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The Norway World Cup 2026 squad is taking shape as the Scandinavians prepare for the tournament for the first time in 28 years
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The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Five times a week Four Four Two Daily Fantastic football content straight to your inbox! From the latest transfer news, quizzes, videos, features and interviews with the biggest names in the game, plus lots more. Once a week . .. And it’s LIVE! Sign up to our FREE live football newsletter, tracking all of the biggest games available to watch on the device of your choice. Never miss a kick-off! Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. 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 standouts, 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. Odegaard captains his nation. The Gunners midfielder was not with Norway this March, however, as he continued to recover from a knee injury. Jorgen Strand Larsen is another notable name in the squad, having reignited his season after 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? The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
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 for which he was in charge. In 2001, Solbakken suffered a heart attack during training. Although club doctor Frank Odgaard administered cardiac massage, he was pronounced clinically dead when the ambulance arrived. He was revived on the way to the hospital nearly seven minutes later.
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 Four Four Two's list of the best strikers in the world right now and at no. 3 in Four Four Two's list of the greatest finishers in football history. Norway will go into the tournament as something of a dark horse; should Haaland play to his full potential, they could cause a major upset in north America. Ewan is a freelance writer and social media manager who has worked for The Athletic, GOAL, 90min and One Football. From Gelsenkirchen to Riyadh, he has covered some of the biggest games in football in his three years in the industry. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
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