Haaland Announces World Cup Arrival With Brace as Norway Thrash Iraq 4-1
FOXBOROUGH, MA, June 16, 2026, Erling Haaland didn’t need a hat trick to make history Tuesday. He only needed 29 minutes.
The Manchester City phenomenon scored twice on his World Cup debut as Norway announced their return to football’s biggest stage with a commanding 4-1 victory over Iraq at Boston Stadium. In doing so, Haaland became the first Norwegian to score at a World Cup since 1998, ending a 28-year drought.
Coach Stale Solbakken joked before the match that Haaland “was saving it for the United States” after a quiet warm-up campaign. He wasn’t lying.
With Norway struggling to break down Iraq’s low block, David Møller Wolfe whipped in a perfect cross from the left in the 29th minute. Haaland, sliding to the ground, steered it past Jalal Hassan for 1-0. The relief was visible. The record books opened.
It was Haaland’s 56th goal in 49 games for Norway, but his first ever at a World Cup. Norway hadn’t scored at the tournament since June 27, 1998.
Iraq equalized through Aymen Hussein’s header in the 39th minute, briefly silencing the 66,829 crowd. Haaland responded 4 minutes later.
Pouncing on a lazy back-pass to Hassan, the 25-year-old intercepted, rounded the keeper, and buried it for 2-1. Two goals. One debut. One statement.
Reuters called it “predatory instincts” that showed why he’s “a dominant presence in English football”.
Fans in Foxborough chanted for a third. One AI prediction even called it: “Haaland finishes with a hat trick to lead into Norway’s match against Senegal”. It didn’t happen.
That honor went to Lionel Messi hours later. The Argentina captain netted 3 vs Algeria, becoming the first player with a hat trick at World Cup 2026. Messi is now level with Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals.
But Haaland didn’t care. Norway added two more after halftime to seal a 4-1 win. The message was sent: the “Goal Machine” has arrived.
The Norway Juggernaut.
Norway entered as 79.5% favorites and played like it. They’ve now scored 29 goals in 6 qualifiers and World Cup games combined. Ødegaard pulled the strings. Nusa delivered crosses. And Haaland finished.
He’s now on 12 goals in World Cup qualifying + finals, leading all Europeans. He reached 50 Norway goals in just 46 games — faster than Mbappe, Lewandowski, Messi, or Ronaldo.
That was USA Today’s question pre-match. After Tuesday: yes. Haaland has 3 Premier League Golden Boots in 4 seasons, including a record 36 goals in 2022-23. Now he’s doing it on the biggest stage.
Norway face Senegal next on June 22. Iraq face Norway again? No — they play someone else. With Haaland hunting, Klose’s overall World Cup record of 16 isn’t safe. Neither is Senegal.
Haaland’s brace was more important: Norway’s first World Cup goals in a generation, a statement win, and proof that the world’s most feared striker travels.
For now, Haaland’s debut did what it needed to: put Norway, and the World Cup, on notice.
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