Norway has been the longest-running 'why aren't they at a tournament' team in European football for almost a decade. They had Haaland. They had Ødegaard. They had Sørloth, Berge, Ajer, a generation of players good enough to make Premier League and La Liga starting elevens. And they kept finding ways to lose qualifiers to Serbia, to Turkey, to anyone who showed up organized. They missed Euro 2020. They missed Qatar. They missed Euro 2024. The joke around European football was that Norway had assembled the most talented squad never to play a meaningful summer match.
That ended in November 2025. Norway went 8-for-8 in qualifying, scored 37 goals, beat Italy 4-1 in Oslo to clinch it, and Haaland did the post-match interview in Norwegian for what felt like the first time. Ståle Solbakken, the manager who took over in 2020 and patiently absorbed every loss while telling everyone the team would be ready when it mattered, got vindicated.
Now the question is whether they're actually any good in a tournament context. Norway has never been past the Round of 16 at a World Cup. They've been drawn into a brutal group with France. Haaland has never played a knockout match on this stage. None of that matters today. They're here. Erling Haaland is here. The longest wait in European football is over, and the rest of us get to find out what happens when the sport's most ridiculous goalscorer finally shows up at the World Cup.
Week 1 Update: Norway beat Iraq 4-1, and the answer to the tournament's biggest open question — can Haaland do it on the World Cup stage? — is an emphatic yes. The man who scored 16 in qualifying picked up right where he left off, and Ødegaard pulled the strings behind him like they'd been rehearsing this for years (they have). It's one match, against the group's most beatable opponent, but Norway looked every bit like the team their qualifying form promised.
Matchday 2 Update: Norway beat Senegal 3-2 in a match that got uncomfortable late but never truly slipped away. Haaland scored twice (48', 58') — four goals in two matches now, because of course — and Pedersen opened the scoring before halftime. Sarr pulled one back and added another in stoppage time, but Norway held on. Six points, knockouts secured alongside France, and the 32-year wait is officially worth it. The asterisk on Haaland's career is gone.
Matchday 3 Update: Lost 1-4 to France — Aasgaard scored Norway's consolation, but Dembele's hat trick made it a mismatch from the opening 30 minutes. Norway finish 2nd with 6 points, and the loss to France is a reality check about the gap between very good and elite. Haaland's 4 goals and the win over Senegal secured the knockout spot. The 32-year wait was worth it — the Round of 32 awaits.
Round of 32 (June 30): Norway 2-1 Ivory Coast — and Haaland made the difference when it mattered most. Antonio Nusa gave Norway the lead in the 39th minute, Amad Diallo equalized for the Elephants in the 74th, and then, with six minutes left, Haaland powered a header past the goalkeeper to send his country through. Norway's first-ever World Cup knockout win. Alf-Inge Haaland played at the 1994 World Cup and went home without a knockout victory; his son has now done what his father's generation never managed. Norway face Brazil in the round of 16 — the most difficult possible draw — but this squad has already made history twice before the knockout round even started.
Round of 16 (July 5): Norway 2-1 Brazil — and Erling Haaland just sent an entire country into uncharted territory. Ørjan Nyland was the unsung hero, making a stunning first-half save to deny Bruno Guimarães' penalty and keep the scoreline level. Then Haaland did what Haaland does: a header into the net in the 90th minute, a left-footed finish moments later to make it 2-0, and Norway were in the quarterfinals for the first time in their history. Neymar's stoppage-time penalty was a consolation and nothing more. Seven tournament goals for Haaland, level with Messi for the Golden Boot race. The 32-year wait is over, the knockout drought is done, and Norway — Norway — are a World Cup quarterfinalist.
Quarter-Final (July 11): Norway 1-2 England (AET) — the fairytale ends one round short of the semifinals, and it still counts as the greatest World Cup run Norway has ever had. Andreas Schjelderup lit the fuse with an early strike that had the whole country believing, but Jude Bellingham equalized before the break and broke Norwegian hearts in extra time. Haaland was hunted by two defenders all night and never got the clean look he needed. No shame in it: a first-ever quarterfinal, and a generation of kids who'll remember Haaland and Ødegaard taking Norway further than anyone alive had seen. The 32-year wait produced a team that finally belonged.