Norway at the FIFA World Cup

Norway against Italy, during the qualification phase of the 2026 World Cup in June 2025.

Norway has participated in the qualification for 18 FIFA World Cup tournaments and have appeared in the main tournament four times, in 1938, 1994, 1998, and 2026. In 2026, the team underwent their deepest run at a World Cup, advancing to the quarter-finals for the first time in their history at the 2026 World Cup.[1][2]

Background

Norway's two appearances in the 1990s were built on the direct style of manager Egil Olsen, who favoured long passes, compact defending and rapid counter-attacks. Drawing on the goal-scoring analysis of statistician Charles Reep, the approach carried Norway to second in the FIFA World Rankings in the mid-1990s.[3]

The return in 2026 ended a 28-year absence, the country's first appearance since 1998. Led by Erling Haaland, who scored 16 goals in UEFA qualifying, Norway secured their place with a 4–1 win over Italy in Milan.[4][5][6]

Record at the FIFA World Cup

Overall record

YearRoundPositionPldWD*LGFGA
Uruguay 1930Did not enter
Italy 1934
France 1938Round of 1612th100112
Brazil 1950Did not enter
Switzerland 1954Did not qualify
Sweden 1958
Chile 1962
England 1966
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982
Mexico 1986
Italy 1990
United States 1994Group stage17th311111
France 1998Round of 1615th412155
South Korea Japan 2002Did not qualify
Germany 2006
South Africa 2010
Brazil 2014
Russia 2018
Qatar 2022
Canada Mexico United States 2026Quarter-finals5th64021311
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total: 4/23Quarter-finals5th146352019
*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out

By match

World Cup Round Opponent Score Result Venue Norway scorers
1938Round of 16 Italy1–2 (a.e.t.)LMarseilleA. Brustad 83'
1994Group stage Mexico1–0WWashington, D.C.K. Rekdal 84'
 Italy0–1LEast Rutherford—
 Republic of Ireland0–0DEast Rutherford—
1998Group stage Morocco2–2DMontpellierY. Chippo red-colored football 45+1' (o.g.), D. Eggen 61'
 Scotland1–1DBordeauxH. Flo 46'
 Brazil2–1WMarseilleT.A. Flo 83', K. Rekdal 89' (pen.)
Round of 16 Italy0–1LMarseille—
2026Group stage Iraq4–1WFoxboroughE. Haaland 29', 43', L. Østigård 76', A. Hussein red-colored football 90+6' (o.g.)
 Senegal3–2WEast RutherfordM. Pedersen 43', E. Haaland 48', 58'
 France1–4LFoxboroughT. Aasgaard 21'
Round of 32 Ivory Coast2–1WArlingtonA. Nusa 39', E. Haaland 86'
Round of 16 Brazil2–1WEast RutherfordE. Haaland 79', 90'
Quarter-finals England1–2 (a.e.t.)LMiami GardensA. Schjelderup 36'

Record by opponent

FIFA World Cup matches (by team)
Opponent Wins Draws Losses Total Goals Scored Goals Conceded
 Brazil200242
 England001112
 France001114
 Iraq100141
 Italy003314
 Ivory Coast100121
 Mexico100110
 Morocco010122
 Republic of Ireland010100
 Scotland010111
 Senegal100132

Match records

1938 FIFA World Cup

Squad

First round

5 June 1938 Italy  2–1 (a.e.t.)  Norway France Marseille, France
17:00 (WEST) Ferraris 2'
Piola 94'		 (1–1, 1–0)
Report (FIFA)		 83' Brustad Stadium: Stade Vélodrome
Attendance: 19,000
Referee: Alois Beranek (Austria)

1994 FIFA World Cup

Squad

Group stage

19 June 1994 Norway  1–0  Mexico United States Washington, D.C., USA
16:00 (EDT) Rekdal 84' (0–0)
Report (FIFA)		 Stadium: RFK Stadium
Attendance: 52,395
Referee: Sandor Puhl (Hungary)
23 June 1994 Italy  1–0  Norway United States East Rutherford, NJ, USA
16:00 (EDT) Pagliuca Red card 21'
D. Baggio 69'		 (0–0)
Report (FIFA)		 Stadium: Giants Stadium
Attendance: 74,624
Referee: Hellmut Krug (Germany)

1998 FIFA World Cup

Squad

Group stage

10 June 1998 Morocco  2–2  Norway France Montpellier, France
21:00 CET Hadji 37'
Hadda 60'		 (1–1)
Report (FIFA)		 red-colored football 45+1' (o.g.) Chippo
61' Eggen		 Stadium: Stade de la Mosson
Attendance: 29,800
Referee: Pirom Un-Prasert (Thailand)
16 June 1998 Scotland  1–1  Norway France Bordeaux, France
17:30 CET Burley 66' (0–0)
Report (FIFA)		 46' H. Flo Stadium: Stade du Parc Lescure
Attendance: 31,800
Referee: László Vágner (Hungary)
23 June 1998 Brazil  1–2  Norway France Marseille, France
21:00 CET Bebeto 78' (0–0)
Report (FIFA)		 83' T.A. Flo
89' (pen.) Rekdal		 Stadium: Stade Vélodrome
Attendance: 55,000
Referee: Esse Baharmast (United States)

Round of 16

27 June 1998 Italy  1–0  Norway France Marseille, France
16:30 CET Vieri 18' (1–0)
Report (FIFA)		 Stadium: Stade Vélodrome
Attendance: 55,000
Referee: Bernd Heynemann (Germany)

2026 FIFA World Cup

Group stage

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  France 3 3 0 0 10 2 +8 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  Norway 3 2 0 1 8 7 +1 6
3  Senegal 3 1 0 2 8 6 +2 3
4  Iraq 3 0 0 3 1 12 −11 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Iraq 1–4 Norway
 [Report 1]
Attendance: 63,106
Referee: Pierre Atcho (Gabon)
Norway 3–2 Senegal
 [Report 2]
Attendance: 80,663
Norway 1–4 France
Aasgaard 21' [Report 3] Dembélé 7', 20', 32'
Doué 90+4'
Attendance: 64,146

Knockout stage

Round of 32
Ivory Coast 1–2 Norway
 [Report 4]
Attendance: 69,665
Round of 16
Brazil 1–2 Norway
 [Report 5]
Attendance: 80,663
Quarter-finals
Norway 1–2 (a.e.t.) England
 [Report 6]
Attendance: 64,478

Player records

Most appearances

Rank Player Matches World Cups
1Henning Berg71994 and 1998
Stig Inge Bjørnebye71994 and 1998
Kjetil Rekdal71994 and 1998
4 Øyvind Leonhardsen61994 and 1998
Erik Mykland61994 and 1998
Fredrik Aursnes62026
Patrick Berg62026
Oscar Bobb62026
Antonio Nusa62026
Andreas Schjelderup62026

Goalscorers

Player Goals 1938 1994 1998 2026
Erling Haaland 7 7
Kjetil Rekdal 2 11
Arne Brustad 1 1
Dan Eggen 1 1
Håvard Flo 1 1
Tore André Flo 1 1
Leo Østigård 1 1
Marcus Holmgren Pedersen 1 1
Thelo Aasgaard 1 1
Antonio Nusa 1 1
Andreas Schjelderup 1 1
Own goals 2 11
Total 20 11513

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lutz, Tom (2026-07-05). "Brazil 1-2 Norway: World Cup 2026 last 16 – live reaction". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-07-05.
  2. ↑ Keyser, Hannah (2026-07-05). "Norway stuns Brazil with two late goals to knock out the 5-time World Cup champions | CNN". CNN. Retrieved 2026-07-05.
  3. ↑ McMahon, Bobby (21 October 2012). "The Most Important Soccer Performance Analyst You Have Never Heard Of". Forbes. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "Finally: Norway star Erling Haaland on fulfilling World Cup dream". ESPN. June 2026. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  5. ↑ "Norway 2026 FIFA World Cup Campaign and Team Overview". 2026 World Cup. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "Norway qualify for World Cup 26". FIFA. 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2026.

Reports

  1. ↑
  2. ↑
  3. ↑
  4. ↑
  5. ↑
  6. ↑
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