Erling Haaland announced himself on the World Cup stage with a brace on his debut as Norway defeated Iraq 4-1 in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I opener on Wednesday, 17 June at Boston Stadium. Leo Østigård also got on the scoresheet as Norway made a commanding start to their return to the global tournament — their first appearance this century.

How the Goals Fell

Norway's opener came from a well-worked build-up: goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland cycled through 14 passes before David Møller Wolfe delivered a cross from the left that Haaland slid in to poke home at the back post. The goal came with Haaland already carrying a tick over 50 international goals to his name — and he wasted no time adding to the tally on the biggest stage.

Iraq hit back ten minutes later when veteran forward Aymen Hussein headed home a chipped cross from Amir Al-Ammari, becoming only the second Iraqi player to score a World Cup goal. The equaliser was short-lived, however, as Haaland capitalised on a mix-up between Zaid Tahseen and goalkeeper Jalal Hassan to restore Norway's lead — giving them their first-ever halftime lead at a World Cup.

Just three and a half minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute, Østigård extended Norway's advantage, powering an unmarked header past Hassan from a corner. A late own goal by Hussein completed the scoring to seal a comfortable 4-1 victory.

Haaland's Historic Night

With his two-goal haul, Haaland became the sixth player to open his World Cup 2026 account with a brace, joining Folarin Balogun (USA), Yasin Ayari (Sweden), Kai Havertz, Elijah Just, and Kylian Mbappé. The milestone underscores just how significant a presence the Manchester City striker is expected to be throughout the tournament.

'My first goal was nice, the second even nicer, so it's fantastic and I'm proud of everyone that we could get off to a good start,' Haaland said after the match. 'We know though that the next games will be even tougher and we will have to play even better. We were expected to win and we won, fortunately. Now everybody in Norway will be happy, and I hope people will party!'

A Record for Nyland

There was a personal milestone in the Norway ranks as well: goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland, aged 35 years and 279 days, became the oldest player to represent Norway at a World Cup. His composed distribution — anchoring that 14-pass sequence that led to the opening goal — was a notable feature of Norway's controlled first-half display.

Group I Standings and What's Next

Following the result, Norway top Group I, leading France on goal difference. Iraq and Senegal prop up the standings after the opening round of fixtures. Norway's head coach Ståle Solbakken will know the challenge stiffens considerably from here, with the group widely regarded as one of the more competitive in the tournament. Iraq, meanwhile, will need a sharp response if they are to progress from their own first World Cup appearance this century.