Norway will be heading to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years.
Erling Haaland and co made qualifying for World Cup 2026 look easy, scoring 37 goals and conceding just five times across their eight games, with two sensational wins over Italy the standout, especially their 4-1 victory away at San Siro on the final matchday.
For many of their stars, it will be their first taste of a major tournament, having not qualified for any since 2000 when they were at the European Championships in Belgium and the Netherlands. They still have stars who would get into any of the other squads in the tournament, and, surprisingly, sit in the top 10 when it comes to favourites for winning the competition.
Erling Haaland is, naturally, the main attraction from this squad, but he is not the only big star, with Arsenal's Martin Odegaard another key name, who captains his nation.
The Gunners midfielder will not be with Norway this March, however, as he continues to recover from a knee injury.
Jorgen Strand Larsen is another notable name in the squad, having reignited his season following a move from Wolverhampton Wanderers to Crystal Palace.
Similar is true of Oscar Bobb, who is finding more first-team football since switching Manchester City for Fulham this winter – could the shifts involved in covering for Odegaard's absence open up more game time for the likes of Bobb, at just the right moment ahead of the World Cup?
Squad
Norway's World Cup 2026 squad: The March selection
- GK: Orjan Nyland (Sevilla)
- GK: Egil Selvik (Watford)
- GK: Viljar Myhra (OB)
- DF: Kristoffer Ajer (Brentford)
- DF: Julian Ryerson (Borussia Dortmund)
- DF: Leo Skiri Ostigard (Genoa)
- DF: Marcus Holmgren Pedersen (Torino)
- DF: David Moller Wolfe (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
- DF: Fredrik Andre Bjorkan (Bodo/Glimt)
- DF: Torbjorn Heggem (Bologna)
- DF: Odin Bjortuft (Bodo/Glimt)
- DF: Henrik Falchener (Viking)
- MF: Sander Berge (Fulham)
- MF: Patrick Berg (Bodo/Glimt)
- MF: Kristian Thorstvedt (Sassuolo)
- MF: Morten Thorsby (Cremonese)
- MF: Antonio Nusa (RB Leipzig)
- MF: Oscar Bobb (Fulham)
- MF: Jens Petter Hauge (Bodo/Glimt)
- MF: Andreas Schjelderup (Benfica)
- MF: Felix Horn Myhre (Brann)
- FW: Alexander Sorloth (Atletico Madrid)
- FW: Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
- FW: Jorgen Strand Larsen (Crystal Palace)
Fixtures and results
Fixtures
- March 27, 2026: Netherlands vs Norway, Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- March 31, 2026: Norway vs Switzerland, Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway
- June 22, 2026: Norway vs Senegal, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States
- June 26, 2026: Norway vs France, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
- September 24, 2026: Norway vs Denmark, Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway
- September 27, 2026: Norway vs Portugal, Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway
- October 1, 2026: Wales vs Norway, Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
- October 4, 2026: Portugal vs Norway, Portugal
- November 14, 2026: Norway vs Wales, Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway
- November 17, 2026: Denmark vs Norway, Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
Recent results
- November 16, 2025: Italy 1–4 Norway, San Siro, Milan, Italy
- November 13, 2025: Norway 4–1 Estonia, Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway
- October 14, 2025: Norway 1–1 New Zealand, Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway
- October 11, 2025: Norway 5–0 Israel, Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway
- September 9, 2025: Norway 11–1 Moldova, Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway
- September 4, 2025: Norway 1–0 Finland, Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway
- June 9, 2025: Estonia 0–1 Norway, Lilleküla Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia
- June 6, 2025: Norway 3–0 Italy, Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway
- March 25, 2025: Israel 2–4 Norway, Nagyerdei Stadion, Debrecen, Hungary
- March 22, 2026: Moldova 0–5 Norway, Zimbru Stadium, Chișinău, Moldova
Manager
Who is Norway's manager?
Those with excellent knowledge of the 1997/98 Premier League season will be familiar with Stale Solbakken. He made six appearances for Wimbledon that season, including two Man of the Match performances.
He has become the first manager in almost 30 years to take Norway to the World Cup, after failing to make the previous two tournaments he has been in charge for.
In 2001, he suffered a heart attack during training. Although club doctor Frank Odgaard administered cardiac massage, when the ambulance arrived, he was pronounced clinically dead, but he was revived on the way to the hospital nearly seven minutes later.
Norway's Star Player
Who is Norway's star player?
Erling Haaland will finally represent his nation at a major tournament. The striker scored a staggering 16 goals in eight World Cup qualifiers to help his team on their way to Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Haaland is ranked at no.5 in FourFourTwo's list of the best strikers in the world right now and at no.3 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest finishers in football history.
Norway will go into the tournament as somewhat of a dark horse, and should Haaland play to his full potential, they could cause a major upset in north America.
