Erling Haaland scored twice inside 40 minutes to mark his long-awaited World Cup debut with a statement performance, as Norway swept aside Graham Arnold's Iraq 4-1 in their 2026 FIFA World Cup group-stage opener. It was Norway's first appearance at the tournament in 28 years, and the night belonged unmistakably to their talismanic striker. Leo Ostigard and Kristian Thorstvedt also found the net to complete a convincing victory.
The occasion carried genuine historical weight beyond the result itself. Thirty-two years ago, Erling's father Alfie Haaland wore the Norway shirt at a World Cup. On Wednesday, his son stepped onto that same stage and made it his own - though the two men are separated not just by decades but by the sheer scale of what Erling has already achieved. With 57 goals in 51 international appearances since his 2019 debut, the 25-year-old Manchester City striker operates in a register few players in Norwegian football history have approached. By the age of 24 he had already shattered a 92-year-old national record to become Norway's all-time leading scorer. This was the platform he had been denied until now, and he wasted no time making it count. biathlon bets online canada
A Debut That Followed a Familiar Script
Those who follow Haaland closely will recognise the pattern. He scored on his Bundesliga debut at Salzburg, on his Champions League debut, and on his Premier League debut for Manchester City. Add the World Cup to that list. Norway head coach Stale Solbakken had made his assessment plain before the tournament began: "I think he is the world's best goalscorer." Wednesday's performance did little to challenge that view. Haaland has now scored in each of his last 11 competitive international appearances for the Grass Stallions, a run stretching back to November 2024 that underlines just how relentlessly productive he has become at international level.
Norway's Long Wait - and What It Meant
For a generation of Norwegian fans, this World Cup is not simply another tournament. It is a first. Haaland himself said as much in a pre-tournament interview with ESPN. "I never experienced Norway being at a World Cup in my lifetime," he admitted. "I'm just happy now that we qualified, and all the young Norwegian kids can experience how it is to have their country there." He drew on his own childhood memories - the 2010 opening game, James Rodríguez's brilliance in 2014 - as the emotional backdrop to what he hoped Norway could now create. "I want to create something special there together with the whole nation," he said. Against Iraq, that process began with purpose and clarity.
Iraq Outclassed, France Looms Large
For Iraq, returning to the World Cup after four decades, the evening was a difficult education. Graham Arnold's side were unable to contain Norway's attacking intent and found themselves overmatched. The margin was clinical and, by the final whistle, fair. Their next assignment is considerably more daunting: a meeting with 2018 world champions France on June 23. Norway face Senegal on the same day - a fixture that will do much to define the group's shape. Former Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, speaking on Fox Soccer before the match, had framed Norway's prospects in terms that now look well-founded: "This is a golden generation for Norway now... they've got the man - the main man - Erling Haaland. Any team with him is going to have a chance."
