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Erling Haaland will bring some serious star power to Gillette Stadium this summer, as Norway is set to play a pair of World Cup games in Foxborough.
One of the most recognizable strikers in the game, Haaland has been a standout for Manchester City and will look to translate his goal-scoring prowess to the biggest stage.
Here are five things to know about his Norwegian national team ahead of this year’s World Cup:
Haaland the main attraction
Though just 25 years old, Haaland is already Norway’s all-time leading scorer in international play with 55 goals in 48 appearances. The striker was actually born in Leeds, England, but moved to his parents’ hometown of Bryne, Norway at 3 years old. He reportedly could have represented either country, but chose Norway — and the Norwegians are certainly glad he did.
Haaland was an absolute menace in qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. The striker had 16 goals in eight appearances, including five against Moldova and a hat trick against Israel. Nobody else in the world had more than eight goals in the qualifiers.
Brief tournament history
Historically, Norway is relatively inexperienced at the World Cup.
The 2026 tournament will only be Norway’s fourth World Cup appearance and its first in almost three decades. They’ve made the Round of 16 twice (1938, 1998) and failed to advance from group play once (1994).
A recent rise
Though they haven’t appeared in a World Cup since 1998, Norway isn’t seen as a massive underdog in this tournament.
They’re currently 31st in the FIFA World Rankings, but oddsmakers are even more bullish on their team. The Norwegians have the ninth best odds to win the entire tournament at DraftKings Sportsbook (+2500). That 25-to-1 number doesn’t mean they’re a favorite, but it’s a far cry from countries like Jordan, Haiti and Curacao, who are all listed at 2500-to-1 (+250000).
Captain can make things happen
Haaland may garner most of the headlines, but MartinØdegaard is Norway’s captain. The 27-year-old midfielder has appeared in 67 national team games, scoring four goals. Ødegaard was a key player in Haaland’s bludgeoning of the qualifiers, as the midfielder registered seven assists, most of any player in the world.
Solbakken runs the show
Ståle Solbakken has overseen Norway’s recent ascent. A former Norwegian midfielder in his own right, Solbakken appeared in 56 national team games and was on the pitch the last time Norway made the World Cup in 1998.
Solbakken took over as manager in 2020, and though Norway didn’t qualify for the 2022 World Cup, he was very critical of Qatar as a host site due to human rights issues.
“I think that first of all Fifa has the biggest failing, given the circumstances back when Qatar was given the tournament,” Solbakken said, via the Irish Times. “That is obviously the biggest mistake. After that, I don’t think football has done enough, I don’t think journalists have done enough. I think you also have been asleep for a long, long time.”
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