Iraq vs Norway Prediction: World Cup 2026 Preview

Iraq and Norway open their 2026 World Cup campaigns on Tuesday evening at Gillette Stadium in Boston in the most anticipated fixture of Group I’s opening round, with Erling Haaland making his long-awaited World Cup debut against a nation competing in only their second ever World Cup finals, 40 years after their first and only previous appearance in 1986.

The Group I picture is already complicated before a ball has been kicked, with France and Senegal meeting a day earlier on Monday, meaning Tuesday’s result could leave either Iraq or Norway playing catchup before the group has properly begun. Norway arrive as the overwhelming favourites, ranked 26 places higher in 31st than Iraq in 57th, with a perfect qualifying record that saw them score 37 goals across eight games. Iraq arrive having come within one playoff defeat of not making the tournament at all. The contrast in how these two nations reached North America could not be more striking.

For our full breakdown of Norway’s squad, tactics and prediction, see our Norway World Cup 2026 preview.

Norway form heading into World Cup 2026

Norway’s qualifying campaign was one of the most dominant in European history. Drawn alongside Italy, Israel, Estonia and Moldova, Ståle Solbakken’s side collected all 24 points available, scoring 37 goals and conceding just five. It was the highest goal tally of any team in European qualifying.

Haaland alone scored 16 of those goals, twice as many as any other player on the continent. The form since qualification has been more mixed: they lost 2-1 against the Netherlands in their final major warm-up, drew with Morocco and Switzerland, but won 3-1 against Sweden in their most recent outing. Norway are returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1998, when they advanced out of the group stage before losing 1-0 to Italy in the round of 16.

Iraq form and World Cup background

Iraq’s path to North America was chaotic. The Football Federation of Iraq sacked manager Jesus Casas following a defeat against Palestine in March 2025, with the squad at risk of elimination from the AFC qualifiers. Graham Arnold, the Australian coach, was appointed two months later and guided the team through the third, fourth and fifth rounds of AFC qualifying and into the inter-confederation playoffs. A 2-1 victory over Bolivia in March sealed their place at the tournament, making Iraq’s return their first World Cup appearance since 1986, which was itself their only previous appearance in the competition’s history.

At that 1986 tournament in Mexico, Iraq lost all three group stage games against Paraguay, Belgium and Mexico, scoring just once. They are still looking for their first ever World Cup point. Since beating Bolivia, Iraq played three friendlies: a 1-0 win over Andorra in May, a 1-1 draw with Spain on June 4 and a 2-0 defeat to Venezuela four days later. They have faced just eight teams outside their own confederation since November 2022, winning only twice and losing four of those matches.

Iraq vs Norway head-to-head record

Tuesday evening will be the first ever meeting between Iraq and Norway. There is no head-to-head history on which to base judgements, but the most instructive reference point available is Norway’s record against AFC opposition. The last time Norway faced an Asian Football Confederation side was in September 2023 against Jordan, a match they won 6-0. That result gives an indication of the quality gap Norway tend to establish against opponents from that region.

Premier League players in the Iraq vs Norway World Cup fixture

Norway have six Premier League players in their squad, giving this fixture significant relevance for English football supporters. Erling Haaland of Manchester City leads the line in what will be his first World Cup game, with Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard controlling the midfield behind him. Iraq have one Premier League representative in Ali Al-Hamadi of Ipswich Town, making this a 6-1 split in top-flight English representation on the pitch.

Martin Ødegaard captains Norway and arrives as a Premier League champion, having led Arsenal to the title this season. His fitness was a concern throughout the domestic campaign after suffering five separate injuries, but he is expected to start and his creative partnership with Haaland is the most anticipated attacking combination of the entire Norwegian squad. Haaland, who won the Premier League golden boot again this season with 27 goals for Manchester City, has waited his entire career for this moment.

The World Cup stage on Tuesday in Boston is where it all begins for him. Sander Berge and Kristoffer Ajer provide additional Premier League depth from Fulham and Brentford respectively, while Jørgen Strand Larsen from Crystal Palace offers a physically imposing alternative to Haaland up front if Solbakken needs a different option. Ali Al-Hamadi of Ipswich is Iraq’s sole Premier League connection and their most recognisable name for English supporters.

Iraq team news and predicted lineup vs Norway

Goalkeeper and captain Jalal Hassan, 35, is expected to earn his 103rd cap between the posts. The central defensive pairing of Zaid Tahseen and Rebin Sulaka are likely to protect him, with Merchas Doski covering the right side of defence. Amir Al-Ammari and Zidane Iqbal form the midfield double pivot with the responsibility of shielding what will be a heavily pressured backline. Ibrahim Bayesh, Ali Jasim and Ali Al-Hamadi support striker Aymen Hussein in the forward areas, with Iraq likely to sit deep and attempt to threaten on the counter-attack.

Iraq predicted lineup vs Norway (4-2-3-1): Hassan; Ali, Tahseen, Sulaka, Doski; Al-Ammari, Iqbal; Bayesh, Jasim, Al-Hamadi; Hussein.

Norway team news and predicted lineup vs Iraq

Ørjan Nyland starts in goal. Kristoffer Ajer and Torbjørn Heggem are the expected centre-back pairing, with Julian Ryerson at right-back and David Møller Wolfe on the left. The midfield three of Ødegaard, Sander Berge and Fredrik Aursnes gives Norway technical quality and physical presence in equal measure. Alexander Sørloth and Antonio Nusa start wide of Haaland in the front three, with Nusa’s direct, unpredictable running on the wing expected to cause Iraq’s defensive line serious problems throughout the match.

Norway predicted lineup vs Iraq (4-3-3): Nyland; Ryerson, Ajer, Heggem, Wolfe; Ødegaard, Berge, Aursnes; Sørloth, Haaland, Nusa.

Iraq vs Norway prediction

This is as close to a mismatch as the group stage offers. Norway have the highest-scoring European qualifying record of this cycle, a Premier League golden boot winner leading the line and a squad built around elite technical and physical quality at every position. Iraq arrive having nearly not qualified, having changed their manager four months ago and having won just twice against non-AFC opposition since late 2022. The first ever meeting between these nations is going in one direction and it is going there convincingly. Norway will be motivated to build goal difference in anticipation of tougher battles against Senegal and France later in the group.

Prediction: Iraq 0-4 Norway

Kick-off: Tuesday June 17
Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Boston
Group: Group I