Norway’s Vikings Set Sail with High Hopes

Norway’s golden generation has achieved what their predecessors tried in vain for over a quarter-century: Erling Haaland, Martin Ödegaard, and their teammates have successfully steered Norway’s soccer ship to the World Cup. The Kingdom’s soccer players hadn’t qualified for the biggest stage since 1998. While the euphoria in the country is immense following a perfect qualifying campaign, the team wants to prove that tournament experience is irrelevant.

Since their 1-5 loss to Austria in the Nations League in October 2024, Norway has conceded only four goals in eight league matches, keeping five clean sheets. Coach Stale Solbakken has found the formula for success that allows his players to mask certain defensive weaknesses while still showcasing the style that plays to the squad’s strengths.

A Dominant Run Through Qualifying

These strengths clearly lie on the offensive end. Led by goal machine Haaland, the Norwegians virtually devoured their opponents in World Cup qualifying, finishing with eight wins in eight games and a goal differential of 37–5. Haaland alone contributed 16 goals, scoring in every match. With 55 goals in 50 appearances, the 25-year-old is already by far the sole record-holder. In addition to the Manchester City striker and Arsenal star Ödegaard, the Norwegian captain, the squad boasts even more offensive firepower with Alexander Sörloth (Atlético Madrid), Jörgen Strand Larsen (Crystal Palace), and Antonio Nusa (Leipzig).

When Norway’s soccer team beat Brazil in 1998—in only their third World Cup appearance—and sensationally reached the round of 16, Sörloth (30) was the only one of the players mentioned here who had even been born yet. “If we were to qualify for the World Cup, it would be as if a major soccer nation were to win it,” Haaland explained last summer in an interview with Time Magazine. “It would be the biggest party ever. The scenes in Oslo would be incredible.”

3.25% Chance of Winning the Title

A few months later, Norway all but secured its World Cup qualification in a home game against Estonia. After the final whistle, ecstatic cheers erupted at Ullevaal Stadium near Oslo’s famous Holmenkollen; King Harald V, Crown Prince Haakon, and Crown Princess Mette-Marit embraced, while the players danced to traditional folk songs. The Norwegians love their team, which always appears humble in its national jersey and is now expected to achieve great things at the World Cup. King Harald gave the order to march, announcing the roster via a unique video message. The team photo taken before the World Cup—in which Haaland and his teammates posed grimly in Viking costumes—went viral.

In Group I, they’ll face title favorite France, Iraq, and Senegal. Opta’s statisticians give Norway a 3.25 percent chance of winning the title—the best of all the so-called smaller nations behind the eight soccer powerhouses. Haaland, of all people, countered this with a touch of humility: “Norway will never win a World Cup,” the star striker declared ahead of the opener against Iraq early Wednesday morning (12:00 a.m.).

A lot will depend on the “Vikings’” offense. Defensively, they have a less prominent lineup, with the exception of Dortmund’s Julian Ryerson, who is coming off a strong Bundesliga season with 15 assists.