Norway

Norway enter World Cup 2026 in Group I, where the early tests are France, Senegal, and Iraq. Norway have never won the World Cup, with their best modern performance coming in 1998, when they reached the Round of 16 after a famous group-stage win over Brazil. The current squad is shaped around Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, and Alexander Sorloth, a core that gives the team recognizable quality in the moments that usually decide group-stage matches: set pieces, transition attacks, and pressure around the box.

For this tournament, the assignment is both tactical and psychological: start quickly, protect the middle of the pitch, and make the group feel uncomfortable before the knockout picture forms. Haaland changes the geometry of every match, and Odegaard gives Norway a high-level creator. If the defense withstands pressure, they can make Group I extremely interesting. If Norway can turn its best individual stretches into a full 90-minute platform, the campaign has room to grow beyond a simple participation story.