Haaland's First Major Tournament — Viking Warriors vs. The Lions of Mesopotamia
Iraq last appeared at a World Cup in 1986 in Mexico — 40 years of hurt ends here. They qualified through the AFC route, a gauntlet that broke stronger nations. This is a squad built almost entirely from domestic league players and a handful of Gulf-based professionals, organised, disciplined, and carrying the weight of a football-mad nation.
They'll sit deep, work hard, and try to make Norway's opening night as ugly as possible. They won't win this match — but they can make it uncomfortable. The stands will be filled with Iraqi diaspora who've waited four decades for this moment.
Norway return to the World Cup after 28 years away, and they've brought the most terrifying centre-forward on the planet. Erling Haaland, 25, arrives at his first major international tournament with 55 international goals — 16 in qualifying alone. He's been building to this moment his entire career.
Behind him, Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal, Premier League winner) pulls strings when fit, Alexander Sørløth (Atlético), Jørgen Strand Larsen (Crystal Palace), and Antonio Nusa (RB Leipzig) provide staggering depth. This Norway squad is a different beast from the ones that kept missing tournaments.