Norway at the FIFA World Cup
International football delegation
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Norway has participated in the qualification for 18 FIFA World Cup tournaments and have appeared in the main tournament four times, in 1938, 1994, 1998, and 2026. The team is undergoing their deepest run at a World Cup, advancing to the quarter-finals for the first time in their history at the 2026 World Cup.[1][2] They had the distinction of not losing any matches unless it was to Italy during the finals phase (losing to Italy in 1938 during round 1 in a straight knockout tie, being eliminated in the 1994 group stage from having the fewest number of goals scored after defeating Mexico, losing to Italy and drawing 0–0 with the Republic of Ireland which resulted in all four teams having 4 points and a 0-goal difference, and in 1998 drew with Scotland and Morocco before coming from behind to defeat Brazil 2–1[3] to advance to the round of 16 where they were defeated by Italy).[4][5][6]
Background
Norway's two appearances in the 1990s were built on the direct style of manager Egil Olsen, who favoured long passes, compact defending and rapid counter-attacks. Drawing on the goal-scoring analysis of statistician Charles Reep, the approach carried Norway to second in the FIFA World Rankings in the mid-1990s.[7]
The return in 2026 ended a 28-year absence, the country's first appearance since 1998. Led by Erling Haaland, who scored 16 goals in UEFA qualifying, Norway secured their place with a 4–1 win over Italy in Milan.[8][9][10]
Record at the FIFA World Cup
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 1930 | Did not enter | |||||||
 1934 | ||||||||
 1938 | Round of 16 | 12th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 1950 | Did not enter | |||||||
 1954 | Did not qualify | |||||||
 1958 | ||||||||
 1962 | ||||||||
 1966 | ||||||||
 1970 | ||||||||
 1974 | ||||||||
 1978 | ||||||||
 1982 | ||||||||
| 1986 | ||||||||
 1990 | ||||||||
 1994 | Group stage | 17th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
 1998 | Round of 16 | 15th | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 |
  2002 | Did not qualify | |||||||
| 2006 | ||||||||
 2010 | ||||||||
 2014 | ||||||||
 2018 | ||||||||
 2022 | ||||||||
 2026 | Quarterfinals | TBD | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 9 |
  2030 | To be determined | |||||||
 2034 | ||||||||
| Total: 4/23 | Quarterfinals | 12th | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 17 |
- *Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out
By match
| World Cup | Round | Opponent | Score | Result | Venue | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Round of 16 | Italy | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | L | Marseille | A. Brustad  83' |
| 1994 | Group stage | Mexico | 1–0 | W | Washington, D.C. | K. Rekdal 84' |
| Italy | 0–1 | L | East Rutherford | — | ||
 Republic of Ireland | 0–0 | D | East Rutherford | — | ||
| 1998 | Group stage | Morocco | 2–2 | D | Montpellier | Y. Chippo  45+1' (o.g.), D. Eggen 61' |
 Scotland | 1–1 | D | Bordeaux | H. Flo 46' | ||
| Brazil | 2–1 | W | Marseille | T.A. Flo 83', K. Rekdal 89' (pen.) | ||
| Round of 16 | Italy | 0–1 | L | Marseille | — | |
| 2026 | Group stage |  Iraq | 4–1 | W | Foxborough | E. Haaland 29', 43', L. Østigård 76', A. Hussein 90+6' (o.g.) |
 Senegal | 3–2 | W | East Rutherford | M. Holmgren Pedersen 43', E. Haaland 48', 58' | ||
| France | 1–4 | L | Foxborough | T. Aasgaard 21' | ||
| Round of 32 |  Ivory Coast | 2–1 | W | Arlington | A. Nusa 39', E. Haaland 86' | |
| Round of 16 | Brazil | 2–1 | W | East Rutherford | E. Haaland 79', 90' | |
| Quarterfinals | England | v | Miami Gardens |
Record by opponent
Match records
1938 FIFA World Cup
Squad
First round
| 5 June 1938 | Italy | 2–1 (a.e.t.) |  Norway | Marseille, France |
| 17:00 (WEST) | Ferraris 2' Piola 94' |
(1–1, 1–0) Report (FIFA) |
83' Brustad |
Stadium: Stade Vélodrome Attendance: 19,000 Referee: Alois Beranek (Austria) |
1994 FIFA World Cup
Squad
Group stage
| 19 June 1994 | Norway | 1–0 | Mexico | Washington, D.C., USA |
| 16:00 (EDT) | Rekdal 84' |
(0–0) Report (FIFA) |
Stadium: RFK Stadium Attendance: 52,395 Referee: Sandor Puhl (Hungary) |
| 23 June 1994 | Italy | 1–0 | Norway | East Rutherford, NJ, USA |
| 16:00 (EDT) | Pagliuca  21'D. Baggio 69' |
(0–0) Report (FIFA) |
Stadium: Giants Stadium Attendance: 74,624 Referee: Hellmut Krug (Germany) |
| 28 June 1994 | Republic of Ireland | 0–0 | Norway | East Rutherford, NJ, USA |
| 12:30 (EDT) | Report (FIFA) | Stadium: Giants Stadium Attendance: 72,404 Referee: José Torres Cadena (Colombia) |
1998 FIFA World Cup
Squad
Group stage
| 10 June 1998 | Morocco | 2–2 | Norway | Montpellier, France |
| 21:00 CET | Hadji 37' Hadda 60' |
(1–1) Report (FIFA) |
45+1' (o.g.) Chippo 61' Eggen |
Stadium: Stade de la Mosson Attendance: 29,800 Referee: Pirom Un-Prasert (Thailand) |
| 16 June 1998 | Scotland | 1–1 | Norway | Bordeaux, France |
| 17:30 CET | Burley 66' |
(0–0) Report (FIFA) |
46' H. Flo |
Stadium: Stade du Parc Lescure Attendance: 31,800 Referee: László Vágner (Hungary) |
| 23 June 1998 | Brazil | 1–2 | Norway | Marseille, France |
| 21:00 CET | Bebeto 78' |
(0–0) Report (FIFA) |
83' T.A. Flo 89' (pen.) Rekdal |
Stadium: Stade Vélodrome Attendance: 55,000 Referee: Esse Baharmast (United States) |
Round of 16
| 27 June 1998 | Italy | 1–0 | Norway | Marseille, France |
| 16:30 CET | Vieri 18' |
(1–0) Report (FIFA) |
Stadium: Stade Vélodrome Attendance: 55,000 Referee: Bernd Heynemann (Germany) |
2026 FIFA World Cup
Group stage
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Norway |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 6 | |
| 3 | Senegal |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 3 | |
| 4 | Iraq |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 12 | −11 | 0 |
Knockout stage
- Round of 32
- Round of 16
- Quarterfinals
Player records
Most appearances
| Rank | Player | Matches | World Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henning Berg | 7 | 1994 and 1998 |
| Stig Inge Bjørnebye | 7 | 1994 and 1998 | |
| Kjetil Rekdal | 7 | 1994 and 1998 | |
| 4 | Øyvind Leonhardsen | 6 | 1994 and 1998 |
| Erik Mykland | 6 | 1994 and 1998 | |
| 6 | Fredrik Aursnes | 5 | 2026 |
| Patrick Berg | 5 | 2026 | |
| Oscar Bobb | 5 | 2026 | |
| Antonio Nusa | 5 | 2026 | |
| Andreas Schjelderup | 5 | 2026 | |
Goalscorers
| Player | Goals | 1938 | 1994 | 1998 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erling Haaland | 7 | 7 | |||
| Kjetil Rekdal | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Arne Brustad | 1 | 1 | |||
| Dan Eggen | 1 | 1 | |||
| Håvard Flo | 1 | 1 | |||
| Tore André Flo | 1 | 1 | |||
| Leo Østigård | 1 | 1 | |||
| Marcus Holmgren Pedersen | 1 | 1 | |||
| Thelo Aasgaard | 1 | 1 | |||
| Antonio Nusa | 1 | 1 | |||
| Own goals | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Total | 19 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 12 |