Iraq 1-4 Norway
Welcome to World Cup 2026, Erling Haaland, as the Manchester City star powered Norway past Iraq to their first victory of the quadrennial tournament on Tuesday night at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The Premier League Golden Boot winner struck either side of Aymen Hussein’s header for Iraq before Leo Ostigard and an own goal from Hussein secured victory for Norway. With the 4-1 victory, Ståle Solbakken’s side have taken the top spot in Group I, despite France taking care of business against Senegal (3-1) a few hours ago, due to a slightly higher goal difference.
Iraq head coach Graham Arnold will leave Boston full of what-ifs, as the Mesopotamian Lions had their chances to salvage a point from this match, but to no avail.
Unlike the other groups, Group I is performing as expected, with Norway and France likely headed to the knockouts following their victories, per the World Cup 2026 odds, leaving Senegal and Iraq to fight for third place in the next 10 days.
Here are today’s World Cup 2026 highlights, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Highlights of the game
Iraq actually started well against Norway, as they had the better of the early chances. Their first real chance took place in the 13th minute, as Aymen Hussein tipped the ball to Ali Ali-Hamadi, whose shot went too high from the edge of the box. Torbjørn Heggem’s intervention caused Ali-Hamadi to rush his attempt.
However, it was Norway who broke the deadlock in the 29th minute, as Erling Haaland was on hand at the back post to tap in from David Moller Wolfe’s low cross.
Iraq drew level 10 minutes later, as Hussein headed the ball into the back of Orjan Nyland’s net after a cross from Amir Al-Ammari. However, the Mesopotamian Lions fell behind again before halftime when Haaland closed down Jalal Hassan and deflected the goalkeeper’s clearance into the back of the net.
Graham Arnold’s men had three chances to equalise before the halftime whistle. Moller Wolfe blocked Ibrahim Bayesh’s effort. Kristoffer Ajer prevented Ali-Hamadi from scoring. And Akam Hashim’s left-footed volley just went over the crossbar.
Norway were quieter in the second half, with their first shot of the second half coming in the 76th minute. However, the resulting corner from Kristian Thorstvedt’s blocked attempt saw Leo Ostigard head the ball in to make it 3-1.
Haaland almost had a hat-trick after pouncing on an ill-advised pass from Zidane Iqbal, but Hassan was quick off his line to close on the Norwegian striker. However, Haaland’s header across the face of goal deep into stoppage time was inadvertently tapped in by Hussein.
Key statistics
Erling Haaland is the first player to score multiple goals for Norway in his World Cup debut. The Manchester City striker has scored multiple goals in each of his last five caps for his country (13 goals). He has also scored in his 11 competitive appearances for Norway dating back to November 2024 – a run he’ll look to continue ahead of their pivotal games against Senegal and France in Group I.
With Haaland leading the way, Norway won the expected goals (xG) battle 2.58 to 0.77. They also had more shots on target (six to one), 63-per cent possession, and zero bookings.
But Iraq will take some positives from this encounter, as they scored just their second World Cup goal, with the other coming in a 2-1 loss to Belgium in 1986. If they have a similar performance against France, they can certainly challenge for third place in Group I.
Aymen Hussein (35) is two goals away from surpassing Ali Kadhim (36) in the Mesopotamian Lions’ all-time scoring list.
What’s next?
Norway can seal their place in the knockouts if they win their next match against Senegal on Monday night, while France can do the same with another victory against Iraq a few hours earlier. The Norway-Senegal match will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, while the France-Iraq match will take place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. A few days later, Norway and France will battle for the top spot at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, while Senegal’s (likely) battle for third with Iraq will be at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada.
Even if Norway and France secure their knockout spots by then, both teams are expected to go all out, since a more favourable Round of 32 matchup will be up for grabs. The winner of Group I is set to face the third seed from Group C, D, F, G, or H.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
