"These are thrilling days. Not just for me, but for the entire nation, as they consider where they will spend their holidays this summer. The draw will be very exciting,"says Solbakken in the podcast. But despite all the joy of qualifying Norway for their first World Cup since 1998 and all the excitement leading up to the draw, the former FC Copenhagen coach also admits he would have preferred not to travel to Washington.

"I hate it. Brede Hangeland (assistant) has handled all the draws so far. The Nations League, the European Championship qualifiers, Brede has managed everything. He really wants to be part of this, and we agreed he should go, but now there’s no avoiding it. The head coach must attend,"says Solbakken.

Solbakken mentions in the interview that other members of the Norwegian Football Association delegation will travel to the USA on Wednesday, December 3, while he will delay his trip until the following day. He wants to complete everything as quickly as possible.

Solbakken expresses a strong dislike for FIFA events filled with red carpets, glitz, and glamour.

"I've never enjoyed it at all... First, I’m terrible at 'small talk.' Second, none of this interests me in the slightest. It doesn’t. I would much rather lie on the couch with snacks and Pepsi Max and watch the draw, instead of sitting in that hall. But it won’t be like that."

According to Solbakken, FIFA has strict rules about who from each participating country can attend the World Cup draw.

"There must be one delegation leader, one administrator, one security manager, one media representative, one handyman, and so on... Then someone from the federation stays in the USA depending on where we are drawn, to find our 'base camp' and handle all that. But I’m going home," he says.