Brazil vs Norway starts with Brazil carrying Neymar on the bench again, while Norway lines up with Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard in attack. The winner moves into the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals on July 5, 2026, with Mexico or England waiting next.
MetLife Stadium in New Jersey
The match is being played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with Ismail Elfath of the United States as referee. Brazil opened with Alisson, Danilo, Marquinhos, Gabriel, Douglas Santos, Rayan, Bruno Guimaraes, Casemiro, Martinelli, Cunha and Vinicius, while Norway started with Nyland, Ryerson, Ajer, Lysaker Heggem, Wolfe, Odegaard, Berge, Berg, Sorloth, Haaland and Nusa.
Carlo Ancelotti again kept Neymar among the substitutes. Raphinha returned to the bench after being injured against Haiti, joining Weverton, Ederson Moraes, Alex Sandro, Bremer, Danilo Santos, Ederson, Endrick, Fabinho, Ibanez, Leo Pereira, Luiz Henrique and I. Thiago.
Patrick Berg’s early offside
Norway had the first sharp break in the third minute, when Patrick Berg put the ball in the net only for the goal to be ruled offside. That left the match level and pushed the game into the kind of tight knockout rhythm both teams expected from a 90-minute round-of-16 tie.
Brazil came in with a cleaner recent result. It beat Japan 2-1 in the previous round, with Casemiro equalizing before the 60th minute and Gabriel Martinelli scoring the winner in stoppage time.
Brazil’s old Norway problem
The draw also carries a stubborn fact for Brazil: it has never beaten Norway in four meetings. That sits beside a longer tournament pattern too, with Brazil not going beyond the quarterfinals at a World Cup since 2002, the same year it last won the title.
Norway arrived with its own edge. It beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in the previous round, Erling Haaland scored the decisive goal, and the team has scored in every match at this tournament. The winner here reaches the quarterfinals and meets the winner of Mexico versus England.
