Norway vs – Erling Haaland’s scoring surge and Norway’s form headline a Monday friendly at Ullevaal Stadium as the teams stage a key 2026 World Cup preview. Kickoff is 1:00 p.m. ET, with Norway listed as the favorite and both squads sharpening themselves for Group I—where
When Norway walk out at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo on Monday, it won’t feel like a “just a friendly” kind of night. Not with the stage set for the 2026 FIFA World Cup only weeks away—and not when the same conversations keep returning to one name.
This is Norway vs Sweden, a friendly ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, Norway. The match will be shown on FS2, and it’s also available to stream via Watch 3 days free on FOX One, FOXSports.com, and the FOX Sports App.
Norway are heading into this one as a team with momentum. They’re back at the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. and they’re doing it as one of Europe’s most in-form sides. They dominated a Euro World Cup qualifying group that included Italy, and they went undefeated during the qualifying process.
Sweden, meanwhile, arrive for the tournament appearance they’ll mark as their 13th. For Sweden, this friendly sits closer to the workmanlike side of preparation—getting systems aligned, sharpness confirmed, and minutes distributed.
The storyline grabbing attention on Norway’s side is Erling Haaland’s impact. He has spent his entire career watching the World Cup on television. waiting for his chance to step onto the biggest stage as the others shine. In qualifying, he scored 16 goals in just eight matches played—an average of two goals per game. It’s the kind of output that doesn’t come along often in a sport that punishes even small lapses.
Norway’s qualifying run, as Matteo Bonetti frames it, wasn’t luck or a narrow escape. He described it as Norway bulldozing through qualifying—“it dominated a Euro World Cup qualifying group” and “went undefeated during the qualifying process”—and he points to the group Norway now enters as another test of whether that form can carry. Group I features France, Senegal and Iraq. Bonetti’s view is blunt: Norway needs to finish second.
If Norway are to do that, the friendly matters because it reflects the rhythm they can bring. Bonetti expects the pathway to be clear enough: beating Senegal and taking something off France is “entirely doable” for a squad that includes Martin Ødegaard and Alexander Sørloth floating around Haaland.
That’s the tension the match carries—Norway looking like a team built to cause problems, Sweden looking like a side trying to disrupt them before the tournament spotlight fully snaps on.
Norway are also listed as the favorite to win the friendly, with odds showing Norway favored to win the match.
The teams’ recent form adds another layer to what Monday could look like.
Norway have leaned on results in a mixed stretch: 3/31 vs Switzerland ended 0-0; 3/27 at Netherlands brought a loss (2-1); 11/16 at Italy produced a win (4-1); 11/13 vs Estonia was a win (4-1); and 10/14 vs New Zealand ended in a draw (1-1).
Sweden’s run, by comparison, contains both authority and setbacks: 3/31 vs Poland saw a win (3-2); 3/26 at Ukraine ended with a win (3-1); 11/18 vs Slovenia was a draw (1-1); 11/15 at Switzerland ended in a loss (4-1); and 10/13 vs Kosovo ended in a loss (1-0).
The sequence of numbers tells a story about who’s been able to convert pressure into points—Norway drawing and losing in one stretch while still posting emphatic wins, and Sweden doing plenty of damage offensively with occasional heavy defeats when the structure breaks.
For Norway, the 2026 World Cup doesn’t start with a warm feeling—it starts with matches that demand results. Their World Cup schedule is set for 6/16: Norway vs Iraq (6:00 p.m. ET); 6/22: Norway vs Senegal (8:00 p.m. ET); and 6/26: Norway vs France (3:00 p.m. ET).
Sweden’s schedule begins a day earlier in the group stage window with 6/14: Sweden vs Tunisia (10:00 p.m. ET); followed by 6/20: Sweden vs Netherlands (1:00 p.m. ET); and then 6/25: Sweden vs Japan (7:00 p.m. ET).
So when the whistle blows on Monday, it’s not just Norway vs Sweden on a friendly night. It’s a preview of what Norway believe they can become—after 28 years away from the World Cup stage. and with Haaland arriving as a forward who didn’t just score in qualifying. but set a pace that makes the tournament itself feel like the next logical step.
Norway vs Sweden friendly 2026 FIFA World Cup Erling Haaland Martin Ødegaard Alexander Sørloth Ullevaal Stadium FS2 FOX One Group I France Senegal Iraq