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Carried on the shoulders of Holland’s “car”… the Norwegian team comes out of the shadows, threatening the leaders of the world championship.
After an absence of more than a quarter of a century, The cry of the Vikings echoes again in the stadiums of the 2026 World Cup. This time, Norway is coming not just to participate, but on the shoulders of a human “evaluation machine” called Erling Haaland. The forward, who was born in 2000 in Leeds, England, when his father Alfie Haaland was arriving at English stadiums, decided to write history in the colors of his native country, and today he has become the star that fans are waiting for to explode in the biggest world forum.
Norway’s road to the 2026 World Cup was not strewn with roses, but rather an epic, with Haaland as the first hero. Since saying goodbye to Euro-2000, Norway was in the shadows, but the “Golden Boy” had a different opinion. He led his country to a wonderful qualifying campaign in which Norway achieved a perfect record, beating giants Italy, who finished second. Haaland not only led but created a goalscoring circus, scoring 16 goals in the qualifying campaign to claim Norway’s fourth-ever participation (after 1938, 1994, 1998) with ambitions to surpass the last one-eighth.
In the ‘Wait For Them’ series, Koora highlights Erling Haaland, who is looking to write brilliant new chapters at the international level this time around and lead his country to unprecedented success.
A restless number machine
Haaland’s journey to the top began in Norway’s Brenne and Molde before he exploded in Austria’s Salzburg and then Germany’s Dortmund. But the historic transformation was his move to Manchester City for €60 million in 2022. There he not only scored a goal, but also broke the record books. He achieved the treble in his first season and became the English Premier League’s top goalscorer in a single season (36 goals).
Holland, who won the IFFHS Best Player in Europe and World Player of the Year awards, enters the World Cup as Norway’s all-time top scorer with 55 goals in just 48 games, the fastest player in history to reach the 50-goal mark at international level (in 46 games).
A natural talent… world champion jumper and record holder for Honduras
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Behind this enormous physical strength is hidden a whole athlete. During his childhood, Haaland played handball, golf and athletics, and he still holds the world record for his age group (age 5) in the long jump of 1.63 meters, which he achieved in 2006. A historic record in FIFA tournaments, giving him the tournament’s golden boot despite Norway’s exit in the round. Groups, so that moment was the official announcement of the birth of a “monster” in the penalty area.
World Cup ambition: Vikings are in a difficult mission between Roosters and Tiranga Lions.
The draw puts Holland and his teammates to the real test in Group Nine, which includes former world champions France, strong Senegal and Iraq. Norwegian fans will be counting on Holland’s perfect positioning and deadly finishing to surpass the country’s best achievements (1938 and 1998 finals).
As for Holland, who won the 2020 Golden Boy Award and has featured in FIFPro’s World 11 Team for consecutive years,The 2026 World Cup provides the ultimate platform To prove that he is not only the greatest player in Norway’s history, but the player who can take his country to heights they have never touched before.
