Iraq’s return to the World Cup for the first time since 1986 meets one of the tournament’s most compelling stories in Norway, a side carrying Erling Haaland, arguably the most prolific striker in world football right now, back onto the global stage after 28 years of Norwegian absence. The match at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough is a meeting of two nations for whom this tournament carries exceptional emotional weight, and the result could have significant implications for how Group I’s qualification picture unfolds.

Match Details

Competition: FIFA World Cup 2026 — Group I, Matchday 1

Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Kick-off: 22:00 UTC (6:00 pm ET / 11:00 pm BST)

Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA

Capacity: 65,878

How to Watch Iraq vs Norway Live

In the United Kingdom, Iraq vs Norway is available free on ITV and ITVX. In the United States the match airs on Fox Sports 1 and Telemundo. In Norway, coverage is on NRK. Australian viewers can watch on SBS and SBS On Demand. FIFA+ offers streaming in territories without domestic broadcast coverage.

Iraq: 40 Years in the Waiting

Iraq return for the first time since 1986, bringing with them the emotion of a nation that waited four decades for this moment. Their qualification story alone is worth the price of admission, a 2-1 win over Bolivia in Mexico City in early April secured their place in the final tournament.

Iraq’s squad is built around Asian club football quality supplemented by a handful of European-based players. They will defend with discipline, look to frustrate Norway in the first half, and seek to exploit any defensive lapse on the counter. Against Haaland and a Norway side with serious attacking depth, discipline will need to be absolute.

Norway: Haaland, 28 Years, and Redemption

Norway’s absence from the World Cup since 1998 has been one of European football’s most persistent anomalies, a football nation of genuine quality, with generations of strong players, consistently failing at the qualifying stage. The presence of Erling Haaland, the most prolific striker of his era at Manchester City, finally changed that. Haaland’s goals drove Norway’s qualifying campaign and his arrival on the World Cup stage is one of the most anticipated individual narratives of the tournament.

Norway come to Foxborough with one of the best attacking units in the tournament and real questions in defence. Their ability to control matches through Haaland’s physicality and the creativity of Martin Odegaard gives them a different dimension than any team Iraq have faced in qualifying.

Prediction

Norway are clear favourites based on individual quality and the Haaland factor. Iraq’s organisation and emotional motivation make this competitive in the first half, but Norway’s attacking quality should tell as the match progresses. Haaland is expected to score on his World Cup debut.

Truthberg prediction: Norway 3-1 Iraq. Haaland opens his World Cup account; Iraq score a deserved consolation that reflects their effort against superior opposition.

This article will be updated with a full match report and highlights after the final whistle. Follow for live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.