Norway vs Italy

Ullevaal Stadium forms the backdrop for a handsomely-looking 2026 World Cup qualifying showdown between Norway and Italy. 

Norway’s quest to return to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998 has been off to a dream start. After a 5-0 thrashing of Moldova in their opening Group I outing, they dismantled Israel 4-2 on the road to move to the top of the section. Those victories extended Norway’s winning streak in all competitions to four matches, with Stale Solbakken’s side netting 18 goals in that run while only conceding three in return. Therefore, Italy’s upcoming visit won’t faze them, even though they’ve not beaten this opposition since June 2000, going winless in four successive H2Hs after that (D1, L3). Each defeat in that sequence saw them concede precisely two goals. Yet, they’ve been formidable at home, losing just one of their last nine World Cup qualifiers here (W5, D3), with four of those five wins producing multi-goal margins. 

Meanwhile, Italy last featured in the World Cup finals in 2014, hence tremendous pressure on manager Luciano Spalletti to navigate this qualifying campaign, especially after a dreadful Euro 2024 journey. The Italians head into proceedings seeking amends for March’s fateful UEFA Nations League quarter-final tie against Germany, which extended their winless run to three games (D1, L2). Off-field controversy involving Inter Milan veteran Francesco Acerbi was the last thing Spalletti needed, with the Italians chasing their first win since November 2024. Curiously, Gli Azzurri avoided defeat in all eight 2022 World Cup qualifiers (W4, D4) before shockingly losing to North Macedonia in the playoffs. Moreover, they’ve kept a clean sheet in their last four away World Cup qualifiers (W2, D2).