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Sporting one of the world's most electric goal-scorers, Norway enter their fourth FIFA World Cup not as a plucky underdog hoping to spring an upset, but instead as one of the more formidable sides in the competition.
Having topped their UEFA qualifying group as one of just two European teams to finish with a perfect record alongside England, Norway are a truly potent side that, while maybe not strong enough to challenge for the title, can certainly make a deep run in the competition.
The presence of Erling Haaland will strike fear into any opponent, as the Manchester City superstar is one of the world's most pure goal-scoring threats in modern football. He is supported by a cast of characters that together have proven greater than the sum of their parts.
The Sporting News brings you through the Norway squad for the 2026 World Cup, and who will hope to lead this team into a FIFA tournament for the first time 28 years.
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Norway World Cup roster 2026
Norway are expected to announce their 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday, May 21.
May 11 was the deadline to submit to FIFA an official preliminary list of 35-55 players, from which teams are required to name a final roster by Saturday, May 30.
Below is a predicted roster for Norway at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the official list of players set to be announced shortly.
Caps and stats are correct as of May 18.
| GK | Viljar Myhra | OB (Superliga, Denmark) | 29 | 0 |
| GK | Orjan Nyland | Sevilla (La Liga, Spain) | 35 | 69 |
| GK | Egil Selvik | Watford (Championship, England) | 28 | 6 |
| DEF | KristofferAjer | Brentford (Premier League, England) | 28 | 50 |
| DEF | Fredrik Andre Bjorkan | Bodo/Glimt (Eliteserien, Norway) | 27 | 19 |
| DEF | Odin Bjortuft | Bodo/Glimt (Eliteserien, Norway) | 27 | 1 |
| DEF | Henrik Falchener | Vikingur (Eliteserien, Norway) | 23 | 1 |
| DEF | Torbjorn Heggem | Bologna (Serie A, Italy) | 25 | 13 |
| DEF | Leo Skiri Ostigard | Genoa (Serie A, Italy) | 26 | 36 |
| DEF | Marcus Pedersen | Torino (Serie A, Italy) | 25 | 31 |
| DEF | Julian Ryerson | Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga, Germany) | 28 | 41 |
| DEF | David Moller Wolfe | Wolves (Premier League, England) | 24 | 20 |
| MID | Patrick Berg | Bodo/Glimt (Eliteserien, Norway) | 28 | 41 |
| MID | Sander Berge | Fulham (Premier League, England) | 28 | 64 |
| MID | Aron Donnum | Toulouse (Ligue 1, France) | 28 | 18 |
| MID | Jens Petter Hauge | Bodo/Glimt (Eliteserien, Norway) | 26 | 14 |
| MID | Felix Horn Myhre | Brann (Eliteserien, Norway) | 27 | 7 |
| MID | Antonio Nusa | RB Leipzig (Bundesliga, Germany) | 21 | 22 |
| MID | Martin Odegaard | Arsenal (Premier League, England) | 27 | 67 |
| MID | Andreas Schjelderup | Benfica (Primeira Liga, Portugal) | 21 | 10 |
| MID | Morten Thorsby | Cremonese (Serie A, Italy) | 30 | 30 |
| MID | Kristian Thorstveldt | Sassuolo (Serie A, Italy) | 27 | 35 |
| FWD | Oscar Bobb | Fulham (Premier League, England) | 22 | 18 |
| FWD | Erling Haaland | Man City (Premier League, England) | 25 | 49 |
| FWD | Jorgen Strand Larsen | Crystal Palace (Premier League, England) | 26 | 26 |
| FWD | Alexander Sorloth | Atletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain) | 30 | 70 |
Norway players to watch at World Cup
The star duo on this Norway team is Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, who team up on the international stage after battling against one another for the Premier League title in each of the last few years.
As one of the premier strikers in the world, Haaland's goal-scoring record is nothing short of remarkable, with 55 scored in just 49 international appearances at age 25.
Behind the two obvious playmakers in this team, Oscar Bobb is a developing talent who struggled at Fulham this year but was once a prized Manchester City youth product. Jens Petter Hauge was one of Bodo/Glimt's most exciting players during a season where they made European waves with a deep Champions League run.
MORE: All you need to know about Norway's schedule at the 2026 World Cup
Who is the Norway coach at the World Cup?
Norway head coach Stale Solbakken is the out-spoken boss of the national team, having been in charge since 2020.
With managerial experience at Copenhagen (twice), Cologne, and Premier League side Wolves prior to signing on, Solbakken replaced Lars Lagerback in the middle of 2022 World Cup qualifying. He brought Norway to the brink of qualification, but they fell just three points short of second-placed Turkey in their group.
He then led Norway to 2026 qualification by impressively beating Italy to the top spot in their group, navigating a perfect eight wins from eight matches. Italy finished second, winning all of their other games but losing to Norway twice.
The 58-year-old is a former Norway international who earned 58 caps as a midfielder before a heart attack cut short his playing career after it resulted in the discovery of a heart defect.
Can Norway replace players on World Cup roster?
Once the final roster is official, participating teams at the World Cup could only make changes before the first game of the tournament, and only in the case of extraordinary circumstances.
According to the official tournament rules (page 32), "a player listed on the final list may only be replaced in the event of serious injury or illness up until 24 hours before the start of his team's first match." The exception concerns goalkeepers, who can be replaced in such circumstances at any time.
Norway World Cup history
By reaching the 2026 tournament in decisive fashion, Norway have qualified for their first World Cup competition since 1998, and only their third time since debuting in 1938.
Coincidentally, Norway also participated the last time the World Cup was in the United States, reaching their second-ever World Cup tournament in 1994 when they were eliminated in the group stage. Their best-ever finish is twice reaching the Round of 16, first in 1938 during their debut appearance and again in 1998.
- Current FIFA World Ranking: No. 31 (April 2026)
- World Cup titles: 0
- World Cup appearances (last): 3 (France 1998)
- How Norway qualified, W-L-D: UEFA Group I winners (8-0-0)
- World Cup record:
- Games: 8 GP (2W, 3D, 3L)
- Goal differential: -1 (7 GS, 8 GA)
Norway World Cup schedule
As a Pot 2 team, Norway were drawn into Group I. Their competitors in the group will be co-hosts France, Senegal, and Iraq.
| 1. | France | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. | Senegal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. | Iraq | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. | Norway | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group I fixtures
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Tue, Jun. 16 | 3 p.m. | France vs. Senegal | MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) |
| Tue, Jun. 16 | 6 p.m. | Iraq vs. Norway | Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA) |
| Mon, Jun. 22 | 5 p.m. | France vs. Iraq | Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA) |
| Mon, Jun. 22 | 8 p.m. | Norway vs. Senegal | MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) |
| Fri, Jun. 26 | 3 p.m. | Norway vs. France | Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA) |
| Fri, Jun. 26 | 3 p.m. | Senegal vs. Iraq | BMO Field (Toronto, CAN) |
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