The Norway World Cup qualification dream has been realised now. Headlines now read: ‘Norway qualify for first World Cup since 1998.’
The visitors in the Italy vs Norway match left victorious with a 4-1 win on Sunday, November 16, to qualify for the World Cup.
Italy went ahead in the first half, but the Norwegians then scored four goals in the second half to complete the victory.
The Scandinavian nation has been the best-performing team in the European World Cup qualifiers, having won each of their eight matches so far. On current form, probably only Spain can match them among the rest of the European nations.
Norway World Cup Qualification Secured: Erling Haaland’s Role
The Norway World Cup qualification has been made possible by some exhilarating displays of football, including what was seen in the Italy vs Norway game. Impressively, the Norwegians have scored 37 goals in their eight matches so far, conceding only five in the process.
Erling Haaland, who scored a brace against the Italians on Sunday, simply cannot stop scoring at the moment. Haaland has incredibly scored 55 goals in 48 international appearances so far. This record is comparable to that of Gerd Muller, who had scored 68 goals in only 62 matches for West Germany.
In 2025, only, Haaland has scored 17 goals in nine matches for Norway so far – his latest in the Italy vs Norway fixture – which is almost an average of two goals every match. This is simply otherworldly, even considering the fact that Norway have not had a formidable opponent other than Italy in their qualifying group.
The Norwegians have been missing Martin Odegaard, their No.10, for quite some time now, and their performances despite his absence have simply been superb. When Odegaard comes back to action, Norway will undoubtedly be even stronger.
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Norway Qualify for First World Cup Since 1998
With their 4-1 thrashing in the Italy vs Norway clash, Norway qualify for first World Cup since 1998.
Norway famously beat Brazil in a group match at the 1998 World Cup. They also drew with Morocco and Scotland to qualify for the round of 16. They lost to Italy in the round of 16, but players like Tore Andre-Flo caught the attention of the football world with their performance. They were one of the success stories of the tournament and gave a good account of themselves.
The Norwegians will hope to have a repeat of that performance in the upcoming World Cup. They have an even stronger team this time around, with players like Haaland, Odegaard and Oscar Bobb playing well in the Premier League for their respective clubs.
Their profile as a team has definitely improved over the last few years. However, the Norwegians will have to perform well in a major tournament to really be counted among Europe’s elite.
With someone like Haaland to the fore, they have a really good chance of doing so. As of now, they should celebrate qualifying for the World Cup after a long interval. Neutral football lovers will also be delighted about the Norway World Cup qualification, as players like Haland, Odegaard and Bobb really deserve to showcase their skills in a major tournament. They will be getting an opportunity to do so in the 2026 World Cup.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Beautiful Sports
Recording Date: 16.11.2025
