Norway is among the 32 teams that qualified for the Knockout Stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, after becoming one of the three teams to advance from Group I with France and Senegal.
They achieved victories in their first two group matches, taking care of business against Iraq and Senegal, with star player Erling Haaland scoring four goals across those games.
However, Norway decided to take it easy with Haaland and other key players for their final group match against France, figuring they were content to settle for second place rather than trying to win the group ahead of the bigger tournament matchups.
They’ll take on the Ivory Coast on Tuesday, and Erling Haaland has already shown he is getting ready for what’s ahead. He uploaded an X post featuring side-by-side photos of him training for the upcoming battle.
“Knockout mode loading…,” Haaland wrote in his message, including fire and Norwegian flag emojis.
The 25-year-old Manchester City star is appearing in his first-ever World Cup, and thus far, he’s been phenomenal. Haaland recorded two goals in each of his team’s first two group victories.
That had many people celebrating the international football phenom’s arrival in the United States, and now they’re excited to see what he can do against the Ivory Coast after resting up and getting prepared.
Ivory Coast reached the Round of 32 by advancing from Group E. They picked up wins over Ecuador and Curacao, but couldn’t defeat group winner Germany. In their two wins, they held their opponents scoreless.
Not many people expect that to happen against Norway, but anything is possible in this single-elimination format now. However, should Norway emerge victorious as the odds suggest, it will likely be driven by Haaland’s performance on the pitch in some fashion.
A 2023 runner-up for the Ballon d’Or, he finished behind one of soccer‘s greatest of all-time, Lionel Messi, who is creating new history in each game he plays in at this World Cup. Haaland is beginning to write his own international history with this first-ever World Cup appearance, and seems fully focused on the task of advancing past the Ivory Coast.