Norway has secured a sensational return to the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1998, completing an almost flawless qualification campaign that culminated in a stunning defeat of football giants Italy.
The Scandinavian side finished their Group I campaign invincible, claiming an incredible eight wins to top the group and seal their place at the 2026 showpiece. Their qualification journey will be remembered for their dominant performances against four-time World Cup winners Italy.
A Sunday Stunner in San Siro
Norway’s qualification was officially rubber-stamped after they travelled to Milan’s San Siro stadium on Sunday (16/11/2025) and delivered a memorable 4-1 thrashing to their hosts.
This result capped a truly dominant performance against the Azzurri, giving Norway a remarkable 7-1 aggregate victory over the two qualifying matches. Indeed, Norway had demonstrated their crushing form by winning each of their last four qualifying matches by at least three goals.
Spearheading the attack, talisman Erling Haaland added two goals to his tally in Sunday’s spectacular win, bringing his final count for the qualifying campaign to an astonishing 16 goals.
Solbakken’s Pride and Praise
Norway coach Ståle Solbakken was full of praise for his squad’s historic achievement.
“When I saw the draw, I was almost sure that Italy were going to qualify. But we are first instead and we are very proud,” Solbakken said on UEFA website. “I asked a lot of the players during this campaign and they gave me so much. They did a terrific job.”
Solbakken pointed to the team’s balance as the key to their success. “We are a mix of physical strength and technique,” he stated. “Remember that we played without [captain] Martin Ødegaard tonight and we opted for two hard-working midfielders, although they are also technically skilled. No team has just one quality. Maybe only [Josep] Guardiola’s Barcelona were 100% technique.”
Solbakken himself was part of Norway’s 1998 World Cup squad, wearing the number 6 jersey. Now, nearly three decades later, he leads his country back to the global stage as head coach—a full-circle moment in Norwegian football history.
European Qualifiers Update
Norway adds their name to the growing list of European nations who have already booked their tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.2
England and France were the first European teams to book their places.
Croatia sealed their spot on Friday.
Portugal and Norway both added to the list on Sunday.
The battle for more European spots continues tonight, with Groups A, G and L all in action on Monday, promising more drama and decisive moments in the race to the World Cup.
Group I Table
The group winners, Norway, qualified directly for the World Cup finals, while the runners-up, Italy, advanced to the second round (play-offs).
Pos Team Pld W D L Goal Pts
1 Norway 8 8 0 0 37-5 24
2 Italy 8 6 0 2 21-12 18
3 Israel 8 4 0 4 19-20 12
4 Estonia 8 1 1 6 8-21 4
5 Moldova 8 0 1 7 5-32 1
