Erling Haaland has called Norway’s World Cup campaign “absolutely fantastic” and defended captain Martin Odegaard after their 3-2 win over Senegal to set up a showdown with France for the right to top Group I.
Having scored twice during the first half of his country’s opening 4-1 win over Iraq, Haaland repeated the feat with a second-half double against the Lions of Teranga to ensure he has scored two more goals than any of his compatriots in the history of the tournament.
“It’s up there with the biggest nights I’ve ever had in my entire life – both against Iraq and [Senegal],” said Haaland.
“We know how important Martin is to us; he’s our captain, so his place in the team is a given. There will always be criticism.”
World Cup 2026: What criticism did Odegaard face in Norway?
Commentators in Norway are said to have been unimpressed by Odegaard’s performance against Iraq, with Reuters also describing the midfielder’s display as “appearing off the pace” and “failing to produce his usual creative fluency”.
“Many players felt, after the Iraq game, that they had more to give individually,” the outlet reported player liaison officer Brede Hangeland to have said.
“Martin would be completely honest about that, too. We expect that we will look stronger, both individually and collectively, in the next match.”
Odegaard’s season for Premier League winners Arsenal was interrupted by physical issues including two knee injuries, and Haaland said the 27-year-old was facing familiar pressure for Norway’s players as they approach their group finale against France.
“If we play France now and I don’t score against France, I’m definitely going to get criticised,” suggested Haaland, who was the runaway Premier League top scorer for Manchester City in 2025/26.
“That’s just how it is. I honestly think there are plenty of others who notice and pay attention to that stuff way more than I do when it comes to criticism.
“It’s really the last thing I care about. There’s not much more to say about it.”
World Cup 2026: Haaland on Norway vs Senegal
On their return to the finals following a 28-year absence, Norway have now won more matches than they ever have at a single edition of the tournament.
“I’ve said for a long time that I want to achieve things with Norway,” said Haaland. “I want to qualify for the World Cup, the EURO and basically everything there is.
“It comes back to showing that it’s possible no matter where you come from. Wherever you come from, it’s possible to play for the national team and play on the biggest stage… if you look around you here, it’s undeniably that.
“It’s absolutely fantastic. Looking up at the stands and seeing my mum and my whole family there means a lot.
“It’s huge, and I hope they feel the same way – which I’m sure they do. It’s really nice.”
Haaland said the experience was comparable to becoming a European champion with City in 2023. “It’s a similar kind of feeling,” he reflected.
“The Champions League final sets the bar so high, so I’m just incredibly proud to be a part of it.”
World Cup 2026 top scorers: Haaland chases golden boot
A stellar cast of strikers are leading the early top-scorer standings in one key subplot so far at the finals.
Hours before Haaland struck again, Argentina’s Lionel Messi added to his hat-trick on matchday one with another two goals and Kylian Mbappe scored twice for a second successive match.
Germany’s Deniz Undav and Canada’s Jonathan David were on three goals after two matches, while European golden shoe winner Harry Kane scored twice in England’s opening match.
| Player | Country | Goals | Assists | Matches |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| Kylian Mbappe | France | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Erling Haaland | Norway | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Deniz Undav | Germany | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Jonathan David | Canada | 3 | 0 | 2 |
Norway World Cup 2026 fixtures, schedule
Here’s when Norway face France. Both teams are guaranteed to advance, with Les Bleus winning the group if the match is drawn.
| Date | Venue | BST start time | ET | PT |
| June 26 | Boston | 20:00 | 15:00 | 12:00 |
