Bodø/Glimt-Inter, the complete guide | OneFootball

Inter are ready to make their mark in Europe once again. The Nerazzurri travel to Norway to face Bodø/Glimt in the first leg of the 2025/26 Champions League playoffs, an interesting and tricky test at Aspmyra Stadion, home of the yellow-and-black side. A European night rich in history, storylines and standout figures.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

This is not the first time Inter and Bodø/Glimt are meeting. The two clubs previously faced each other in the Round of 16 of the 1978/79 Cup Winners’ Cup, when the Norwegian side made their debut at San Siro. It proved to be a one-sided affair. Eugenio Bersellini’s Inter swept aside the visitors with a commanding 5-0 win in the first leg in Milano, courtesy of a goal from Beccalossi, a hat-trick by Altobelli and a late goal from Muraro. The return leg followed a similar script. After Bodø/Glimt briefly went ahead, Altobelli levelled from the penalty spot before Scanziani wrapped up a 2-1 victory.

This will be only Inter’s third European fixture in Norway. The most recent was a 2-2 draw away to Rosenborg in September 2022, while the other occasion was a 2-1 win against Bodø/Glimt in October 1978.

THE NERAZZURRI’S JOURNEY SO FAR

AJAX 0-2 INTER Inter’s Champions League campaign kicked off with a victory: in Amsterdam, the Nerazzurri beat Ajax 2-0. The star of the night was Marcus Thuram, who scored both goals with headers from Calhanoglu’s corners. A dominant performance from the Frenchman, who was named MVP.

INTER 3-0 SLAVIA PRAGUE Inter overwhelmed Slavia Prague at San Siro, securing their second consecutive win in this Champions League season. A 3-0 triumph with a high-quality display, controlling the match from start to finish. Lautaro’s brace and a goal from Dumfries sealed the win.

UNION SAINT-GILLOISE 0-4 INTER A convincing victory for a strong Inter in Brussels against Union Saint-Gilloise. After withstanding the Belgian side’s early pressure, Dumfries opened the scoring, followed by a superb goal from Lautaro before halftime. In the second half, Calhanoglu converted a penalty and Esposito scored his first Champions League goal, completing the 4-0 result. Three wins from three for Inter, who also recorded their third clean sheet under Chivu.

INTER 2-1 KAIRAT ALMATY Inter beat Kairat Almaty to make it four wins from four in the Champions League. A tricky match at San Siro saw Lautaro open the scoring late in the first half. The visitors equalised in the second half, but Carlos Augusto’s first Champions League goal secures the three points for Chivu’s side.

ATLETICO MADRID 2-1 INTER

At the Metropolitano, Inter lost 2–1 to Atlético Madrid in Matchday 5 of the Champions League league phase. Julian Alvarez broke the deadlock in the 9th minute after a VAR review. In the second half, the Nerazzurri dominated early and equalised through Zielinski, only for Gimenez to score a 93rd-minute header from a corner to snatch the win.

INTER 0-1 LIVERPOOL

Inter were narrowly defeated by Liverpool at San Siro in Matchday 6 of the league phase. The Nerazzurri played well, created chances, and held their own in a tough physical battle. But an 88th-minute penalty awarded to Szozboszlai, amid protests, handed Liverpool the three points.

INTER 1-3 ARSENAL Inter lost 3-1 to Arsenal at San Siro, remaining on 12 points. After Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring, Sucic respondes with a brilliant strike, but the English side regained the lead from a corner. Despite late pressure and chances, Arsenal sealed the win on a counterattack through Gyokeres.

DORTMUND 0-2 INTER

An emotional night at the Westfalenstadion saw Chivu’s Inter claim a prestigious 2-0 victory over Dortmund. Dimarco opened the scoring with a masterpiece free-kick, curling over the wall into Kobel’s net. Diouf added a second with a determined individual effort and a deflected shot to seal the win. Inter finished the League Phase in tenth place, advancing to the knockout playoff draw as a seeded team.

DIMARCO, AN EXTRA ATTACKING THREAT

Statistics show that 41.1% of Inter’s attacking moves come down the left flank, the highest of any team in the League Phase. Much of the Nerazzurri’s play is built from that side, with Federico Dimarco leading the way as the team’s top creator of chances in the competition (11).

LAUTARO 25

Lautaro Martínez is writing a special chapter in Inter’s history. With 25 Champions League goals for the Nerazzurri, he sits just behind three players for most goals scored with an Italian club in the competition: Alessandro Del Piero (42 with Juventus) and both Filippo Inzaghi and Andriy Shevchenko (29 each with AC Milan).

PLAYOFF: TIMES AND DATES

FIRST LEG PLAYOFFS Tuesday, 17 February 2026: Galatasaray vs. Juventus, 18:45 CET Monaco vs. PSG, 21:00 CET Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta, 21:00 CET Benfica vs. Real Madrid, 21:00 CET

Wednesday, 18 February 2026: Qarabağ vs. Newcastle, 18:45 CET Bruges vs. Atletico Madrid, 21:00 CET Bodø/Glimt vs. Inter, 21:00 CET Olympiacos vs. Bayer Leverkusen, 21:00 CET

SECOND LEG PLAYOFFS Tuesday, 24 February 2026: Atletico Madrid vs. Bruges, 18:45 CET Bayer Leverkusen vs. Olympiacos, 21:00 CET Inter vs. Bodø/Glimt, 21:00 CET Newcastle vs. Qarabağ, 21:00 CET

Wednesday, 25 February 2026: Atalanta vs. Borussia Dortmund, 18:45 CET Juventus vs. Galatasaray, 21:00 CET PSG vs. Monaco, 21:00 CET Real Madrid vs. Benfica, 21:00 CET

The eight teams that advance from the playoff round will reach the Round of 16, which will be drawn on Friday, 27 February 2026.

THE OPPONENT: BODØ/GLIMT

Qualification for the 2025/26 Champions League was a historic milestone for Bodø/Glimt - a feat that would have seemed unimaginable just a few years ago, when the club was on the brink of collapse. From community fundraisers to donations from local fishermen and sports clubs, Bodø/Glimt survived thanks to the support of its people. In 2020, the Norwegians won their first Eliteserien title, repeating the achievement three more times by 2024. In the most recently concluded season, they finished second, just one point behind champions Viking. Bodø/Glimt have also impressed on the European stage in recent years. The club reached the semifinals of the Europa League last season, a historic achievement, before their run was ended by Tottenham.

Today, Bodø/Glimt is the most financially stable club in the Eliteserien, though still far from the budgets of Europe’s elite. Their success has been built on youth, identity, and hard work.

The face of this resurgence is Kjetil Knutsen, head coach since 2018. Widely regarded as the architect of the project, Knutsen has transformed the club’s mentality, focusing on player development even before results. It’s a deep, holistic approach, including mental preparation, supported by a specialised staff. The result is a squad made up largely of Norwegian players, many of whom were developed locally in Bodø.

Bodø/Glimt’s European journey began in the playoffs, where they immediately showed their best side. In the first leg, they crushed Sturm Graz 5-0 at home, putting one foot firmly in the next round. The return in Austria ended in a 2-1 defeat, but the aggregate score saw Bodø/Glimt advance comfortably thanks to the home advantage.

In the League Phase, Knutsen’s team showed consistency and personality. Their campaign began with a 2-2 away draw against Slavia Prague, followed by another 2-2 draw at home against one of the group favorites, Tottenham. A few setbacks followed: a 3-1 loss in Istanbul against Galatasaray, a 1-0 defeat to Monaco at home, and a 3-2 home loss to Juventus in a tightly contested match.

Despite these challenges, Bodø/Glimt remained resilient and finished the phase strongly. They drew 2-2 away at Borussia Dortmund, then recorded two major wins: 3-1 at home against Manchester City and a 2-1 away victory over Atlético Madrid. These results highlight the team’s growth and confirm the Norwegians’ ability to compete with Europe’s top clubs, making their journey one of the most surprising and impressive of the tournament.

Eyes are on Jens Petter Hauge, the only player in the competition to create at least 20 chances (20) and complete at least 20 dribbles (26) in the group stage. The Norwegian also leads the rankings for chances created after carrying the ball forward (14).

WHERE TO WATCH

Bodø/Glimt vs. Inter, the first leg of the 2025/26 Champions League playoffs, will take place on Wednesday, 18 February at 21:00 CET. The match will be broadcast exclusively on Prime Video and will be available through the Amazon Prime Video app on smart TVs and all mobile devices, including smartphones, tablets, PCs, and consoles.

UPDATES ON INTER TV

As always, Inter TV will provide updates and live coverage in the pre-match build-up, with the latest news ahead of kickoff. Our pre-match Livematch for Bodø/Glimt vs. Inter will go live at 19:30 CET and will also be available on YouTube via the Club’s official channel until 20:15 CET. After the match, in-depth analysis and interviews will follow.