A profile of SK Brann

Austria Wien will face SK Brann in the third and final qualifying round of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. The first leg kicks off on Tuesday at 6.00 pm, live at the Viola Pub and on ORF. Read on to find out what you need to know about »Bergens stolthet«.

Despite the relative youth of its women’s section, Sportsklubben Brann is well known even beyond Norway’s borders. It was only in the winter of 2022 that Brann entered into a partnership with the then champions, IL Sandviken from Bergen, to gain a foothold in women’s football – and went on to win the domestic double of the league and cup at the very first attempt. In January 2023, the team was then fully integrated into SK Brann and officially became the women’s team of Bergen’s most popular club.

The benchmark in Norway

Internationally, »Bergens stolthet« (The Pride of Bergen) caused a sensation, particularly in the 2023/24 season, when they reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. In the group stage – which was still played as a round-robin format at the time – Brann finished second behind Lyon and ahead of Slavia Prague and SKN St. Pölten, before being knocked out by the eventual champions, FC Barcelona. After finishing fourth in 2023, Brann were runners-up in the Toppserien – which was contested as a year-round championship – in 2024, and went on to win the title again in 2025.

In the current season, Brann remain unbeaten after 14 matches and sit top of the table, seven points clear with one game in hand. In their last match on Friday of last week, Brann secured a 5–1 home victory against tenth-placed Røa IL, despite falling behind early on. In the national cup, Brann have already reached the final, whilst in the mini-tournament of the second UWCL qualifying round, the Norwegians beat KFF Mitrovica (5–0) and PAOK (3–2).

In the spotlight: Haugland, Davidson & Zomers

The team is led by captain Karoline Haugland, who not only pulls the strings in midfield but also acts as the right-hand woman to manager Laura Kaminski on the pitch. The British manager, who previously served as assistant manager at Tottenham and later as head coach at Crystal Palace, has been in charge of the Norwegian side since January 2026. It is also worth keeping a close eye on the wing duo of Scotland’s Lauren Davidson and the Icelandic-Dutch dual national Diljá Ýr Zomers, who scored four goals in the Q2 mini-tournament.