Julian Ryerson

Julian Ryerson is Norway's first-choice right-back/wing-back, a tireless, physical Borussia Dortmund full-back who played every minute of all eight of Norway's 2026 World Cup qualifiers and reaches the nation's first World Cup since 1998. Born in Lyngdal to a Brooklyn-born father and Norwegian mother, he rose through Viking FK before five years at Union Berlin and a January 2023 move to Dortmund. VG dubbed him Norway's "psycho" for his relentless competitiveness, and in February 2026 he became only the fourth player in Bundesliga history to register four assists in a single match, all from crosses, in a 4-0 win over Mainz. A teammate told Norwegian press that "right now there is no right-back who is better than him."

Injury doubt, June 2026. Ryerson's tournament hit a snag in the 3–2 win over Senegal: he had pushed to start despite a knock — "det var Julian sitt eget valg" ("it was Julian's own choice"), said Solbakken — but lasted only 11 minutes before signalling he could not continue. With no firm prognosis as Norway prepared for the Group I decider against France, Solbakken was downbeat: "hvis du må av etter ti minutter, så er ikke det noe godt tegn" ("if you have to come off after ten minutes, that's not a good sign"). Torino's Marcus Holmgren Pedersen is the projected deputy at right-back if Ryerson cannot recover in time.