Norway are back at a World Cup for the first time since 1998, and the wait means one of the planet's best players finally gets his stage: Erling Haaland will play his first ever World Cup at 25. Around him, captain Martin Odegaard conducts from midfield, Alexander Sorloth gives Norway a second elite striker, and the next generation of Antonio Nusa and Oscar Bobb brings pace and flair. Under Stale Solbakken, Norway stormed through qualifying with a perfect record that included beating Italy home and away. Drawn into Group I with France, Senegal and Iraq, this is the squad, the firepower, the fixtures and the Golden Boot angle.
Norway are an attacking force built around two genuine world-class talents and a fast, fearless supporting cast. These are the names the campaign turns on.
The main event. One of the most prolific strikers football has seen, Haaland reaches his first World Cup at 25. A relentless scorer for Manchester City and Norway, he is the reason a generation has waited for this tournament and a leading Golden Boot contender.
The conductor. Norway's captain and the Arsenal playmaker is the creative heartbeat of the team. His vision and passing are how Norway feed Haaland, and his leadership has driven the golden generation to the finals.
The luxury option. A powerful, accomplished goalscorer in his own right with Atletico Madrid, Sorloth can partner Haaland or lead the line himself. Few teams can call on two strikers of this calibre.
The x-factor. A quick, direct winger primed for a breakout tournament, Nusa carries the ball at defenders and gives Norway the dribbling threat to stretch deep-lying defences and create space for the strikers.
The technician. The Manchester City forward brings close control and clever movement off either flank. Part of the next wave alongside Nusa, he adds another layer of attacking quality to Solbakken's options.
The deliverer. After years of agonising near-misses, Solbakken finally took Norway over the line, marshalling a wealth of attacking talent into a team that swept through qualifying without dropping a game.
Stale Solbakken named a squad dominated by players in England and Europe's top leagues, with only a handful from the domestic Eliteserien. Below is the full squad by position; club listings can shift over the summer window.
Solbakken's squad is heavy on attacking quality. Haaland and Sorloth give Norway two top-class strikers, Nusa, Bobb and Strand Larsen add pace and depth, and Odegaard, Berge and Aursnes provide a balanced midfield. The defence, marshalled by Brentford's Kristoffer Ajer, is the area Norway will need to hold firm against the best. Club listings can change over the summer window.
Three threads define Norway's 2026 campaign: a generation finally arriving, a perfect qualifying run, and the small matter of Erling Haaland's World Cup debut.
The drought ends. Norway had not reached a World Cup since France 1998, despite producing a generation of elite players. The agony of missing out, often narrowly, is finally over.
The statement. Norway won every qualifier, scoring freely and beating Italy home and away. It was the most dominant campaign in the country's history and proof that the talent had finally cohered into a team.
The headline. One of the world's deadliest strikers has never played at a World Cup. His debut, at the peak of his powers, is one of the most anticipated individual stories of the entire tournament.
Norway were drawn into Group I with France, Senegal and Iraq. France are the seeds and clear favourites, so Norway look set for a heavyweight fight with Senegal for second place, with Iraq the outsiders. Two of Norway's three games are at Gillette Stadium near Boston, with the middle match at MetLife Stadium.
A winning start against Iraq would set up the pivotal clash with Senegal that may well decide second place, before a final-day meeting with favourites France. For the full picture of all 104 games, see the WorldCuply.com match schedule, and read our guides to Group I rivals France, Senegal and Iraq.
Norway are unseeded but might be the most feared unseeded team in the tournament, for one obvious reason and several others:
France are favourites to top the group, but the games against Iraq and Senegal are winnable, and Norway have the firepower to hurt anyone. If they get out of Group I, a side built around Haaland and Odegaard will fancy a run, and a deep tournament could put the Golden Boot within Haaland's reach.
Norway are one of 48 nations heading to the 2026 World Cup. Explore the rest of the WorldCuply.com guide:
Norway's Group I opponents and the seeds, Kylian Mbappe and a deep squad chasing redemption after 2022.
Read the France guide ›Norway's likely rivals for second in Group I, the African champions with real depth.
Read the Senegal guide ›Norway's opening opponents, the Lions of Mesopotamia back after a 40-year wait.
Read the Iraq guide ›The top players at the 2026 World Cup, with Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard among them.
View the superstars ›This guide was hand-written from the following reporting and reference pages, used to confirm Norway's squad, coach, qualification, group and fixtures:
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