Solbakken Leads Norway Fc Back to World Cup Stage After 26 Years

norway fc are going to a major tournament for the first time in 26 years, and Ståle Solbakken is the man taking them there. The manager called the qualifying night surreal after Norway topped their group and booked a place at the 2026 World Cup.

Solbakken and Norway Fc

Solbakken has been in charge since 2020, and this is the clearest return on that appointment. He won 58 caps for Norway as a player, but his route to this moment has been far harder than a normal coaching arc.

In 2001, while playing for Copenhagen, he suffered a heart attack and collapsed during a training session. By the time the ambulance arrived, he had been clinically dead for seven minutes, and his playing career ended there. Since then, he has been a manager in 24 of the 25 years after that forced retirement.

“I don’t think I’ll have any better nights than this in my life. It’s almost surreal,” Solbakken said after Norway topped their qualifying group. Norway had failed to qualify for the Euros two years ago, so this return arrives with a sharp edge: there is no cushion of recent tournament experience to lean on.

Haaland, Ødegaard, Sørloth

Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard sit at the center of the campaign. Ødegaard is the captain, Haaland is expected to be a major threat to defenders, and Alexander Sørloth is used as close to goal as possible.

Norway usually line up in a 4-3-3 formation, but they can also look more like a 3-5-2 when Julian Ryerson pushes up as a right winger. Antonio Nusa tends to hold the width on the left, giving Haaland and Sørloth the service they need near goal.

Their defensive shape has changed too. Norway improved their ball-playing defense during Euro 2024 qualification, and Torbjørn Heggem and Kristoffer Ajer have strengthened the options at the back.

Boston, New York/New Jersey

Norway’s group games now give the squad a direct test against different opponents and rhythms. They face Iraq in Boston on 16 June at 6pm local time, Senegal in New York/New Jersey on 22 June at 8pm local time, and France in Boston on 26 June at 3pm local time.

Jørgen Juve held Norway’s goals record for 92 years, which gives Haaland a clear individual burden inside a team story. The wider task is simpler to state than to solve: turn a 26-year absence into a tournament run that matches the scale of the names now carrying the side.