Preview: Iraq vs Norway - prediction, team news, lineups

Iraq and Norway will begin their 2026 World Cup campaigns on Tuesday night, when they clash at Boston Stadium.

No side from Group I has played a game yet, but Tuesday's contestants will be playing catchup due to the fact France and Senegal face each other a day earlier, so falling behind early in the group stage could be problematic.

Match preview

Iraq were not always certain that they would progress to the tournament, with the country's governing bodies alarmed enough to sack boss Jesus Casas following a defeat against Palestine in March 2025.

Australian Graham Arnold was appointed in his stead two months later, and he inherited a team that were at risk of elimination from the AFC qualifiers, though he managed to guide the squad through the third, fourth and fifth rounds and into the inter-confederation playoffs.

A 2-1 victory over Bolivia in the playoffs in March meant that Usood al-Rafidayn reached their first World Cup finals since 1986, a remarkable achievement considering the 2026 tournament will also be just their second ever appearance at the competition.

When Iraq competed at the World Cup in 1986, they failed to take any points from their three group clashes, suffering defeats to Paraguay, Belgium and Mexico while scoring just once.

The nation arrive in North America having played three friendlies since their triumph against Bolivia, with Iraq beating Andorra 1-0 in May, drawing 1-1 with Spain on June 4 and losing 2-0 against Venezuela four days later.

It should be noted that they have faced just eight teams outside of their confederation since November 2022, and they only won twice in that time, losing four of those matches.

Norway's path across the Atlantic might have been fraught with challenges in prior years given they were in a qualification group with Italy, but the Scandinavians' flawless campaign saw them collect all 24 points on offer.

Boss Stale Solbakken's side were rampant in their qualifying group, finding the back of the net 37 times, and they only conceded five goals in that stretch.

Landslaget have endured mixed fortunes in the four friendlies that have played since the end of the qualifiers, losing 2-1 against the Netherlands, drawing Morocco and Switzerland but winning 3-1 against Sweden.

The Norwegians' most recent World Cup finals appearance was at the 1998 edition in France, where they advanced out of their group but exited at the round of 16 stage following 1-0 loss against Italy.

Tuesday will be the first ever meeting between Norway and Iraq, but though it is difficult to make judgements about how they might fare against each other, the European side are ranked 26 places higher in 31st than their opponents in FIFA's global table.

The last time that the Norwegian encountered a team under the AFC banner was in September 2023 against Jordan, and they comfortably won 6-0 on the day.

Iraq form (all competitions):

Norway form (all competitions):

Team News

Iraq goalkeeper Jalal Hassan is also the team's captain, so while the 35-year-old may be past the peak of his powers, he is set to earn his 103rd cap.

The shot-stopper will need to be protected by central defenders Zaid Tahseen and Rebin Sulaka at Boston Stadium, but midfielders Amir Al-Ammari and Zidane Iqbal must also be ready to shield their defence.

In attack, it would not be surprising to see striker Aymen Hussein supported by an attack featuring Ibrahim Bayesh, Ali Jasim and Ali Al-Hamadi.

Norway will be led by talismanic striker Erling Haaland, but he will not be their only weapon in the final third on Tuesday given he may start alongside Antonio Nusa and Alexander Sorloth

Arsenal's Martin Odegaard will lead his national team out as captain, and the midfielder is set to be joined by Sander Berge and Fredrik Aursnes.

Solbakken is expected to field a four-man defence, with veteran Kristoffer Ajer a certain selection, and the centre-back could appear alongside Torbjorn Heggem.

Iraq possible starting lineup:

Hassan; Ali, Tahseen, Sulaka, Doski; Al-Ammari, Iqbal; Bayesh, Jasim, Al-Hamadi; Hussein

Norway possible starting lineup:

Nyland; Ryerson, Ajer, Heggem, Wolfe; Odegaard, Berge, Aursnes; Sorloth, Haaland, Nusa

We say: Iraq 1-3 Norway

Iraq will have to be resilient on Tuesday if they have any hope of stopping Haaland, but it is difficult to look past the Norway striker.

Norway were outstanding in the final third in their qualifying campaign, so a point may be the best that Iraq can hope for, but make sure to check out the best World Cup betting sites for the latest odds.