IraqvsNorway

Result

Norway won by three, but Iraq made the scoreline work harder than it looks. Erling Haaland slid in the opener from David Møller Wolfe's cross, Aymen Hussein answered with a towering header, and then a loose backpass gifted Haaland his second before halftime. Substitute Leo Østigård headed in the third on 76 minutes, and a stoppage-time scramble that was ultimately treated as an Aymen Hussein own goal gave Norway the 4-1 margin and early control of Group I's goal-difference ledger.

Iraq 4-4-24-4-2 Norway

Iraq

Norway

Aymen Hussein39'

Erling Haaland29'

Erling Haaland43'

Leo Østigård76'

Aymen Hussein (o.g.)90'+6'

Zaid Tahseen86'

39%Possession61%

11Shots11

1On target5

2Saves0

2Corners5

271Passes completed477

81%Pass accuracy89%

19Tackles15

18Touches in box25

Substitutions

Zidane Iqbalfor Zaid Ismaelat 59'

Andreas Schjelderupfor Antonio Nusaat 73'

Marko Farjifor Ali Al-Hamadiat 59'

Kristian Thorstvedtfor Fredrik Aursnesat 73'

Mustafa Saadoonfor Hussein Aliat 73'

Oscar Bobbfor Alexander Sørlothat 73'

Ahmed Qasimfor Ali Jasimat 73'

Leo Østigårdfor David Møller Wolfeat 73'

Mohanad Alifor Ibrahim Bayeshat 78'

Patrick Bergfor Martin Ødegaardat 81'

At this Stage

Group I's opening round belongs to the goal-difference column. Norway — at a World Cup for the first time since 1998 — top the group after their 4-1 over Iraq, a goal better than France, whose 3-1 win over Senegal leaves the two favourites level on three points apiece. Erling Haaland's World Cup debut delivered a brace, though Aymen Hussein's towering header briefly made a contest of it. Senegal (-2) and Iraq (-3) start from zero, and for Iraq — back at the finals after 40 years away — the question now is whether Graham Arnold's organised resilience can turn into points against opponents no gentler than this one. One matchday decides nothing; it has merely nominated the two teams everyone else must catch.

Group I

Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
Norway	1	1	0	0	+3	3
France	1	1	0	0	+2	3
Senegal	1	0	0	1	-2	0
Iraq	1	0	0	1	-3	0

Top two (above the accent line) advance to the round of 32; the third-placed team is in the race for one of the eight best-third spots.

What we know now

What I said beforehand

The preview, frozen at kickoff. Clearly dated, never rewritten — that's the deal that makes the predictions worth anything.

Norway, and comfortably. The Haaland-and-Ødegaard generation reach a first World Cup since 1998 having won all eight qualifiers, scoring 37 and conceding five, and Erling Haaland flanked by Alexander Sørloth and Antonio Nusa is a level of attack Iraq simply have not faced. Graham Arnold's side, at their first finals in 40 years via the intercontinental playoff, are organised and proud but light on top-end quality. Iraq may make it awkward for a while; Norway's firepower wins out, 3-1.

Both cases written 2026-06-15, before kickoff — they freeze into the record exactly as written, however the match goes. The percentages are mine, quoted to a decimal because false precision is funnier — the unclaimed 24% belongs to the draw.