Norway's head coach has "sent away" Haaland and others from the national team due to excessive Champions League appearances; fans describe it as a heartwarming decision.

Since the 1998 World Cup in France, Norway has not returned to the tournament. Recall that Norway beat Brazil 2-1 in the group matches that year? Now, Norway’s national squad is strongly outpacing Italy in their European World Cup qualifying group, and clinching first place is only a formality. Their spot in the 2026 USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup is guaranteed.

During the October international break, Norway thrashed Israel 5-0. In the next round of qualifiers, Norway has a bye week, so the Norwegian Football Federation scheduled a friendly against New Zealand. Norway’s coach, Ståle Solbakken, has "excluded" several players including Haaland from the current national team squad for a rather unusual reason, which fans have warmly welcomed.

It was confirmed at last Sunday’s press conference that Norway’s star Haaland has left the national team training camp early and will definitely miss the friendly against New Zealand. The striker has scored 8 goals in the last two qualifiers and no longer needs to pad his stats against weaker teams. Besides Haaland, the coaching staff also informed that Norwegian internationals who have played many Champions League matches this season are allowed to return early to their clubs for rest, includingHaaland, Sorloth (Atletico Madrid), Lølsen (Borussia Dortmund), and Bjørkan (Bodø/Glimt)..

Norway currently leads Group I in the European qualifiers by six points over Italy, having played one more match. In the first match of November’s international window, Norway will host Estonia, who have only earned 3 points in 6 matches. A victory would essentially secure Norway’s top spot in the group and direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Led by stars like Haaland and Ødegaard from the big five European leagues, Norway is set to return to the World Cup with improved strength and a star-studded lineup — everything is falling perfectly into place.