Powered by Erling Haaland’s goals and Ralf Rangnick’s attacking philosophy, Norway and Austria arrive at the 2026 FIFA World Cup as ambitious outsiders capable of challenging some of football’s biggest names.
Norway
Fans are inclined to have a flutter on a gifted Norway surpassing itself in the exciting cauldron of the FIFA World Cup. The Scandinavian country steamrolled rivals in the UEFA World Cup qualifiers and marched to the finals for the first time in 28 years, that's after the competition in France 1998.
With its passage confirmed, Norway will get a first opportunity to flaunt the goal- getting power of Erling Haaland in FIFA's signature event. The left footer has captured the imagination of the football crazy for several years.
The 6.3 ft tall Haaland will be a big crowd puller at the venues and also in drawing rooms across the world.
He found the target sixteen times and assisted in two in the group matches as his side took the goal tally to 37; a record across the 12-group 54-team European qualifying round. Another striker, Alexander Sorloth, scored five.
Norway's form in the qualifiers grabbed the attention of the football world, especially when it eliminated Italy with two decisive wins; 3-0 in Oslo and 4-1 at San Siro in Milan, and sealed its position as the group leader. It won the matches comfortably against Estonia, Moldova and Israel, inflicting heavy defeats. Italy sacked its coach after the 3-0 rout in the Norwegian capital.
The experts believe that midfielder Martin Odegaard and the forward line comprising Sorloth, Haaland and Antonio Nusa will be difficult to contain. Norway is quite flexible in its style of formation.
It is comfortable with 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 combinations, and it also tried a 4-5-1 start against Italy in Milan.
The 25-year-old Haaland was also in form for Manchester City this season, playing 35 matches, scoring 27 goals and assisting in eight. Without a doubt, Haaland is all set for a competition that will see the last of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane.
Norway's preparation leading to the finals has been good, though it went down to the Netherlands 1-2. But it beat Sweden 3-1 and drew with Switzerland and Morocco. It will play Iraq, Senegal and France; it will be a marquee match against Kylian Mbappe's France at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. The two nations will clash for the first time in twelve years. It's 6-3 in France's favour from 1964 to 2014.
Manager Stale Solbakken comes into the World Cup with a 56-32-12-12 record. He believes that should his team play as well as it did in the qualifiers, it can do something special for the fans. It has no record against Iraq, and it lost 0-1 to Senegal some two decades ago. But with the electrifying Haaland in its ranks, Norway will be a treat to watch.
Austria
German coach Ralf Rangnick has caused a turnaround in the fortunes of the Austrian football team. He took charge of the team (April 2022) after it failed to book a ticket to Doha 2022, and since then, he has been with the team for a couple of European tournaments. His contract was extended up to the completion of the World Cup 2026.
It is said that around 6000 people attended matches in Austria before his arrival, but after a few wins under him, the stadiums saw a surge in spectators and the numbers touched between 40000 and 50000 for matches involving the national team. Rangnick has received a big thumbs-up from the captain, David Alaba, and the players for his belief in an attacking style of play.
A few officials in the Austrian football association wanted a change in the dugout, but strong support from the team averted a change after the Euro 2024. His contract was in fact revised till the conclusion of the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Austria finished its group at the top ahead of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Romania, Cyprus and San Marino, scoring 22 goals. The local football fans celebrated the team's World Cup qualification. It beat Ghana, Tunisia and South Korea after the qualification and now will take on Jordon, Argentina and Algeria, which it beat 2-0 at the 1982 World Cup.
Almost the entire Austrian team plays in the German league and a few in European leagues. A good start against Jordon will give Austria the confidence to take on Argentina with confidence.
Published: 08 Jun 2026, 12:22 pm IST
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