Norwegian football has waited a long time for a moment like this. After a 25 year absence from major tournaments, Erling Haaland has dragged Norway to the World Cup with a qualifying campaign that feels almost unreal. Sixteen goals in eight matches. A goal in every qualifier. A decisive double away in Italy to seal their place at next summer’s tournament in North America.

Speaking to TV2 after the crucial 4 1 win in Italy, Haaland admitted the emotional toll of the campaign. “I’m happy, but more relieved. There’s a lot of pressure and stuff, and I feel it. But it’s fun.” Relief rather than unrestrained celebration. That says everything about the responsibility he carries for his country.

Next summer will be Norway’s fourth World Cup and their first appearance at a major tournament since Euro 2000. For a whole generation of supporters, this is new territory. For Haaland, it is the fulfilment of a personal ambition he has held since childhood.

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The scale of Haaland’s influence

Haaland’s international goalscoring numbers look beyond belief. He has scored 55 goals in 48 caps, becoming only the sixth player in history to reach 50 goals before 50 appearances and the first to do so in more than half a century. He obliterated the long standing Norwegian record of 33 goals set by Jorgen Juve, which had lasted for 90 years.

His qualifying campaign has been astonishing. Sixteen goals and two assists place him miles clear of every other European goalscorer. Even in regions where teams play twice as many matches, nobody has matched his output.

Including his club form with Manchester City, Haaland has scored 32 goals in 20 matches this season. Even for him, those numbers feel outrageous.

But Norway’s rise is not solely about him.

Odegaard’s vital role

Alongside Haaland stands Martin Odegaard, the Arsenal captain whose vision and creativity have become central to Norway’s style. With seven assists, he registered more than any other player in European qualifying. Now 26, and already capped 67 times, he remains the orchestrator of everything Norway do.

Norwegian journalist Lars Sivertsen summed up their significance: “Combine Haaland’s success with the fact that in this generation we also have Martin Odegaard. We’re a country of five million people and we have both the best striker and, I would argue, the best playmaker in the Premier League.”

It is a rare moment in Norwegian football, a convergence of two exceptional players at the same time. Sivertsen believes that in a few years the consensus will be clear: Haaland and Odegaard are the two greatest players the country has ever produced.

Still, he insists the supporting cast should not be overlooked. He likened this Norway side to Wales at Euro 2016, where Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey were lifted by the contributions of key teammates. “You have to have a support structure around these stars to give them a platform to do special things,” he said. Norway have exactly that.

Relief after years of frustration

For Norwegian supporters, the overwhelming emotion is not wild excitement but relief. Finally, the wait is over. After appearances at the World Cups in 1938, 1994 and 1998 and Euro 2000, the national side faded from the global scene. Despite talented players emerging, Norway failed to turn promise into qualification.

Sivertsen explained the mood: “There have been some lean years. But more recently, the frustration has been that we have good players who play for top clubs, but we’ve still missed a couple of tournaments. It’s almost more relief than euphoria that we finally managed to do it now.”

The logic is simple. A squad with this quality should be reaching major tournaments. Now they finally are.

Haaland surpasses his father’s legacy

For Haaland, this qualification carries personal significance. His father, Alf Inge Haaland, represented Norway at the 1994 World Cup and enjoyed a Premier League career with Nottingham Forest, Leeds and Manchester City. Erling has already surpassed him in almost every area. He has won the Treble, broken Premier League records and lifted trophies in Austria, Germany and England.

But until now, there was one thing his father had that he did not: a World Cup appearance.

Earlier this year Haaland told Time Magazine: “Norway will never win the World Cup. If we would qualify, it would be like another big nation winning it. It would be the biggest party ever. Scenes in Oslo would be incredible.”

Those scenes may not be far away.

A hero who breaks the Norwegian mould

Typically, Norwegian sporting heroes are defined by humility and selflessness. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, for example, is celebrated not only for his success but for his quiet professionalism and willingness to embrace a squad role.

Haaland stands apart. Bold, confident and unapologetically elite, he is not naturally aligned with the traditional Norwegian character. Sivertsen described it clearly: “Erling is in some ways not a completely typical Norwegian. He knows his value and backs himself.”

He would never settle for being a substitute. He is a global star operating on a level the country has rarely experienced.

And that is precisely what makes him such a compelling figure for Norwegians. As Sivertsen put it: “There is an extraordinary sense of pride that a player doing the things he does is from our country.”

Avoiding the list of greats who never reached a World Cup

Haaland’s achievement also ensures he avoids an unwanted list that includes some of the greatest footballers in history. Icons such as George Weah, George Best, Alfredo di Stefano, Laszlo Kubala, Gunnar Nordahl, Ryan Giggs and Ian Rush never had the opportunity to play at a World Cup.

Now, Haaland’s legacy will include the tournament that defines global football.

A country ready for the biggest summer in its footballing history

Norway will not arrive next summer as favourites. They may not be expected to reach the latter stages. But that hardly matters. Their qualification is not simply about progress. It is about identity, pride and long awaited validation.

With Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, they boast two world class players in their prime. With a strong supporting group behind them, they will travel to North America not as passengers but as genuine competitors.

For the first time in a generation, Norway step into a major tournament with belief. And the world will be watching.