Norway vs Iraq 2026 FIFA World Cup Result: Haaland makes World Cup debut with two goals in 4-1 win

Norway’s Erling Haaland (9) celebrates his second goal of the game during the Group I soccer match between Iraq and Norway in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell) Norway’s long-awaited return to the FIFA World Cup ended in celebration as Ståle Solbakken’s side beat Iraq 4-1 in their opening Group I match at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Norway, appearing at the tournament for the first time since 1998, arrived carrying the expectations of a generation that had waited 28 years to see the national team back on football’s biggest stage. Iraq, meanwhile, made only their second World Cup appearance and first since Mexico in 1986, ending their 40-year absence.The night ultimately belonged to Erling Haaland, whose first appearance at the World Cup produced the first two goals of Norway’s campaign. The Manchester City striker struck twice before half-time, while second-half goals from Leo Østigård and an unfortunate late own goal capped a convincing victory that left Norway within three points of France at the top of Group I after Didier Deschamps’ side beat Senegal 3-1 earlier in the day.

Haaland is announcing himself on the World Cup scene

For most of the opening half hour, Norway controlled possession and territory without finding a breakthrough. Martin Ødegaard dictated play from midfield, while Alexander Sørloth and Haaland repeatedly stretched the Iraqi defense with intelligent movement around the penalty area.The deadlock was finally broken in the 29th minute after a turnover deep in Iraqi territory. Norway quickly moved the ball to the left wing, where David Møller Wolfe accurately crossed into the danger area. Haaland was quickest to react at the far post, darting forward to meet the pass and fire home Norway’s first World Cup goal since 1998 with a powerful first-time finish high into the net.

Norway’s Erling Haaland (9) scores the opening goal against Iraq’s goalkeeper Jalal Hassan (12) during the World Cup Group I soccer match between Iraq and Norway in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

The goal had obvious significance beyond the scoreboard. Haaland entered the tournament as one of football’s biggest stars despite never appearing at a major international tournament before. Norway’s failure to qualify for the recent World Cup and European Championship has left one of the game’s most prolific strikers without a global stage. That changed in Foxborough when the 25-year-old finally opened his World Cup account.However, Iraq refused to let the match get away from them. Their equalizer came in the 39th minute thanks to a moment of real quality. Amir Al-Ammari produced a tempting pass into the penalty area and Aymen Hussein rose above a crowd of Norwegian defenders to direct a powerful header past Ørjan Nyland to level the game at 1-1.

Iraq’s Aymen Hussein, top, scores his team’s first goal during the Group I soccer match between Iraq and Norway in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

For a brief period, Iraq looked capable of carrying that momentum into half-time. Instead, disaster struck four minutes later.A routine back pass to goalkeeper Jalal Hassan lacked pace and conviction, allowing Haaland to instantly anticipate the danger. The Norwegian forward latched on to the ball before Hassan could react and calmly curled his finish into an empty net in the 43rd minute to restore Norway’s lead and silence an Iraqi recovery almost as quickly as it appeared.

Norway’s Erling Haaland (9) scores his second goal of the game against Iraq’s goalkeeper Jalal Hassan (12) during the World Cup Group I soccer match between Iraq and Norway in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

The quality of Norway speaks after the break

The second half followed a familiar pattern, with Norway controlling possession and forcing Iraq to spend long periods defending in their own half.The statistics reflected this dominance. Norway finished with 63% of possession, completed 477 accurate passes with a 90% success rate and generated an expected goal number of 2.59 compared to 0.77 for Iraq. They also had the advantage in total shots (12-11), shots on goal (6-1) and corner kicks (5-2).Despite these advantages, Iraq remained within touch until the last quarter of the match. The contest effectively ended in the 76th minute thanks to a contribution from an unlikely source.Defender Leo Østigård only entered the game four minutes ago after replacing David Møller Wolfe. When Ødegaard curled a corner into the penalty area, Østigård timed his move perfectly, rose above the Iraqi defense and towered high over Hassan to extend Norway’s advantage to 3-1.

Norway’s top scorer Leo Oestigard scores his team’s third goal during the World Cup Group I soccer match between Iraq and Norway in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

The goal rewarded Norway’s persistent pressure and also highlighted the influence of captain Ødegaard, whose delivery produced the decisive third goal after another assured performance in midfield.Iraq continued to find a way back into the match, but Norway’s organization and control left few openings. The final result was even more emphatic deep into stoppage time when Aymen Hussein inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net in the 96th minute in an effort to deal with another dangerous Norwegian attack.An unlucky own goal capped off a 4-1 victory that may have looked a little harsher on Iraq than the overall contest suggested, but there was no doubting a deserved winner.

Group I is starting to form

The result immediately changes the makeup of Group I following France’s 3-1 win over Senegal earlier in the day. Norway and France are on three points after the first game, while Senegal and Iraq face early pressure heading into their second games.Norway arrived in North America after one of the most impressive qualifying campaigns in Europe. Solbakken’s side secured qualification with a perfect 8-0 record, while Haaland led the continental scoring charts with 16 goals in just eight qualifying matches, eight more than any other player.Those goals helped bring Norway back to the World Cup for the first time since a generation that famously beat Brazil to reach the round of 16 in France in 1998. Their World Cup history remains relatively short, with appearances in 1938, 1994, 1998 and now 2026, but this current squad has real ambition.

Norway’s Erling Haaland celebrates scoring his team’s opening goal during the Group I soccer match between Iraq and Norway in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Despite the defeat, the Iraqi comeback was equally historic. The Lions of Mesopotamia have spent four decades waiting to return to the tournament after their only previous appearance in Mexico in 1986. While the result was disappointing, Hussein’s goal ensured they did not leave empty-handed from an attacking perspective.Attention now turns to the next round of Group I fixtures. Norway face Senegal on June 22, while Iraq take on France on the same matchday after Didier Deschamps’ side opened their campaign with a 3-1 victory powered by Kylian Mbappé’s brace. Another win would put Norway in the lead ahead of what is already shaping up to be one of the highlights of the entire group stage.Norway’s final group game against France on June 26 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough has already been widely seen as a standout matchup in Group I. The encounter will bring together two of the tournament’s most dangerous attacking sides, with Haaland and Mbappé facing off at international level for the first time. France arrived in North America as heavy favorites to lift the trophy, while Norway’s impressive qualifying campaign and emphatic opening win reinforced the belief that they can challenge the group’s top seeds. After a 28-year wait to return to the World Cup, Norway could hardly have asked for a stronger start to the campaign, which now carries real ambition in the knockout stages.