Can Erling Haaland lead Norway to victory in the 2026 World Cup?

Seeing Norway on the World Cup stage is new for Erling Holland — the last time Norway played at the tournament was in 1998, the year after he was born. Now the 25-year-old Boganan, the aggressive offensive player is at the forefront of bringing his country back to this huge competition. The only thing Holland can do — score goals — is what Norway needs to get out of Group I and have a chance in the knockout stages.

Judging from the 2019-20 season how effective Haaland has been in finding the goal, few other players in Europe's top-five leagues have scored more goals than him. 174 goals in 199 matches marked his goals-per-match ratio of 0.87 — a responsibility that comes with this level of productivity.

At club level, Haaland was instrumental in Manchester City winning several trophies. Norway will be hoping to carry those club successes onto the international stage now. Speaking to GQ magazine in the rain, Haaland said: "With my international debut in 2019, my big goal is to take Norway to the World Cup and the Euros. It's putting a lot of pressure on me but I like pressure like everyone else — I'd be under a lot of pressure if I wasn't Orling Haaland." (Translation)

Norway have only had the chance to participate in the World Cup three times in the past. Holland's father Alfie Holland was in the 1994 World Cup squad; They didn't even get out of the group stage that time — all Alfie needed was one more in the competition. The burden of this legacy is familiar to Hollande, and he is ready to accept this wider pressure.

Haaland progressed from youth to the first team, starting at Bayern's academy, then through Molde, Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund before joining Manchester City, where his goalscoring prowess never wavered. In general, other aspects of his game have improved over the course of the goals. Former Norway striker and current ESPNFC pundit Jan Åge Fjørtoft said (translated verbatim with Yahoo Sports): "Erling had an uncanny flair for goals as a youngster. But in the last 7-8 years he's shown noticeable changes — heading, clicking the ball, tackling better with both feet. Internal development has been constant."

Haaland has had his share of consistency issues during Mancha's season — as recently as a season in which he ended up with 27 goals for the season, even when he looked weak during a seven-game stretch in January; It was the second-highest finish in his four seasons with England. Norway's entire 26-man squad lacks much sustained top-level European competition experience — as they have rarely participated in major tournaments in the 28 years since 1998. This is why this World Cup is not just another ordinary event.

Aside from that, Holland's leadership qualities can also be seen in particular among the best qualities of the Footraft Norway team. "It's also important how he's developed as a person; he's very popular in the dressing room," Fjortuff said. While the physical aspects are obvious, leadership has also been a major part of him.

Norway will not have much comfort if they stay in Group I. They will first open against Iraq at the Gillette Stadium, then take on Senegal at the Met Life Stadium. They face France in the final group match — a match that could decide whether they take them to the next round in the group or drop them into a desperate third-place finish. Although it is clear that Norway's offense will flow through Holland, he has supporting players such as Arsenal star Martin Odyagore and Atletico Madrid winger Alexander Sarloth.

Despite the relegation, Norway's qualifying run was far from uneventful: they won twice against Italy in an 8–0 series, conceding 37 goals in total and conceding just 5 goals. Holland scored in every qualifying match, a European best with 16 goals — more than double the tally of England star Harry Kane, Netherlands' Memphis Depay and Austria's Marko Arnautovic.

At club level, Holland played a key role in Manchester City's success during Pep Guardiola's tenure. He won two Premier League titles, two FA Cup titles and one Champions League. Similar international success is yet to come, but there is hope that Norway's current generation can perform well alongside rivals like Holland.

As Fjorduff summed it up: "Of course we live and die on Erling's goals. But someone has to be consistent defensively — our group isn't easy. What we need to do is put enough goals in our side to get through to the next round." The pressure appeals to Haaland — the growth and lessons he's learned at club level are now expected to be key to his team's international success.