What the world is saying about Norway
As of 2026-06-21
Norway are through to the World Cup Round of 32 — their first knockout stage since 1998 — and the world has stopped calling it a fluke. Erling Haaland’s second-half double in a 3-2 win over Senegal made it back-to-back World Cup victories for the first time in Norwegian history and took him to four goals at the tournament (59 in 52 caps). The global narrative now frames Norway as a genuine dark horse carried by the most ruthless finisher at the tournament, with the looming France showdown billed as a referendum on Haaland vs Mbappé.
The takes
Al Jazeera· Qatarpraise
“Haaland scores two as Norway beat Senegal 3-2, enter World Cup knockouts” — frames the brace as Norway sealing a historic first knockout berth since 1998 on the back of their talisman.[source]
Opta Analyst· United Kingdompraise
Notes Haaland became only the second player in 50 years to score twice in each of his first two World Cup games, and that Norway won despite Senegal taking a record 58.3% possession — the underdog tag no longer fits.[source]
Sky Sports· United Kingdomneutral
Calls it a “nervy” 3-2 that Haaland’s double settled, sending Solbakken’s side through to the last 32 and setting up a Group I decider with France for top spot.[source]
Marca· Spainpraise
Gave Haaland a tournament-high 9.04/10 for his Iraq brace and wrote that he “doesn’t care about pressure — he’s made of something else entirely,” casting Norway’s No. 9 as the most ruthless finisher at the World Cup.[source]
Al Jazeera· Qatarpraise
Frames Norway as a 'golden generation' led by Haaland and Odegaard that 'breezed impressively through qualifying' (beating Italy twice), and says powering past Iraq points to a deeper run than their last appearance 28 years ago.[source]
ESPN (Connor O'Halloran)· USApraise
Calls Haaland 'utterly predictable' and his brace 'inevitable,' noting his perfect 8-0 qualifying record and supporting cast (Odegaard, Sorloth, Nusa) make Norway 'legitimate tournament contenders' for a deep underdog run.[source]
Yahoo Sports· USApraise
Slots Haaland alongside Messi and Mbappe as one of three stars who made the tournament 'officially arrive,' calling him Mbappe's 'chief rival for best striker in the world' and setting up France-Norway as a 'head-to-head referendum.'[source]
Squawka / bookmakers· UKpraise
Lists Norway at 25/1 to win the World Cup and second favourites in Group I, calling them a stand-out side 'thanks to Erling Haaland's goalscoring record and an outstanding qualification campaign' expected to reach the knockouts.[source]
ESPN· USAsurprise
Notes Solbakken branding Haaland 'the best striker in world football' — then Haaland himself rejecting it: 'Statistically, no,' conceding Kane and Mbappe outscored him this season. The humility itself became the international headline.[source]
Sports Mole· UKneutral
Previewing Norway-Senegal, makes Norway slight favourites and pinpoints Haaland's aerial threat and 'diagonal runs behind the high line' as the exact danger a 34-year-old Koulibaly and Senegal's defence will struggle to contain.[source]
10 takes · all sources linked inline. See also the global sources index.