Norway National Team: Football Squad, Next Match, Fixtures and Haaland's Landslaget

The Norway national team is the country's men's football side, known at home as Landslaget, and it plays its home matches at Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo. Its tournament history includes Olympic bronze in 1936 and a World Cup last 16 appearance in 1998. South African readers searching for the Norway soccer team can follow its selections and fixtures through the same international match listings.

Readers in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana and Uganda can compare Norway with Senegal through their 2026 World Cup meeting. Haaland joined Manchester City in 2022, while Martin Ødegaard moved to Arsenal on loan in January 2021 before completing a permanent transfer in August 2021. Norway's fixture module supplies match details and local start times; the sections below explain the squad, results and tournament history.

When Is Norway's Next Match, and What Time Is Kick-Off Where You Live?

Norway's fixture module pairs the scheduled opposition with the competition and start time. The African time labels correspond to Nigeria (WAT), Kenya and Uganda (EAT), South Africa (SAST) and Ghana (GMT). Oslo uses Central European Time in winter and Central European Summer Time in summer. The winter offset is GMT plus one; the summer offset is GMT plus two. European clock changes fall on the final Sundays of March and October. Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Uganda retain their respective offsets throughout the year, so Oslo's summer clock moves the African viewing time one hour earlier.

For example, a Norwegian winter start of 20:45 translates to 19:45 GMT in Ghana, 20:45 WAT in Nigeria, 21:45 SAST in South Africa and 22:45 EAT in Kenya and Uganda. During Norwegian summer time, that 20:45 start translates to 18:45 GMT, 19:45 WAT, 20:45 SAST and 21:45 EAT. Consult the fixture's broadcast entry for viewing information specific to the country and competition.

How Do You Read the Norway Fixtures and Results?

Read Norway's calendar chronologically and check the tournament label attached to each entry. Completed fixtures move into the results list with their final scores. World Cup qualification, European Championship qualification, UEFA Nations League games and friendlies have different purposes, so the competition helps explain what is at stake.

FT identifies a completed match, while the scorer entries explain who supplied Norway's goals and those of their opponents. Read any accompanying fixture note alongside the competition format to understand the result's significance. The national teams directory provides routes to other international sides, including African opponents.

A group table summarises several fixtures, whereas a knockout result determines progress through a single tie. Check whether a displayed score includes extra time and whether a separate penalty shootout settled qualification. A draw after normal time can therefore sit alongside a tournament exit or progression. For comparisons with African teams, distinguish competitive meetings from friendlies before drawing conclusions from the results.

Who Is in the Norway Squad?

Norway's selection module groups the called up players by their roles and supplies club details, senior appearances and international goals. A cap means a senior international appearance; club appearances and club goals belong to separate records. Selection updates and withdrawal markers explain changes between international windows.

Mohamed Elyounoussi was born in Al Hoceima, Morocco, in 1994, providing a specific African connection within Norway's football history. Consult the selection module to establish whether any individual is included for a particular international window.

Separate the wider squad from the starting eleven when assessing a fixture. Inclusion in a call up does not establish a player's match role: the team sheet distinguishes starters from substitutes. Position labels also need context. A midfielder listed centrally may operate nearer the touchline in possession, while a forward may move between the centre and either channel. The recorded line up helps make those distinctions.

Who Manages Norway, and How Do They Line Up?

Ståle Solbakken was appointed Norway manager on 3 December 2020, and he led Norway through their successful qualifying campaign in 2025 for the 2026 World Cup. Norway's manager module identifies the coach alongside the recorded starting eleven and formation for the match shown. Read the formation alongside the selected players to see how the team is arranged for that match.

The formation is a starting guide to spacing. Watch who offers width, which midfielder stays behind the ball and how many players enter the penalty area when a cross arrives. Against African opposition, the same questions help explain both teams without reducing either to a regional stereotype. Compare the space available to the forwards with the protection provided in front of each defence.

What Do Haaland and Ødegaard Mean to Norway?

Haaland's move to Manchester City in 2022 and Ødegaard's permanent Arsenal transfer in August 2021 give readers dated connections between Norway and English club football. For African viewers following those clubs, international selection offers another way to examine familiar players in a different team structure.

Those transfer histories also explain the players' connection to Fantasy Premier League, which draws its player pool from Premier League clubs. For a particular Norway match, consult the recorded selection and player statistics to assess their involvement.

Club familiarity is a useful introduction, but international combinations deserve their own reading. Consider who supplies the final pass, who occupies the central defenders and who supports attacks from deeper positions. A forward's chances depend partly on those relationships. For a midfielder, passing options and the movement ahead of the ball help explain involvement beyond a goal or assist entry.

How Did Norway Reach the 2026 World Cup Quarter Finals?

Norway won all eight of their qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and topped Group I, returning to the finals after their 1998 appearance. The qualifying record and the tournament run belong to separate stages of that campaign: group performance earned entry, while results at the finals determined progress through the competition.

In the 2026 group stage, Norway beat Senegal 3 to 2, with Haaland scoring twice, to reach the last 32. Norway subsequently reached the quarter finals in that tournament. For African readers, the Senegal fixture provides a specific meeting to examine through the recorded line ups, scorers and substitutions, alongside Senegal's own tournament history.

Who Holds the Norway Records?

Norway's records module identifies the leaders for senior international goals and appearances, with updated rankings and totals. Appearance records reflect repeated senior selection across an international career.

Read the categories separately: an appearance total measures participation, while a goal total records scoring. Neither figure alone explains a goalkeeper's contribution or a defender's role. When comparing Norway internationals with African players, use equivalent senior international categories and distinguish career totals from figures for one tournament. Historical milestones retain their meaning when attached to the year in which they were achieved.

What Is Norway's History at Major Tournaments?

Norway played their first international on 12 July 1908, a match Sweden won 11 to 3. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Norway won the bronze medal in the football tournament. Two years later they reached their first World Cup, in 1938, and lost 2 to 1 after extra time to Italy, who went on to become the champions.

Norway reached No. 2 in the FIFA ranking in October 1993 and again in July and August 1995. At the 1994 World Cup they beat Mexico, lost to Italy and drew with the Republic of Ireland before leaving the competition at the group stage. At the 1998 World Cup they finished second in their group, then faced Italy in a last 16 tie that Italy won. Norway also appeared at Euro 2000, where their campaign ended in the group stage.

Where Do Norway Play, and Why Are They Called Drillos?

Norway play their home matches at Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, the capital. It is to Norwegian football what the national stadium is to most countries, the ground where qualifiers are settled and the big nights are remembered, and the venue line on each fixture tells you whether a match is in Oslo or away.

The team's nicknames include Landslaget, which simply means the national team, Drillos, and Røde, Hvite, Blå, meaning Red, White and Blue, the colours of the Norwegian flag. The kit takes its lead from that flag, with red as the main shirt colour, so a red shirt on the viewing centre screen during a Norway match usually marks the home side. Readers who prefer a nickname to the plain country name will hear Landslaget most often, and Drillos turns up in fan talk and headlines alike.

Why Do Norway Matter in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda?

Norway’s 2026 meeting with Senegal offers readers in these five countries a specific African connection. Norway's 3 to 2 victory provides a dated example to explore alongside Senegal's tournament history. For another Norway fixture, consult the local start time, competition details and selected players to understand the occasion.

Elyounoussi's Moroccan birthplace adds a personal connection beyond meetings between national teams. Together, player backgrounds and international fixtures offer different routes into Norway's story. A viewing group can follow an African opponent, recognise players through club football and still assess the match on its own terms. Checking the venue and all four African time zones helps supporters coordinate that shared viewing.