Oslo traffic unusually light after World Cup win

Oslo’s morning rush hour was unusually smooth on Wednesday, with traffic flowing freely on roads that typically see heavy congestion, Dagbladet reports.

Christofa Key-Nilsen, a traffic operator at the Eastern Norway Traffic Control Centre, noted the absence of queues around 07:30, a time when delays are normally at their worst. She suggested the lull may be due to many people starting work later, taking a day off, or adjusting their schedules because of football.

“There’s a bit of a Friday feeling,” Key-Nilsen said, adding that the light traffic was likely a result of Norway’s 4-1 World Cup victory over Iraq in the early hours of Tuesday. The match, which kicked off at midnight Norwegian time, prompted public debate over whether schoolchildren should be allowed to miss classes to watch or recover from the game.

Key-Nilsen confirmed the quiet conditions extended across the Oslo area, including the E18 motorway, where congestion is usually significant. While she is not a football fan herself, she observed that the mood among colleagues was positive.

“It’s nice for those who have to drive—they get to work faster and avoid queues,” she said.