Norway's place at the 2026 World Cup is all but assured after Erling Haaland and Alexander Sorloth both scored twice in a 4-1 qualifying win over Estonia in Oslo. Stale Solbakken's side knew a victory over the Group I strugglers would mean only a thumping defeat to Italy in their final game on Sunday could deny them top spot, but the nerves were palpable at the Ullevaal Stadion as Estonia reached half-time still level at 0-0.
Norway, along with European champions Spain, are one of the best two teams on the continent. That is the view of Israel head coach Ran Ben-Shimon, whose team were torn apart by Erling Haaland and company in a 5-0 World Cup qualifying defeat in Oslo on Saturday. Norway have not played at a major tournament since Euro 2000, but they are realistically just three points from confirming qualification for next year's World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.