Norway has yet to officially have a ticket to the 2026 World Cup ahead of the rematch against Italy in San Siro. The reason is that if the Azzurri win by... 9 goals, Erling Haaland and his teammates will have to play the play-off.
Of course, that unimaginable theoretical part did not happen. Like in the first leg, Norway easily crushed their opponents with a 3-goal gap. Captain Stale Solbakken's team ended the qualifying campaign with 8 absolute wins, with an extremely impressive goal difference of +32.
The most prominent in this campaign of the Nordic team is striker Erling Haaland. The Manchester City striker has scored 16 goals in 8 matches. This number is double that of the second-place finishers in the qualifying campaign. Both Harry Kane (England), Marko Arnautovic (authership) and Memphis Depay (Netherlands) have only scored 8 goals. More broadly, Haaland has scored 55 goals for Norway in just 48 appearances.
Norway brought the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with the youngest squad in history. With the rising form of many stars such as Erling Haaland, Alexander Solorth, Martin Odegaard, Oscar Bobb or Antonio Nusa, Norway performs soft, fast and flexible football, completely opposite to the previous harshness.
Last week, Norwegian fans composed a cheering song called "Null Null" (roughly translated as no draws or losses). That encouragement has reshaped the image of Norway in the campaign for tickets to the World Cup, they have won all 8 matches.
2026 is the first time since 1998 that Norway has qualified for the World Cup. There was a time when they were considered an untalented team. The proof is that from then on, after 12 World Cup and EURO qualifying campaigns, Norway has been able to be as strong as it is now.
The last time they played France 98, Norway was eliminated by Italy in the round of 16. If the two teams meet again at the 2026 World Cup, perhaps Haaland and his teammates will have another chance to crush the EURO 2020 champion.
Italy have been beaten by Norway in both qualifying matches. The Azzurri will have to play in the playoffs and if they fail (appearing three consecutive World Cups), Norway will probably smile when they can repay the debt they borrowed 28 years ago.
The 2026 World Cup is the 4th World Championship that Norway has participated in. They are considered inexperienced in this playground but in the squad they have top stars at major clubs in Europe. Youth does not mean immaturity, that is the image of Norway at the moment.
Martin Odegaard once shared that he and his teammates will do "som thing" at the 2026 World Cup. With what they have shown in the qualifying round, it would be no surprise if Norway went far in the finals next summer.
