Norway does not feel like an underdog.
Against Senegal on Monday night, it was more of the same from FIFA's 31st-ranked country in the world. Norway's World Cup group stage has seen the team score three or more goals in each game, including yesterday's 3-2 win over Senegal.
Yet this is a team with little in the way of international pedigree. Norway has only competed in the UEFA European Championship one time, and that was in 2000. Players like Erling Haaland are changing that perception one goal at a time.
The Manchester City FC forward has scored four goals in two games. Martin Ødegaard, coming off an English Premier League title with Arsenal FC, has two assists in as many games. Even Norway's bench is producing, with goals scored by substitutes in each of their group-stage matches.
After Monday's match at NY/NJ (MetLife) Stadium, Haaland tried to focus more on being realistic and proud with some humor thrown in. The striker's contributions have secured his team a knockout round spot, and he wanted people in Norway to know that anything is possible.
"As I've said for a long time, I want to achieve things with Norway," Haaland said in the mixed zone after the game. "Its possible no matter where you come from. Whether you come from Brønnøysund, come from Vigra...it is possible to play on the national team."
For the uninitiated, like me, Brønnøysund is a town of 5,000 on a peninsula on the country's western shore. Vigra Municipality is an island community of about 1,500 people. In American terms, he's saying even someone from Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, or Tombstone, Arizona can play for the national team.
Norway's night
The game on the field was scrappy. Stale Solbakken's Norway was, overall, the more dominant force versus Senegal. Even during a first half that saw multiple missed chances, including one by Haaland on an empty net off a defensive error by goalkeeper Édouard Mendy.
Off the field, the Norwegian fans were anything but scrappy. The red wall behind the north goal of NY/NJ Stadium was imposing, with the focal point of activity the Viking Row. Coordinated by a massive drum up front, two beats signaled every fan in the sections to do a rowing motion, mimicking the actions of history's seafaring Vikings who Norway nods to often, even with their World Cup roster photoshoot.
When done by a few people, it's corny. When thousands of fans do it in unison, it's a sight. One that even had FIFA volunteers and NJ State Troopers in nearby sections taking out their phones to record.
After the game, the Norway team took a moment on the pitch to take part in a row with the fans, something Haaland explained he and his teammates had discussed doing before hand.
"It was sick and then yesterday in Times Square there was a good atmosphere there. So me and (Martin Ødegaard), we talked about a couple of matches if we were to join in, if everything went the way it did," Haaland explained. "It made it quite a special moment for all of Norway."
Haaland was quick to praise Senegal as a good team, but noted how Norway has won a lot of games in row. In total, his country last lost in a friendly vs the Netherlands on March 27. Since then, Norway has won three games and tied twice across the World Cup and pre-World Cup friendlies. Prior to that, Norway was undefeated throughout 2025 across 10 game played. Since losing to Austria in UEFA Nations League on October 13, 2024, the country has a record of 14W-3D-1L across all matches played.
Again, Norway does not feel like an underdog team. Something more and more fans seem to be feeling.
Haaland still wasn't getting ahead of himself, or imagining things he considers unrealistic. Haaland was asked about making history at the tournament and his response was blunt, and pure Scandinavian.
"To qualify for the first time in 28 years and going through the group stage, yes, I would say so. To win the World Cup, absolutely not. Let's be realistic and let's be happy (for) every single Norwegian today."
For a team in only competing at its fourth World Cup since 1938 and its first since 1998, it's a realistic outlook. One that you expect to hear from fans but not really from players.
That said, recent World Cups have had multiple surprise teams make deep tournament runs. In the last installment, Morocco made it to the semifinals, becoming the first African nation to do so. In 2018, Croatia made a shocking run to the final, becoming the first Eastern European side to appear in the world's championship game since Czechoslovakia in 1962.
In summation, things can happen if you just keep winning.
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Special night for Haaland
Haaland has two straight braces in the World Cup through two games. He's tied for second-most goals in the tournament at the time of writing with France's Kylian Mbappé and is one behind Argentina's Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot lead.
When asked about how he keeps scoring in big competitions, whether that be the Champions League or World Cup, Haaland gave a smirk and shrugged.
"I don't know, I think it's my specialty to score goals. It's like many other things. I'm just really good at scoring goals and I'm quite lucky. I don't know what I'm doing but, eh, that's just how it is."
I think he does know what he's doing, to be honest. In the 2025/26 season, Haaland finished with 27 goals for Manchester City and won the Premier League's Golden Boot. In all competitions, he had 38 goals, a small gap of 27 more goals than the next-best player on the squad, Antoine Semenyo.
Since 1930, only eight players have scored goals for Norway at the World Cup. Six of them only have one goal. Again, Haaland has four.
With his family watching from the NY/NJ Stadium stands, Monday was a special moment. Haaland is creating more and more of them, not just for his country but also for himself — unselfishly.
Norway is now through into the knockout rounds. They are probably favored to reach the Round of 16, which would tie the best result the country has ever had in the tournament. Through just these two games, the emotions and feelings have been on par with the championships Haaland has won at the club level.
"I was just talking about what I think is the last few nights I've had in my entire life, both against Iraq and now tonight. It's a bit of the same feeling I had after the Champions League final, so it's hanging so big. I'm incredibly proud and all that to be part of it," Haaland said.
Biggest test comes next
Norway closes out the group stage with a marquee matchup against France. That game will take place on the night of Friday, June 26 at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Both teams have already advanced into the knockout round, so winning the group and placement in the Round of 32 is all that's up for grabs. The winner of Group I will face one of the eight best third-place teams (someone from group C, D, F, G, or H) back in East Rutherford, New Jersey on June 30.
The group runner-up will face the runner-up from Group E, which in all likelihood will be a tricky Ivory Coast side.
Norway would still be a favorite in either game because, again, with Haaland and so much talent on this team, they do not feel like an underdog. Against France? It's unclear, since the teams might attack the game differently considering the standings. Head-to-head at full strength, of course the 2018 World Cup winners would be favorites, but I don't think it's a clear-cut, one-sided prediction.
In an interview with Fox after the Senegal match, Haaland addressed the prospect of facing France in the third group game with a surprisingly stark reply.
"We managed to get through, which is incredible, so I couldn't care too much about that game. They're probably going to win against us, they're probably going to win the whole tournament," Haaland said of facing Mbappé and company next. Norway's star is staying humble, but his and his team's performances could upend expectations, even against France.
