The 2026 FIFA World Cup is another week closer and the next team that will be coming to the Meadowlands that is being put in the spotlight is Norway. The team’s qualification marks its fourth time making the tournament, with the most recent being in 1998.
Norway qualified for the tournament by putting up their best performance in the qualification stages in the country’s history. The team finished with eight wins and no losses, scoring 37 goals and only conceding five goals to opponents.
The team is coming to MetLife Stadium on June 22, 2026 at 8 p.m. to take on Senegal. Norway will be playing in Group I, which consists of Senegal, France and a team that will be decided in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification tournament.
Norway has a limited history in the tournament, previously making the tournament in 1938, 1994 and 1998. The team’s best finishes came in 1938 and 1998, when they made the round of 16. This year, the team is looking to surpass that and finally make it past the round of 16. Currently ranked as the 29th best team in the world, Norway has continued to trend upward for years, giving them solid chances of making history.
Norway’s not-so-secret weapon, Erling Haaland, is just 25 years old but already considered one of the greatest to ever play for the team. Haaland has accumulated 55 goals for Norway in only 48 appearances, numbers that solidify him as an all-time great. The striker already holds the record for most international goals scored on the team, which he has continued to further the gap on. Haaland is one of just 86 footballers to record over 50 international goals and he has done so in the fewest number of games.
After a 28-year drought, Norway is eager to make the most of its first appearance in the FIFA World Cup for the 21st century. The team currently boasts arguably its most talented roster in its history and hopes that it can take advantage of the immeasurable value that Haaland has added to the roster.
Norway will look to return to MetLife Stadium in the later rounds of the tournament and hopefully, the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, which will be held in the Meadowlands. While the odds aren’t in the team’s favor, its immensely talented roster will hope to continue its dominance next summer.