A closer look at how Norway ended a 28-year World Cup drought, and how Erling Haaland's first major international tournament became one of the stories of the finals.
Norway returned to the FIFA World Cup after 28 years, achieving their best-ever finish by reaching the quarter-finals, with Erling Haaland playing a pivotal role.
Norway topped Group I with a perfect record, scoring 37 goals and conceding just 5.
Haaland's seven goals were instrumental in Norway's historic run to the quarter-finals.
Norway opened their campaign with a convincing win over Iraq.
A hard-fought victory secured Norway's progression to the knockout stages.
Norway suffered a setback against the reigning champions but advanced as group runners-up.
Norway edged past Côte d'Ivoire to reach the Round of 16.
A stunning victory over Brazil propelled Norway into the quarter-finals.
Norway's remarkable run ended in extra time against England.
Norway hadn't reached a World Cup since France 1998 — nearly three decades of near-misses despite a run of genuinely good attacking players. Qualifying for 2026 didn't leave much doubt: eight wins from eight matches, zero draws, zero losses, 37 goals scored.
Haaland was the focal point throughout, finishing qualifying with 16 goals — including a brace in the campaign-sealing 4-1 win away to Italy, the kind of result that turned "if Norway qualifies" into "when."
A first World Cup appearance in nearly three decades always carries an adjustment period, and Norway's group stage reflected that — a campaign that wasn't always pretty, but got the job done. Norway advanced as Group I runners-up, the first time the team had made it out of a World Cup group since that 1998 tournament.
The Round of 32 brought Norway's first ever World Cup knockout-stage win, a tense 2-1 victory over Côte d'Ivoire settled by a Haaland winner in the 86th minute — the latest a Haaland World Cup goal had ever mattered, at that point.
Then came the result of the tournament: a 2-1 win over Brazil in the Round of 16, Haaland scoring both goals himself, sending Norway into a World Cup quarter-final for the first time in the country's history.
The run ended in the quarter-finals against England, 1-2, with Norway's historic tournament stopped by a side that went on to reach the semi-finals. It was a defeat, but not one that diminished what had already been accomplished — a team that hadn't seen the World Cup since 1998 had just beaten Brazil to reach the last eight.
The players have gone back to their clubs, and the real question for Norwegian football is whether this was a one-off or the start of something. Haaland's still only in his mid-twenties, most of this squad plays week-to-week in Europe's top leagues, and for the first time in decades Norway goes into the next qualifying campaign with a result to defend instead of a drought to explain.