World Cup 2026: Which Teams Protected a First-Half Lead?
Short answer: in the eight named team rows available for this comparison, 22 of 24 recorded first-half lead episodes were held through full time, (…)
Norway’s men’s national football team represents the country in international competition under the Norwegian Football Federation. Its modern identity combines a proud red, white and blue visual tradition with a history that includes Olympic success, World Cup appearances and memorable Scandinavian rivalries. The team is closely associated with Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo while also carrying its matches across the country. This page brings together the national selection’s recorded personnel, coaching chronology, competition participation and enduring football story.
Xtra rating
1829
Conservative: 1181
Rank national
8
Updated: 11 July 2026
Norway Upcoming matches by league
UEFA Nations League
-
- 1
Norway
Denmark
-
- 2
Norway
Portugal
-
- 3
WalesNo H2HNorway
-
- 4
PortugalNo H2HNorway
Norway Last matches by league
UEFA Nations League
World Cup
Friendlies
World Cup - Qualification Europe
Euro Championship
Norway Team Roster
Norway’s recorded senior selection contains 26 players: three goalkeepers, 10 defenders, eight midfielders and five attackers. Ø. Nyland, E. Selvik and S. Tangvik form the goalkeeper group, while defensive options include K. Ajer, J. Ryerson and L. Østigård. Midfield includes M. Ødegaard alongside S. Berge and P. Berg. The attacking group features E. Haaland, A. Sørloth, J. Strand Larsen, Oscar Bobb and A. Schjelderup, giving the roster a clear mix of established and emerging attacking options.
position Goalkeeper
position Defender
3
Kristoffer Vassbakk Ajer
DEF
Norway
4
Leo Skiri Østigård
DEF
Norway
5
David Møller Wolfe
DEF
Norway
14
Fredrik Aursnes
DEF
Norway
15
Fredrik André Bjørkan
DEF
Norway
16
Marcus Holmgren Pedersen
DEF
Norway
17
Torbjørn Lysaker Heggem
DEF
Norway
24
Sondre Klingen Langås
DEF
Norway
25
Henrik Sælebakke Falchener
DEF
Norway
26
Julian Ryerson
DEF
Norway
position Midfielder
2
Morten Thorsby
MID
Norway
6
Patrick Berg
MID
Norway
8
Sander Gard Bolin Berge
MID
Norway
10
Martin Ødegaard
MID
Norway
18
Kristian Thorstvedt
MID
Norway
19
Thelo Gerard Aasgaard
MID
Norway
20
Antonio Eromonsele Nordby Nusa
MID
Norway
23
Jens Petter Hauge
MID
Norway
position Attacker
7
Alexander Sørloth
FWD
Norway
9
Erling Braut Haaland
FWD
England
11
Jørgen Strand Larsen
FWD
Norway
21
Andreas Rædergård Schjelderup
FWD
Norway
22
Oscar Bobb
FWD
Norway
Last Norway Coachs
The recorded coaching timeline places Ståle Solbakken at the latest starting point, with an appointment beginning in March 2021; because the timeline does not confirm a current appointment, this is presented as chronology rather than a current-role claim. A second Solbakken appointment is dated from December 2020. Leif Gunnar Smerud’s spell ran from November 2020 to March 2021, followed by Lars Edvin Lagerbäck from February 2017 to December 2020. Per-Mathias Høgmo’s earlier tenure began in September 2013 and ended in November 2016.
Ståle Solbakken
Norway
Coach since
1 March 2021
Coach until
History
| Coach | Coach country | Coach since | Coach until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ståle Solbakken | Norway | 1 March 2021 | |
| Ståle Solbakken | Norway | 1 December 2020 | |
| Leif Gunnar Smerud | Norway | 1 November 2020 | 1 March 2021 |
| Lars Edvin Lagerbäck | Sweden | 1 February 2017 | 1 December 2020 |
| Per-Mathias Høgmo | Norway | 1 September 2013 | 1 November 2016 |
| Åge Fridtjof Hareide | Norway | 1 January 2004 | 1 November 2008 |
Norway Transfers
For Norway, additions occur through national-team call-ups, player eligibility and returns to selection, not through signings, loans or other club-market activity. No individual call-up additions are identified in the selection recorded snapshot. The 26-player roster represents the named group for that date, rather than a transfer intake. Players may join camp from their clubs when selected, but that movement does not constitute a transfer into Norway’s national team. No fee or contract move applies to this international selection process.
No transfers in
Norway’s departures are selection decisions rather than sales, loans or releases from a club. Omissions, withdrawals and returns to their clubs can change a national squad between camps, but no specific departure or individual omission is identified in the selection recorded snapshot. The 26-player roster is therefore one view of eligibility and availability on that date. No transfer fee, destination or permanent exit applies to the national-team pathway, where players remain linked to their clubs outside international duty.
No transfers out
Transfers Synthesis
Norway’s national-team movement follows an international selection cycle rather than a club transfer market. Coaches assess eligibility, form and availability before naming a squad, with additions arriving through call-ups or returns to the international group. Between camps, players return to their clubs while withdrawals, eligibility issues and selection decisions can alter the next list. The 26-player recorded roster is one recorded snapshot of that process, not a season-long total of arrivals or departures. With no individual arrival or departure changes recorded here, the movement picture is intentionally limited. The key continuity comes from the established senior pool, which combines experienced names such as E. Haaland, M. Ødegaard and S. Berge with younger options including Oscar Bobb, A. Nusa and A. Schjelderup. This model reflects international duty windows, where selection status changes without ownership or registration moving between teams.
Leagues Norway has participated in
Norway’s competition history includes the 2026 World Cup, which is the current recorded tournament. Friendlies are also a recent part of the schedule, with participation recorded through 2025. The UEFA Nations League is recorded from 2018 to 2024, while European World Cup qualifying spans 2018 to 2024. European Championship qualifying appears for 2023, and the European Championship itself for 2020. Those latter entries are historical in this snapshot rather than current competitions, reflecting Norway’s recorded participation across global and European football.
More about Norway
Norway’s men’s national football team is the senior representative side of Norway, founded in 1902 and governed by the Norwegian Football Federation. The federation is a UEFA member and a founding FIFA member from 1904, placing the team within European qualification routes for the World Cup and European Championship. Norway has no permanent national stadium, although Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo is its principal home venue. Matches have also been staged at Lerkendal Stadion in Trondheim and Brann Stadion in Bergen, extending the national side’s presence beyond the capital. The team’s visual identity is strongly national: red shirts, white shorts and blue socks echo the Norwegian flag, while the crest incorporates the lion associated with the royal coat of arms. Supporters and commentators have used the nickname Drillos in connection with Egil Olsen’s celebrated era, as well as The Lions. The wider football culture values collective effort and Scandinavian resilience, with Sweden providing the most established neighboring rivalry and Denmark another familiar regional opponent. Norway’s early international history includes a first match against Sweden in 1908 and an Olympic bronze medal at Berlin 1936. The 1936 medal remains a defining Olympic achievement, while the 1990s stand as the clearest World Cup era in the team’s modern tradition. Its best-known modern historical phase came in the 1990s under Olsen, when Norway qualified for the 1994 and 1998 World Cups and defeated Brazil at the latter tournament. That period gave the side a pragmatic, direct reputation. The national pathway continues through federation-backed youth development, regional talent programs and progression from under-21 football into the senior setup. This blend of historic milestones, nationwide venues and structured development shapes Norway’s distinctive identity.
Last matches statistics for Norway
| match | shots | Poss. | Pass % | Fouls | Cards | Saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Netherlands
2 - 1
Norway
|
2 / 5 |
|
84 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
|
Norway
0 - 0
Switzerland
|
1 / 5 |
|
86 | 5 | - | 1 |
|
Norway
3 - 1
Sweden
|
7 / 22 |
|
89 | 6 | - | 3 |
|
Morocco
1 - 1
Norway
|
2 / 9 |
|
90 | 12 | 1 | 4 |
|
Iraq
1 - 4
Norway
|
5 / 12 |
|
89 | 13 | - | 0 |
|
Norway
3 - 2
Senegal
|
7 / 13 |
|
80 | 13 | - | 2 |
|
Norway
1 - 4
France
|
4 / 10 |
|
82 | 9 | 1 | 5 |
|
Ivory Coast
1 - 2
Norway
|
4 / 9 |
|
88 | 7 | 1 | 4 |
|
Brazil
1 - 2
Norway
|
5 / 9 |
|
91 | 6 | - | 4 |
|
Norway
1 - 2
England
|
4 / 13 |
|
85 | 10 | 1 | 6 |
Detailed statistics Norway
Xtra rating history
Last rating points (most recent matches).
shots Norway
Warnings Norway
Passes Norway
Goalkeeper saves Norway
Latest start lineups Norway (XI)
Norway vs England
World Cup 2026 - 1581037
Norway vs Senegal
World Cup 2026 - 1489401
Iraq vs Norway
World Cup 2026 - 1539016
Norway vs Sweden
Friendlies 2026 - 1536927
Netherlands vs Norway
Friendlies 2026 - 1503005
Norway vs New Zealand
Friendlies 2025 - 1352746
2026
1st shirt
2026
2nd shirt
2024
1st shirt
2020
1st shirt