Haaland scores twice in World Cup debut as Norway beats Iraq

Erling Haaland turned Norway’s World Cup return into something bigger than a strong start in Group I. In his tournament debut on June 16, 2026, the Manchester City striker scored twice, added an assist and drove Norway to a 4-1 win over Iraq, a result that immediately changed how the rest of the field must view the Norwegians.

Haaland struck first after 29 minutes and doubled the lead before halftime, giving Norway control long before the final whistle. One of the goals came after a defensive mistake, a reminder that even a small lapse can become decisive when Haaland is the player waiting in the box. Norway finished the night with a goal from Leo Østigård in the 76th minute and an Aymen Hussein own goal in stoppage time, a score line that reflected both Haaland’s finishing and Norway’s growing edge in transition.

The victory carried weight well beyond the opening match. It was Norway’s first World Cup win since 1998, the year the country last reached the knockout round in France. Norway has now appeared in only four World Cups, in 1938, 1994, 1998 and 2026, which makes Haaland’s arrival on the sport’s biggest stage feel less like a debut than an overdue arrival of a team that finally has the centerpiece to match its ambition.

Haaland’s two goals were his 56th and 57th for Norway, a total that keeps climbing as the national team builds everything around him. His habit of scoring on debut has already shown up in the Champions League, Bundesliga and Premier League, and UEFA has tracked him as a player who announced himself with a first-half hat trick in the Champions League and reached 50 goals there faster than anyone before him. That record of instant impact is now part of Norway’s own pitch of credibility. Opponents can no longer treat Norway as a hopeful outsider; they have to plan for a team whose entire tournament math changes the moment Haaland finds space.

The attention around him has only intensified, with Zlatan Ibrahimović among the voices drawing notice to Haaland’s World Cup entrance. After the match, Haaland said he would keep performing and avoid overthinking expectations, a fitting stance for a striker who has made first appearances look routine and has already forced the rest of the tournament to take Norway seriously.