Erling Haaland's First World Cup Is Going Exactly How Norway Hoped
Norway are back at the World Cup for the first time since 1998 — and the most feared striker in the world is making his debut count with four goals already.
For most of Erling Haaland's career, there has been one strange gap on his résumé: no World Cup. He has scored goals at a video-game rate for his clubs, but Norway kept just missing out. The country had not been to a World Cup since 1998 — a generation of fans grew up never seeing their best player on the biggest stage.
That wait is over, and Haaland is making up for lost time.
Four goals, and the debut of a lifetime
Through the group stage, Haaland sits on four goals — level with Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, one behind Lionel Messi. For a player making his World Cup debut, in a country that waited 28 years to get back, it is hard to imagine a better opening act.
Norway came to stay a while
This is not a cameo. Norway advanced from their group alongside France, turning a 28-year absence into a knockout-round ticket. When your No. 9 is the most physically overwhelming striker in the world — genuinely a different size and speed than most defenders he meets — you always have a chance.
For the newcomers
If you are new to this: imagine a 6-foot-5 striker who runs like a winger and finishes like a machine, kept away from the World Cup for his entire prime by results out of his control. Now he is finally here, and the goals are coming exactly as advertised. Haaland against a knockout defense, with a nation that waited a generation behind him, is appointment viewing.
Figures as of June 24, 2026, group stage. Sources: NBC Sports, Sky Sports.