Will Man City, Norway star Erling Haaland ever play in a FIFA World Cup?
The Winter months, a minuscule host country and the widely-reported corruption and human rights violations in Qatar give the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup a grim feel.
Still, international eyes will be watching as the brightest stars descend on the Middle East in a month’s time, but perhaps the world’s best player will be missing from the world’s biggest tournament.
Erling Haaland has been a sensation since joining Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in July, scoring 20 goals in just 14 appearances. He became the most feared footballer overnight teaming up with Pep Guardiola, but defenders can rest easy in Qatar knowing the Norwegian nightmare won’t be involved.
The World Cup can be a legacy-defining tournament. Diego Maradona, Pele and even most recently a 19-year old Kylian Mbappe cemented their places in the history of the game by leading thei respective countries to the elusive golden trophy.
Will Haaland ever get this opportunity?
At just 22-years old, Haaland should have at least three more chances to qualify for the World Cup. Norway’s past suggests he faces a daunting challenge, but a young core and impending change to the tournament’s structure provide optimism that we will one day see Haaland representing his country at a FIFA World Cup.
A History of Droughts
There are two golden ages of Norwegian football. The first came in the 1930s when the nation finished third in the 1936 Olympics and then reached the Round of 16 in the 1938 World Cup.
Norway would go 56 years before qualifying for another major tournament, while Scandinavian rivals Sweden and Denmark reached five World Cups in that span.
Egil ‘Drillo’ Olsen took over as manager in 1990 and led a resurgence. Olsen served a nine-year stint in charge of the federation, highlighted by two World Cup appearances. Norway even topped their qualification group for the 1994 tournament, finishing above both England and the Netherlands.
Norway were unlucky to not make it out of the 1994 group stage, but they advanced to the Round of 16 in 1998 thanks to a stunning 2-1 win over Brazil. The run ended one match later with a 1-0 loss to Italy.
Norway’s international momentum carried over to 2000, when the country competed in European Championships for the very first time, but that’s the last time Norway reached a major tournament.
A New Class of European Stars
Norway’s 2022 World Cup dreams evaporated during their second match of the cycle, when a 3-0 defeat to Turkey proved to be the difference both in the points and goal difference that separated the sides between participating in a playoff and being eliminated.
The close call, and a new crop of talented young players can bring some optimism to Norwegian fans. Haaland is the obvious lead actor, but he doesn’t need to look far within his own league to find valuable supporting cast members.
Martin Ødegaard is Arsenal’s captain and the biggest co-star for Haaland. The duo provide Norway with an attacking base for the next decade.
There are 13 players from Norway’s most recent squad who play for clubs in the top flights across England, Germany, Italy, Spain, France and Portugal, and youth is a common theme across the Norwegian squad.
Their most recent roster didn’t feature a single outfield player older than 30. Players like centre back Kristoffer Ajer (Brentford), forward Alexander Sörloth (Real Sociedad) and midfielder Fredrik Aursnes (Benfica) will all be in their primes for the next World Cup cycle.
TransferMarkt.co.UK values 10 Norwegian players of at least €5 million, which is more than Wales and equal to Switzerland, two teams who successfully qualified for the 2022 World Cup with ageing superstars.
One player valued under that £5 million mark is Napoli’s Leo Östigard, who has made 17 Serie A appearances for Napoli and Genoa over the last two seasons and at 22-years old has already registered seven caps for Norway.
With so much young talent rising through the ranks, Haaland and Norway should feel confident, but their road is also about to get easier.
The World Cup’s Impending Growth
It’s no secret that money drives many of FIFA’s motivations. It’s why the 2022 World Cup is heading to Qatar, and it’s why the tournament’s expansion was inevitable.
Starting in 2026, the World Cup will feature 48 teams, a meaningful change from the 32-team format established since 1998.
UEFA will receive 16 spots into the World Cup and the intercontinental playoffs. Under this new format, Norway would have qualified for the 2006 World Cup.
Other nations like Turkey, Scotland and Ukraine will also like their chances after missing out this winter. It’s also hard to envision Italy failing to reach a third-straight World Cup.
And of course, Lady Luck will have her say. What kind of qualification group will Norway find themselves in? The Netherlands and Turkey were a difficult draw, but that’s the risk for countries in the lower pots. Can Norway muster enough positive results to slide up the FIFA Rankings and sneak into Pot 2?
With Haaland’s generational talent, Norway will be in the conversation, and will get a peek at their chances with the 2024 Euro Qualifiers starting in March. Norway will try to end their major tournament drought in a group featuring Spain, Scotland, Georgia and Cyprus.
