Ståle Solbakken confirmed Norway's 26-man World Cup squad on Wednesday evening, completing a journey that began with a 5-0 demolition of Moldova in September 2024 and ended with the most dominant European qualifying campaign in years. Eight matches. Eight wins. Thirty-seven goals scored, five conceded. Norway are going to a World Cup for the first time since France 1998.
The headline is Erling Haaland. It was always going to be Haaland. Sixteen goals in eight qualifiers — a rate that would be absurd at club level and is almost incomprehensible at international level, where fixtures come in windows and rhythm is never a given. He has 55 goals in 48 appearances for Norway. He has never played at a major tournament. That changes in June.
Martin Ødegaard captains the squad. The Arsenal midfielder has had an injury-disrupted club season but remains the creative heartbeat of this team — seven assists in qualifying, the player Haaland needs beside him. Alexander Sørloth of Atlético Madrid, who scored five in qualifying, is expected to partner Haaland up front. Oscar Bobb, now at Fulham after leaving Manchester City in January, and Antonio Nusa of RB Leipzig provide the width and the unpredictability from the flanks.
The squad
Full squad to be confirmed — official announcement at 8:25 PM CET, May 21. Expected key players:
Goalkeepers: Ørjan Nyland (Reading)
Defenders: Kristoffer Ajer (Brentford), Julian Ryerson (Borussia Dortmund), Torbjørn Heggem, David Møller Wolfe
Midfielders: Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal), Sander Berge (Fulham), Patrick Berg (Bodø/Glimt), Kristian Thorstvedt (Sassuolo), Morten Thorsby (Genoa)
Forwards: Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Alexander Sørloth (Atlético Madrid), Jørgen Strand Larsen (Crystal Palace), Oscar Bobb (Fulham), Antonio Nusa (RB Leipzig), Andreas Schjelderup (Benfica)
What it tells you
Solbakken's Norway is built around Haaland's finishing and Ødegaard's supply, but it is not a two-man team. The qualifying campaign revealed a squad with genuine depth in midfield — Berge provides the physical presence, Thorstvedt the box-to-box energy, Patrick Berg the intelligence — and pace on the flanks through Nusa and Bobb, both of whom are 21 and fearless.
The defense is the area of concern. Norway's qualifying group (Moldova, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Israel, Italy) did not test the backline the way France and Senegal will. Ajer, the most experienced centre-back, has had an inconsistent season at Brentford. Ryerson has been dependable at Dortmund but will face a step up in quality. Whether Solbakken opts for a back four or shifts to three centre-backs against France could define their tournament.
The most compelling storyline is Solbakken himself. In 2001, he suffered a cardiac arrest during training and was pronounced clinically dead before being revived seven minutes later. He has said this will be his final campaign as Norway manager regardless of the result. He qualified for a World Cup that seemed permanently out of reach. Whatever happens in Group I, the campaign is already a success.
Norway's qualifying campaign culminated in a 4-1 victory at the San Siro against Italy in November — a result that knocked Italy out of the World Cup entirely and confirmed Norway's place. Haaland scored twice. The image of him celebrating in front of silenced Italian fans, draped in a Norwegian flag, is probably the defining moment of their qualifying cycle.
They open against Iraq on June 16 in Boston. France follow on June 20 in Foxborough. Senegal close the group on June 26 in Seattle.