:PROFILE [image:https://cdn.slatesource.com/0/0/5/005628c6-45e9-4753-a410-1dd7379f19b3.webp] Erling Haaland Norway's 2026 FIFA World Cup run The most feared striker in world football arrived at his first World Cup and delivered exactly what :STATS :INFO From the brink to the quarterfinals Norway entered this World Cup seeded but not fancied to go deep. They were drawn into Group D alongside Brazil, Ivory Coast and Iraq. Few gave them any realistic chance of topping the group. Haaland scored twice against Iraq in a 4-1 opener, twice against Senegal in the second group game after a late Ivory Coast swap under tournament seeding rules, and then struck the winner against Ivory Coast late in the third game to send Norway through as group winners. They then faced Brazil in the Round of 16, a match that football neutrals expected to be a formality for the five-time champions. Haaland's second-half brace changed everything. :NOTE The Brazil goal that stopped the world. With Norway trailing 1-0 in the 77th minute at MetLife Stadium, Haaland controlled a long ball on his chest, turned Marquinhos with one touch and drove low past Alisson. Then, in the 89th minute, he met a Lars-Kristoffer Nilsson cross with a running header that beat Alisson at his near post. Norway 2, Brazil 1. The stadium fell silent. Brazil, who had never before lost a World Cup knockout game to a Scandinavian nation, were out. :CHECKLIST Norway's path to the 2026 World Cup final [ ] Group D, Game 1: Norway 4-1 Iraq (Haaland 2). Group winners if results hold. [ ] Group D, Game 2: Norway 3-0 Senegal (Haaland 2). Second consecutive win. Through as group leaders. [ ] Group D, Game 3: Norway 2-1 Ivory Coast (Haaland 1). Top the group by three points. [ ] Round of 32: Bye (48-team format, top 32 go straight through). [ ] Round of 16: Norway 2-1 Brazil (Haaland 2). Historic upset. Quarterfinals secured. [ ] Quarterfinal: England (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, July 11). [ ] Semifinal: Winner of Morocco vs France bracket (July 15, TBC). [ ] Final: July 19, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford. :NOTE Haaland vs the greats. His tally of 62 goals in 54 international caps gives him a ratio of 1.15 goals per game for Norway, surpassing both Cristiano Ronaldo (0.90 per game at peak international form) and Robert Lewandowski (0.68). At 25 he has already broken Jorgen Juve's Norwegian all-time record of 33 goals set in the 1930s. He passed it in his 44th cap. :QUOTE [quotetype:plain, subtitle:Erling Haaland] I have dreamed of this tournament my whole life. I knew if we stayed together we could do something special. We are not done yet. :NOTE.half [icon:SHIELD] The Golden Boot Race Haaland, Mbappe (France) and Messi (Argentina) are all on 7 goals heading into the quarterfinals. England's Harry Kane sits fourth on 6. If still tied after the tournament, FIFA uses assists as the tiebreaker: Haaland has 1, Mbappe 2, Messi 1. Mbappe currently leads on assists. | :NOTE.half [icon:CHART] Norway's World Cup History Norway have appeared at three World Cups: 1938, 1994 and 1998. Their best result before 2026 was reaching the Round of 16 in France 1998, where they lost to Italy. They failed to qualify for every tournament between 1998 and 2026. This is their first quarterfinal. It is also their first World Cup with Erling Haaland. :LINK https://www.nbcsports.com/soccer/news/erling-haaland-stuns-with-two-late-goals-for-norway-vs-brazil-rising-up-world-cup-golden-boot-leaderboard Haaland's brace that ended Brazil's 2026 World Cup :LINK https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12098/13556951/world-cup-2026-golden-boot-race-lionel-messi-kylian-mbappe-harry-kane-and-erling-haaland-in-epic-battle Sky Sports: the 2026 Golden Boot race in full