Norway begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a Group I clash against Iraq at Boston Stadium.
Given their attacking quality, the Lions are one of the teams to watch in North America, and they should be too strong for the Iraqis, who are erratic at the moment.
Key Stats
- Norway are unbeaten in nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
- Norway have won by two or more goals in five of their last nine matches in all competitions.
- Iraq are winless in four of their last six matches in all competitions.
No Previous Meetings
This will be the first-ever meeting between Iraq and Norway at any level.
The Erratic Iraqis
This is only the second World Cup appearance for Iraq, having made their debut in the 1986 edition. They took the scenic route to this year's tournament, claiming a 2-1 victory over Bolivia in the final of the intercontinental playoffs.
Iraq will take a lot of confidence from that victory and will hope to produce a few surprises in North America. Also, among their recent results is a 1-1 draw with former world champions Spain in an international friendly.
While there have been a few confidence-boosting results for the Iraqis lately, their overall form remains erratic. Graham Arnold’s team are winless in four of their last six matches, suffering three defeats in this run, including a 2-0 loss to Venezuela in their final warm-up game.
Norway’s Long-Awaited Return
Norway are back in the World Cup for the first time since 1998 and are considered one of the teams to watch in this year's tournament. They came through the qualifiers with a 100% record, winning all eight of their matches and doing the double over four-time world champions Italy.
Things have remained pretty solid for Norway, who are unbeaten in nine of their last 10 matches. Stale Solbakken's team claimed a 3-1 victory over Sweden before playing out a 1-1 draw with Morocco in their final preparatory match.
Norway are considered one of the best attacks in the tournament, with Erling Haaland, Alexander Sorloth, Antonio Nusa, and Martin Odergaard all in good form. The Lions have a knack for one-sided results, with an 11-1 victory over Moldova and a 4-1 triumph over Italy among their results in the qualifiers.
Team News and Predicted Line-ups
Iraq (4-3-3): Jalal Hassan; Hussein Ali, Manaf Younis, Akam Hashim, Merchas Doski; Ahmed Qasem, Ibrahim Bayesh, Zidane Iqbal; Aymen Hussein, Mohanad Ali, Ali Al Hamadi.
Forward Ali sat out the defeat to Venezuela and could earn a start in attack for Iraq. Captain Hassan is expected to continue in goal while Zidane Iqbal should also feature after coming off the bench in the final warm-up game.
Sweden (4-3-3): Orjan Nyland; Julian Ryerson, Kristoffer Ajer, Torbjorn Heggem, David Wolfe; Sander Berge, Fredrik Aursnes, Martin Odergaard; Antonio Nusa, Alexander Sorloth, Erling Haaland.
Norway have no injuries and suspensions heading into this clash and could stick with much of the team from their final warm-up game. Haaland should lead the line again, with support from Nusa and Sorloth, while captain Odergaard is set to continue in midfield.