Norway returns – With its first World Cup appearance in almost 30 years, Norway is showing up with a full party—and a schedule that puts it in the U.S. spotlight soon. Before kickoff, Erling Haaland and teammates were in North Carolina for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, whil
Erling Haaland wasn’t in Norway’s training gear on Thursday, June 11. He was in the thick of America’s sports weekend at Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, sitting in a box, waving rally towels, and soaking up the noise.
Norway’s players had a grand old time that night—and it wasn’t just passing fandom. Haaland even found a Carolina Hurricanes jersey during the game, ditching the polo he had been wearing for it.
The Hurricanes play in Raleigh, less than 90 minutes from where Norway is training in Greensboro, North Carolina. That geography matters now because Norway is arriving in the U.S. not as a familiar World Cup presence, but as a team returning to the tournament after a long gap. This is their first appearance at the World Cup in almost 30 years—28, to be exact.
They’ve already leaned into the moment. Norway took the most iconic team photo ever, complete with a Viking ship. Then they went one step further, doing something described as the sweetest: each player wore the jersey of their first club.
Before anyone starts clutching their pearls about Haaland and his Norwegian teammates spending time at a hockey game, the tournament schedule leaves little room for worry. Norway doesn’t play until Tuesday. Its World Cup begins in Boston against Iraq.
The match list then tightens quickly. Norway plays Senegal at MetLife Stadium on June 22, and finishes the group stage with a June 26 game against France in Boston.
Back in Raleigh, the Hurricanes were in the middle of their own series story on Thursday. They beat the Vegas Golden Knights to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Those two storylines—Norway’s long-awaited World Cup return and the Hurricanes’ playoff momentum—sit side by side in one small window: a team that hasn’t been here in nearly three decades choosing to experience the U.S. sports scene before it turns to soccer competition.
In the end, Norway’s U.S. run starts in Boston on Tuesday, with Iraq on the other end of the field. The rest of the group stage follows fast: Senegal at MetLife Stadium on June 22, then France back in Boston on June 26.
Norway World Cup Erling Haaland Stanley Cup Final Carolina Hurricanes Vegas Golden Knights MetLife Stadium Boston Iraq Senegal France U.S. sports