Sports · World Cup 2026 · Round of 32
Côte d'Ivoirevs
Norway
Tuesday, June 30, 2026 · 1:00 p.m. ET · Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium), Arlington, TX
Watch: FOX · Telemundo
My pick: Norway advance · locked 2026-06-29 08:40 UTCPrediction
Norway to edge a tight, open tie — but only just. Both teams reached the last 32 as group runners-up and both like to attack, and the single biggest difference-maker on the pitch is Erling Haaland, who already has four goals and scores better than once a game for his country. Côte d'Ivoire are the more solid side, with three clean sheets in Emerse Faé's last five, and Nicolas Pépé and Amad Diallo carry real threat — but the Elephants' finishing has flattered them all tournament. A one-goal game or a shootout is very much in range; Norway to nick it. 1-2 Norway.
The case for Côte d'Ivoire
33% to winCôte d'Ivoire have reached the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history and have looked the better-organised side. They ran Germany close before losing 2-1, kept clean sheets against Ecuador and Curaçao, and in Pépé, Diallo and Yan Diomandé they have the pace and craft to exploit a Norway defence that has managed just one clean sheet in ten. If the Elephants finally add the finish their play deserves, they win this.
The case for Norway
42% to winNorway are at their first World Cup since 1998 and have ridden one man to get here. Haaland has four goals already and a career return of better than a goal per cap; Martin Ødegaard pulls the strings behind him; and the Vikings can win any shootout. They were thrashed 4-1 by France when Haaland was rested — but he is back, fresh, and on this stage his finishing may be all the difference Norway need.
Both cases written 2026-06-29, 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 25% belongs to the draw.
Côte d'Ivoire 4-1-4-14-3-3 NorwayThe briefing
Storylines
- Côte d'Ivoire have reached the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history.
- Norway are playing in their first World Cup in 28 years — since France 1998.
- Erling Haaland has four goals in three group games and has scored more than once a game for Norway across his career.
- Both sides advanced as group runners-up — Côte d'Ivoire behind Germany in E, Norway behind France in I.
The coaches
Emerse Faé Côte d'Ivoire
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations-winning coach has the Elephants compact, hard to break down and dangerous in transition.
Ståle Solbakken Norway
The long-serving Norway boss builds around Haaland and Ødegaard and a direct, set-piece-heavy attack that masks a leaky defence.
Availability
| Wilfried Singo | Doubt — missed the Curaçao win with a hamstring injury and is rated doubtful | Sports Mole preview (Anthony Nolan) · 2026-06-28 |
| Julian Ryerson | Doubt — missed the France defeat with a thigh injury but described by Solbakken as improving daily | Sports Mole preview (Anthony Nolan) · 2026-06-28 |
Availability drifts hourly in tournament week — every row carries its source and date for exactly that reason.
Watch: FOX in English (free over the air, or stream on Fox One) and Telemundo in Spanish (stream on Peacock); the free Tubi simulcast carries Telemundo's Spanish feed. (NBC News / FOX Sports World Cup TV schedule, as of 2026-06-29)
Weather: AT&T Stadium's retractable roof makes the forecast a non-factor — a climate-controlled indoor environment whatever the Texas heat outside. (Venue fact (AT&T Stadium / Dallas Stadium — retractable roof), as of 2026-06-29)
Referee: Jesús Valenzuela (Venezuela). (FIFA Round-of-32 match appointments (ESPN / Wikipedia officials list), matched by venue and kickoff time, as of 2026-06-29)
Venue: Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium), Arlington, TX, United States — FIFA strips sponsor names for the tournament; the everyday name is in parentheses.
