OSLO: Norway are heading back to the FIFA World Cup after nearly three decades away, and this time they are not arriving quietly. With Erling Haaland leading the attack and Martin Odegaard pulling the strings in midfield, Stale Solbakken side suddenly look like one of the tournament’s most intriguing teams.
Norway’s 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup was confirmed this week, with Manchester City striker Haaland and Arsenal captain Odegard the obvious headline names. The announcement carried extra national weight, too: King Harald V appeared in a pre-recorded video to reveal the final selection, a sign of just how big this return feels back home.
It has been a long wait. Norway last played at a World Cup in 1998, when a team featuring the likes of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Tore André Flo famously beat Brazil in the group stage. Since then, Norwegian football has had talent, promise, near-misses — but no place on the sport’s biggest stage. Now, after 28 years, they are back.
And frankly, the timing could hardly be better.
Erling Haaland enters the tournament as one of world football’s most feared forwards. His qualifying campaign was brutal in the best possible way: 16 goals across eight matches, including a double in Norway’s 4-1 win over Italy. Reuters reported that he scored in every one of Norway’s eight qualifiers, a ridiculous level of consistency even by his standards.
Odegaard’s job is different, but just as important. As captain, he gives Norway rhythm, calm and imagination — the kind of player who can slow a match down, speed it up, or slip one pass through a packed defence when nothing else is working. For a team that may have to suffer without the ball against stronger opponents, that matters. A lot.
Norway’s qualification run has already changed expectations. Solbakken side finished with eight wins from eight, scoring heavily and beating Italy twice, including that statement victory at San Siro. Four Four Two reported that Norway scored 37 goals and conceded only five during qualifying, numbers that explain why people are no longer treating them as a sentimental comeback story.
Still, the World Cup won’t be forgiving. Norway have been drawn in Group I with France, Senegal and Iraq — a demanding group by any measure. France bring pedigree and depth, Senegal have recent tournament experience and physical quality, while Iraq will see the group as a chance to make their own noise. Reuters described the section as a difficult one, and Norway will know there’s little room for a slow start.
There are interesting subplots in the squad as well. Goalkeeper Sander Tangvik, uncapped at senior international level, has been included after Mathias Dyngeland’s injury and FIFA’s rejection of Nikita Haikin’s nationality switch. Orjan Nyland and Egil Selvik are also among the goalkeepers, giving Solbakken options, though the late movement in that area is not ideal preparation.
Beyond the two superstars, Norway do have more than enough attacking support. Alexander Sorloth offers strength and finishing, while younger talents such as Antonio Nusa give the side pace and unpredictability. That blend — Haaland’s power, Odegaard’s craft, and runners around them — is what makes Norway dangerous. Not perfect. Dangerous.
For Norwegian fans, this campaign carries something emotional, almost generational. Many supporters have never seen their country at a World Cup. Others remember 1998 and have spent years wondering when the next proper team would arrive.
Now it has.
The question is whether Norway can turn excitement into a real tournament run. With Haaland, one chance can be enough. With Odegaard, one pass can change a match. After 28 years in the wilderness, Norway finally have both — and that makes them a team nobody will be too comfortable facing.
