Norway striker Erling Haaland said qualifying for the FIFA World Cup was a dream fulfilled after his country sealed a return to football’s biggest stage for the first time in 28 years.
Norway last appeared at a major international tournament at UEFA Euro 2000 — 19 days before Haaland was born — while their previous FIFA World Cup appearance came at France 1998. The Scandinavian side confirmed qualification for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States with a 4-1 victory over Italy in their final qualifier.
Haaland played a pivotal role in Norway’s qualification campaign, scoring in all eight qualifiers, including five goals against Moldova and a brace in the decisive win over Italy to finish with a joint-record 16 goals in qualifying.
“I’ve never experienced Norway being at the World Cup in my life, so I think it was about time. For me personally, it’s a huge thing. I’ve said it for a long time — my big goal is to get Norway to the World Cup,” Haaland told FIFA.
“That’s what I’ve tried to work towards. Now it’s finally happened and I’m super happy for that, and super excited for what’s next. You could feel the relief and joy across the country. It was amazing to experience,” he added.
Haaland said qualifying carried added emotional significance because he grew up without watching Norway compete at the World Cup.
“I never experienced the World Cup as a kid in this country. So, I’m super happy for the kids in Norway to experience it, because I would have loved to see Norway playing at the World Cup. Every time I watched the tournament, I was supporting another country. So, it’s going to be nice,” he said.
Reflecting on Norway’s opening game at Boston Stadium against Iraq, Haaland described the occasion as a “dream come true”.
“It will feel kind of like a dream come true. It’s more special because I’ve never experienced it before. I don’t know what I’m going into because I’ve never been there. I’m just looking forward to it — it’s going to be amazing,” he said.
The tournament also carries personal significance for the Manchester City forward. His father, Alf-Inge Haaland, represented Norway at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States, including a 1-0 defeat to Italy at Giants Stadium. Norway will return to the US for all three of their group-stage matches in the 2026 edition.
IANS
