Erling Haaland enters Golden Boot battle with Messi and Mbappé after two-match World Cup warm-up in Norway

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Norway’s Erling Haaland, left, celebrates with David Moeller Wolf after scoring his third goal during the World Cup Group I soccer match between Norway and Senegal in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano) The Norwegian striker scored twice in a 3-2 win over Senegal to send his country into the knockout stages and continue one of the most prolific international runs football has ever seen.Erling Haaland arrived at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the weight of expectation that accompanies any elite striker, and just two games into his debut on football’s biggest stage, he has begun to translate that expectation into a string of performances that are already reshaping Norway’s place in World Cup history.Haaland scored twice as Norway beat Senegal 3-2 in an engrossing Group I contest at the MetLife Stadium, a result that secured qualification to the round of 32 and set up a crucial final group stage meeting with France on June 27 to determine who finishes top of the group.For Norway, who were appearing at the World Cup for the first time since 1998, the win marked a long-awaited return to prominence on the global stage, while for Haaland it represented the next step in a remarkable international career that has gone from strength to strength with each appearance.

Norway bounced back from pressure from Senegal to secure qualification

For most of the opening third, Senegal matched Norway’s intensity and threatened to disrupt their rhythm, forcing Ståle Solbakken’s side into a game that required patience as much as attacking quality. The breakthrough finally came in the 43rd minute when a costly misunderstanding between Kalida Koulibaly and goalkeeper Édouard Mendy allowed Marcus Holmgren Pedersen to capitalize to give Norway the lead just before the break.The moment shifted the balance of the game and Norway carried that advantage into the second half with renewed confidence. Just two minutes after the restart, Martin Ødegaard produced a pass that reflected both his vision and accuracy, thumbing a perfect through ball into Haaland’s path, which the striker calmly converted to double the lead.

Norway’s Erling Haaland (9) scores his third goal during the World Cup Group I soccer match between Norway and Senegal in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephen Collingwood)

Senegal responded quickly, with Sadio Mané driving forward and creating space for Ismaïla Sarr, who was able to finish as she fell to the ground in the 53rd minute to reduce the deficit and briefly restore tension in the match.However, Haaland’s influence again proved decisive. He met the ball in the penalty area for the first time in the 58th minute and struck a fierce volley that clipped the underside of the crossbar before crossing the line to restore the Norwegians’ two-goal advantage and put them firmly in control.Sarr’s second goal deep into stoppage time set up a thrilling finish but Norway held on to secure a victory that confirmed their progress to the knockout stages.

Haaland became Norway’s top scorer at the World Cup

Haaland entered the tournament without a single World Cup goal, yet he has already scored four in the span of two games, which now makes him Norway’s highest scorer in World Cup history. In doing so, he broke the previous national record of two goals held by Kjetil Rekdal, a mark that stood since Norway’s last appearance at the tournament in 1998, meaning Haaland broke a record that had stood for 28 years.

Norway’s Erling Haaland (9) reacts during the Group I soccer match between Norway and Senegal on Monday, June 22, 2026, in East Rutherford, NJ near New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

What makes this achievement particularly remarkable is not just the number itself, but the speed with which it was achieved, as Haaland needed just two appearances to become his country’s most prolific goalscorer in World Cup competition.His four goals came in back-to-back games against Iraq and Senegal, putting him among a select group of players who have started their World Cup journeys with extraordinary scoring consistency.

A feat seen only six times in World Cup history

By scoring twice against Senegal, Haaland became only the sixth player ever to score multiple goals in each of his first two World Cup appearances.The exclusive list spans nearly a century of tournament history and includes some of football’s greatest forwards.Before Haaland, only five players had accomplished the feat, each with remarkable scoring streaks in their opening two games:

  • Guillermo Stábile (Argentina, 1930): Scored a hat-trick against Mexico on his debut, followed by a brace against Chile.
  • Sándor Kocsis (Hungary, 1954): Opened with a hat-trick against South Korea, then scored four goals against West Germany.
  • Just Fontaine (France, 1958): Started with a hat-trick against Paraguay, followed by a match against Yugoslavia.
  • Grzegorz Lato (Poland, 1974): Recorded consecutive braces against Argentina and Haiti.
  • Harry Kane (England, 2018): On his debut, he scored against Tunisia and then a hat-trick against Panama.

They have now been joined by Haaland, who scored back-to-back braces against Iraq and Senegal.More impressively, he is only the second player in the last 50 years to reach the milestone, following Kane’s remarkable start for England in Russia eight years ago.For a player making his World Cup debut at the age of 25, it represents an extraordinary introduction to the tournament.

A scoring record unlike anything seen in modern football

While his World Cup performances have attracted considerable attention, they are only part of a wider international record that continues to set new benchmarks.Haaland’s two goals against Senegal took his tally to 59 goals in just 52 appearances for Norway, giving him a goals-per-match ratio of 1.13, the highest recorded by a men’s international with at least 50 caps in the last 100 years.To understand the extent of this success, it is necessary to consider the players who follow him:

  • Erling Haaland (Norway): 59 goals in 52 games — 1.13 goals per game
  • Sándor Kocsis (Hungary): 75 goals in 68 games — 1.10 goals per game
  • Gerd Müller (West Germany): 68 goals in 62 games — 1.10 goals per game
  • Harry Kane (England): Around 0.65 goals per game
  • Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): Approximately 0.62 goals per game
  • Lionel Messi (Argentina): Approximately 0.59 goals per game

Haaland’s performance therefore places him not only ahead of his contemporaries, but behind many of the most prolific goalscorers in football history.His latest goal also extended a remarkable streak of consistency as he has now scored in 12 consecutive competitive games for Norway and found the net in 18 of his last 21 competitive internationals.

The Golden Boot race heats up ahead of the showdown in France

Haaland’s brace has also ensured he remains firmly in the race for the Golden Boot, with four goals from two games to move level with France captain Kylian Mbappé and just one behind Lionel Messi, who reached five goals after Argentina’s last outing.Norway’s qualification ensures Haaland will have further opportunities to add to his tally, starting with Friday’s clash with France, a match that will decide the winner of Group I and also bring together two of the tournament’s most prolific strikers.Mbappé comes off the back of scoring twice against Iraq, while Haaland enters the game off the back of another decisive performance against Senegal, setting the stage for a match that has both competitive and individual significance.For Norway, progressing to the knockout stages is the first such achievement since 1998, but for Haaland, the focus continues to widen beyond qualification as his four goals in two games have already placed him among the tournament’s standout players, with his influence likely to grow further as the competition progresses.