Why Norway Are Ones To Watch At The 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

With the 2025/26 season nearing its conclusion, the Easter international break, replacing the normal league fixtures of the weekend of March 28, 2026, is the last time many international teams will play before the World Cup in the summer.

The usual teams are amongst the favourites to take the cup home, with football giants Spain, France and England making up the top three. However, a team that, before this instalment, hadn’t qualified for the competition in 28 years, and are 20th in Opta’s power rankings, find themselves the ninth favourite – Norway.

What makes Norway a genuine contender this summer, and how far can they go?

Record Breaking Qualifying

Norway stole the headlines several times during their qualifying campaign for this tournament, with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland often the centre of that attention.

The 6″5′ forward managed a staggering 16 goals in just eight games during the team’s qualifying run, matching a record for the most goals scored in a qualifying campaign (held by Robert Lewandowski), but achieving the feat in two fewer matches. Those goals helped his side win all eight of their qualifying games – a perfect record.

This impressive campaign saw several notable scorelines too, with 3-0 and 4-1 dismantlings of Euro 2020 winners Italy, and a brutal 11-1 battering of Moldova, where Erling Haaland grabbed five goals. But, after not qualifying for a World Cup since 1998, why are Norway playing so well now?

Great Players Having Great Seasons

It’s no secret that Norway have some very talented players. An attacking unit of Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard alone is enough to pose a serious threat to any team. Supplemented with the likes of Crystal Palace’s Jørgen Strand Larsen, Fulham’s Oscar Bobb, and Alexander Sørloth of Atletico Madrid, it is clear to see how the Norwegian national team scored 37 goals in eight games during World Cup qualifying, more than any other side.

It’s not just a strong attack that Norway boast either. With the likes of Sander Berge, who has over 120 Premier League appearances, in midfield, Norway are capable of playing through the middle of the park as well, helped by their solid, experienced defence. Kristoffer Ajer of Brentford, Julian Ryerson of Borussia Dortmund and Leo Østigård of Genoa round out the side, allowing the superstar attack in front of them to focus on what they do best.

This World Cup comes at a good time for Norway, with many of their players coming off the back of some of the best seasons of their careers. Erling Haaland has once again broken 20 Premier League goals with plenty of games left to play, and with Martin Ødegaard looking likely to become a Premier League champion for the first time, you would expect the side’s two biggest names to be feeling up for the tournament.

Lesser-known names have also used this season to establish themselves, with none embodying this more than Jens Petter Hauge of Bodø/Glimt.

If that name sounds familiar, it might be due to his wonder goal against Manchester City, his knockout goals against Inter Milan or his brace against Tottenham Hotspur. The winger has been at the heart of Bodø/Glimt’s giant killings in the Champions League this season, performances that have helped him and three of his Bodø/Glimt teammates earn Norway callups for their most recent camp.

Norway are fortunate enough to be in a bit of a golden era. There is a whole host of exciting young Norwegian talent lighting up leagues across Europe, and the national side is making sure to take advantage of this.

A core of established players in Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard, and Sander Berge is perfectly complemented by the emerging talent of 20-year-old Antonio Nusa of RB Leipzig, 22-year-old Oscar Bobb of Fulham, 21-year-old Andreas Schjelderup and 19-year-old Sindre Walle Egeli of Ipswich, to name a few. This conveyor belt of emerging talent that has suddenly appeared for Norway promises to keep them a threatening side for years to come.

Simple, Effective Tactics

Norway’s tactical style has evolved, creating a system that perfectly plays to their squad’s strengths.

When in possession, they drop a midfielder into their defensive line, forming a back three, and making great use of the passing ability of players such as Sander Berge, who are then able to play line-splitting passes into the midfield or out wide.

Norway always make sure they maintain an overload of players in these areas through clever use of their fullbacks. Often, these positions are filled by Julian Ryerson and David Møller Wolfe, both attacking-minded fullbacks. These players are given freedom to roam, occupying whatever space is available, be that out wide, where quick combinations with technical wingers often lead to crosses into the box, or into midfield, where the overload in numbers allows Norway to progress through the middle of the pitch.

An example of Norway’s in-possession shape, showing the space their system creates for the full-backs, and how dropping a midfielder into a back three helps them progress the ball.

The aim of all of this is to play to the strengths of their superstars in attack. Quick transitions and combinations with technical wingers get the best from players like Julian Ryerson and Oscar Bobb, while the side’s focus on quickly progressing the ball forward makes use of Erling Haaland’s pace and finishing, and Martin Ødegaard’s creativity and ball-playing ability.

Out of possession, Norway use a hybrid marking system, with the fullbacks and holding midfielder man-marking a specific opponent, leaving just one striker for the two centre-backs to deal with.

The rest of their midfield and forwards press aggressively in the middle of the pitch, often falling back into a 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 shape. Being outnumbered so that their centre-backs can have a two-on-one against the opposition striker, this press tends to stay compact and central. This forces the opposition to play out wide, and allows the ball to be quickly won when it is played into midfield, again playing to the speed and quick creativity of Norway’s attack.

How Far Could They Go?

Despite Norway’s impressive talent list and solid tactical style, they’re unlikely to be lifting the World Cup trophy come July.

Their antics in qualifying for the tournament were very impressive, and their tactical setup makes the most of what their players have to give, but as a squad, they lack the sheer quality of teams like France or Spain, and don’t have the depth to turn to should some of their key players face injury either.

That’s not to say they won’t go far this summer. With both France and Senegal already confirmed for their group, Norway don’t have an easy start to the tournament. However, this could be an early chance for them to show their worth and cause some upsets, either in group I or the knockout stages of the tournament.

Norway aren’t the favourites to take home the World Cup trophy this summer, but don’t be surprised if they head home having made a real name for themselves on the biggest stage.