Norway emphatically secured their place at the FIFA World Cup 2026™ with a perfect qualifying campaign, ending a run of 28 years without an appearance at the finals.
Under coach Stale Solbakken, and led by the creativity of Martin Odegaard and goalscoring brilliance of Erling Haaland, many fans believe Norway, and their supposed ‘golden generation’, could produce their finest tournament showing in North America.
Norway coach: Stale Solbakken
Norway have been led back to the finals by a man who knows all about them. Solbakken, who won 58 caps across six years for the national team, played three times at France 1998, before going on to feature at Norway’s most recent major tournament appearance at UEFA EURO 2000.
Just like his playing career, he started coaching at Hamarkameratene in 2002. He then enjoyed two successful stints with FC Copenhagen in between spells with Koln and Wolverhampton Wanderers, before replacing Lars Lagerback as Norway boss in December 2020.
Norway’s World Cup 26 fixtures and group
How Norway qualified for World Cup 26
Norway were one of just four teams across all of qualifying to manage a perfect record, as Solbakken’s charges went eight from eight in Group I of the European zone. They became just the ninth side from the continent to manage a 100-per-cent record.
They started their campaign with a 5-0 hammering of Moldova, and didn’t let up in victories over Israel, Italy and Estonia. In the second half of the group, the Nordics powered home the joint-biggest win in all of World Cup 26 qualifying as they hit Moldova for 11, and finished their qualification quest with a memorable 4-1 win at San Siro.
Full World Cup 26 match schedule
Norway’s World Cup history
At the 1938 finals, all 16 sides started in the Round of 16.
Norway’s best World Cup
What has made Norway’s near three-decade hiatus from the world stage all the more painful is that France 1998 represented their greatest tournament showing. They took five points from games with Morocco, Scotland and Brazil to make the last 16 where, for a third straight World Cup, they met Italy. After defeats in 1938 and 1994, history again repeated itself, as a resolute Norway backline was breached by Christian Vieri for the only goal of that Marseille match-up.
Norway’s last World Cup
As mentioned, France 1998 was Norway’s most recent foray on to World Cup soil. Egil Olsen could call upon a talented and heavily English-based squad, including the likes of Henning Berg, Stig Inge Bjornebye, captain Frode Grodas, Gunnar Halle, Ronny Johsen, Oyvind Leonhardsen and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Solbakken was joined by a number of national-team stalwarts still plying their trade in Scandinavia, including Jostein Flo and Mini Jakobsen. With 66 caps, Kjetil Rekdal was the most experienced member of that squad.
Norway’s first World Cup
The nation travelled to the 1938 finals with the bulk of the squad which won bronze at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament in Berlin two years prior, though they weren’t able to replicate their success in France.
Pitted against Italy in the Round of 16, Asbjorn Halvorsen’s side battled back from a goal down with Arne Brustad netting a late leveller. Much like in the semi-finals of that Olympic campaign, though, Italy emerged victorious in extra time, with the prolific Silvio Piola hitting an extra-time winner.
Norway’s World Cup top scorer
Kjetil Rekdal is the only Norwegian to net more than once at the tournament and their only player to score at multiple events. His first came against Mexico in the group stage of USA 1994, before he hit a historic penalty to sink Brazil at the same stage four years later and send his side into the knockout stages.
Few would bet against Erling Haaland finding the net in North America, and he will no doubt have his eyes on Rekdal’s long-standing record.
Norway’s record World Cup appearance-maker
A trio of players have featured in all seven of Norway’s post-war matches. Henning Berg, Stig Inge Bjornebye and Kjetil Rekdal played in all three of their 1994 group-stage games, before repeating the feat four years later and playing in the last-16 defeat to Italy. In total, 11 players appeared at both tournaments for the Landslaget.
Norway’s memorable World Cup moments
The finest moment in Norway’s fleeting tournament history came against Brazil in the final group match of their 1998 tournament, as six crazy minutes propelled them despair to delirium.
While Brazil were already assured of topping Group A, coach Mario Zagallo still named a strong XI for this one, including the likes of Roberto Carlos, Rivaldo and Ronaldo. Norway, meanwhile, headed into the day in second place on two points, but with Morocco and Scotland facing each other on one point apiece, they knew victory for either would mean they would have to topple the reigning world champions to advance.
The game was goalless heading into the final ten minutes and with Morocco 2-0 up against Scotland, Norway’s World Cup dream was in need of a spark. But instead, it was the Seleção who struck, as Bebeto headed home with 12 to play.
Norway quickly picked themselves up, with Tore Andre Flo outmuscling Junior Baiano and lashing home an equaliser just five minutes later, but Olsen’s side still had to find another goal or they were headed home. As the clock ticked down, Erik Mykland swung a ball into the area for Flo who was pulled down by Baiano, with referee Esfandiar Baharmast awarding a penalty. Rekdal stepped up, and powered home a dramatic 89th-minute winner to see his side through.
Norway’s biggest World Cup win
Both of the nation’s tournament victories have been by a solitary goal, with the decisive strike in each coming courtesy of Rekdal.
At USA 1994, Olsen’s charges opened their campaign with a 1-0 success over Mexico, with Rekdal latching on to a Jan Age Fjortoft through ball and slotting beyond Jorge Campos with little over five minutes to go. Four years later, they equalled that result with their famous Marseille victory over Brazil, as Rekdal once again grabbed the headlines with his penalty.
