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Iraq vs Norway World Cup 2026 prediction

HINT: Norway -1.5 ODDS: 4/5 16 JUN @ 23:00
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Norway kick off their first World Cup since 1998 with a trip to Boston, Massachusetts on Tuesday to face Iraq, competing in only their second-ever World Cup.

The European side breezed through qualifying by winning eight out of eight, scoring 37 and conceding just five. That included doing the double over Italy – 3-0 at home and 4-1 in Milan. Israel, Estonia and Moldova were the other teams in the group.

25-year-old superstar Erling Haaland gets to play in a major international tournament for the first time this summer. He scored 16 goals in qualifying, including three versus Italy. The Manchester City striker should be supported by Arsenal’s Martin Ødegaard, coming off an injury-plagued and inconsistent season. Fulhma’s Sander Berge and Oscar Bobb, RB Leipzig’s Antonio Nusa and Crystal Palace’s Jørgen Strand Larsen are other well-known players to supply the attack.

Norway’s defence is certainly their weak point. Borussia Dortmund right-back Julian Ryerson is very attacking. Former West Bromwich Albion centre-back Torbjørn Heggem will need to play out of his skin in this tournament. Derby County’s Sondre Langås is intelligent but very slow.

I was unable to see any of Iraq’s qualifying games. They finished third in their qualifying group, sevne points behind South Korea and one behind Jordan through 10 games. They won four, drew three and lost three. They did keep six clean sheets but only scored nine goals.

Ipswich Town’s Ali Al-Hamadi plays up front. They have Ahmed Qasem of MLS side Nashville SC in midfield, but otherwise most of their squad plays outside of well-known leagues.

Norway’s odds are short and I think they will live up to this. I think they will fall short of being able to match up to France (although France could already be qualified and rotate their squad when they meet) and their game versus Senegal could decide the runner-up. This is a must win and one I fully expect the European team to win comfortably.

Best bet: Norway to win -1.5 is 4/5 with Bet365