Two World Cup returns collide as Haaland’s Norway open against Iraq
Erling Haaland finally reaches a World Cup as Norway end a 28-year absence, but their Group I opener against an Iraq side back for the first time since 1986 is no gentle welcome. With France and Senegal lurking, points between the two underdogs may settle who survives.
Jun 16, 2026
Erling Haaland has spent his whole career scoring goals nobody could quite believe, and yet until this week he had never kicked a ball at a World Cup. That changes on Tuesday in Foxborough, where Norway begin their first World Cup since 1998 against an Iraq side ending an even longer exile of their own. Two nations that have spent a generation watching the tournament from the outside meet in the same Group I opener, and both know the result could decide who goes home early.
A 28-year wait ends for Norway
Norway have not been to a World Cup since France 1998, a drought that always felt absurd given the talent passing through the squad. This time they qualified in style, winning all eight of their group games and scoring 37 goals along the way, at the best goals-per-game rate any European side has managed in a qualifying campaign. Haaland led the charge with 16 of them, which is the sort of number that makes the supercomputers nervous on Norway’s behalf. The Opta model has them winning this opener in better than three of every four simulations.
The pull of the side is obvious. Haaland is Norway’s all-time leading scorer at 55 international goals and the most feared centre-forward in the world on his day, but Ståle Solbakken’s team is more than one man. Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard pulls the strings from midfield, Crystal Palace’s Jorgen Strand Larsen gives them a second route to goal, and there is enough Premier League experience scattered through the XI to suggest the occasion will not swallow them.
Iraq arrive with nothing to lose
For Iraq, simply being here is the story. The Lions of Mesopotamia booked their place as the 48th and final team to qualify, surviving an intercontinental playoff against Bolivia to reach a first World Cup since 1986, when their only previous trip ended in three straight defeats in Mexico. Graham Arnold, who took Australia to the last 16 at Qatar 2022, has built a side that mixes old heads with younger creators, and they will not lack for belief after the run that got them here.
Their danger man is Aymen Hussein, Iraq’s top scorer in Asian qualifying with eight goals and the man who struck the winner against Bolivia. Around him, midfielder Amir Al Ammari and the young playmaker Ali Jasim give Iraq a bit of spark, though against Haaland and Odegaard the bulk of their work will be done without the ball. Arnold knows a draw here would feel like a victory in a group this steep.
The group makes every point precious
Group I is not kind. France and Senegal, the two heavyweights, meet in the other opening fixture, and both Norway and Iraq will fancy their chances of a knockout spot only if they take care of business against each other first. Lose this and the maths against the favourites turns ugly fast, which is why a fixture between two underdogs carries the weight of a decider.
Kick-off is 3:30am IST on Wednesday at Gillette Stadium, an awkward hour for Indian fans but a fitting one for a game two nations have waited decades to play. Haaland gets the global stage he has been denied for so long. Iraq get to remind everyone they belong on it.