didn’t matter for that match but Bellinho has two weeks to get himself fit again.
Joe Bell missed another game as Viking FK scored a last-minute winner to beat Sarpsborg 2-1. Keeps them second by one point with a game in hand on leaders Bodø/Glimt. That’s good stuff but the main focus right now is the Champions League qualifiers coming up very soon. They’ve been drawn against Dinamo Zagreb with the first leg away in Croatia next Wednesday at 7am NZT. Gigantic occasion for the club. Bellinho has been dealing with a calf complaint but according to the local papers he’s back in training already and should be available not only for the trip to Croatia but potentially the league match against Rosenborg beforehand.
By the second half it was clear they (Viking) were happy with a draw, trying to slow things down against a team that wasn’t giving them anything to work with on the counter attack. Wonderful defence in their own penalty area led by Stensness and Falchener. Dinamo’s two best chances of the second half both came in stoppage time and both went awry. Bit of luck there for Viking but it was earned luck and now they’re in a fantastic position heading into the home leg, where a win by any margin will see them through and a draw would give them extra time in front of their own crowd.
That match is next Thursday. No Eliteserien fixture in between so plenty of time to recover. Only five New Zealanders have ever played in the Champions League proper, Joe Bell is now one game away from potentially becoming the sixth... although to get there his team will need to overcome a Dinamo Zagreb side that played UCL League Phase as recently as 2024-25 and which last year made the knockouts of the Europa League. Then again, most of Dinamo’s success in getting through these qualifiers over the years has come down to unstoppable home form. It’s Viking who’ll have that advantage when it matters most in the second leg after avoiding defeat in Croatia.
They’ll find out tomorrow who they’ll play. The League Phase format means that there will be eight games, four home and four away, against eight different opponents (rather than the groups of four with six games against the same three teams) and while that’s a bit of a silly format overall it’s great for a team in Viking’s position. They’ll get an array of different UCL experiences. Not sure if Bellinho has ever claimed a boyhood favourite club the way that, say, Libby Cacace (Napoli) or Ben Waine (Newcastle) have done – but he was born in Bristol so an away trip against any of the English clubs would surely stand out. Viking will be in pot four of the seeded draw. You play two teams from each of the four pots, cannot be drawn against another club from your own nation, and can only play a maximum of two clubs from any single nation. Other than that it’s all go.image.png1.21 MB
Bell off at 75 mins with Viking down 1-0 at Sandefjord. Was looking bad for Viking, player sent off at 48 mins, and failing to convert a pen at 65 mins. But they managed to grab a late 94th minute equaliser, to finish 1-1.
Bodo/Glimt now 3 pts ahead of Viking. Same games played.
