Norway qualifies for the 2026 World Cup with a 4-goal victory over Italy.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Special

Arab Sea - Reports: The Norwegian national team officially qualified for the 2026 World Cup finals after its overwhelming 4-1 victory over Italy yesterday in the final round of Group Nine matches in the World Cup qualifiers. Norway topped the group with 24 points, achieving a perfect score by winning all eight of its matches, while Italy finished second with 18 points and will head to the global qualifying play-offs scheduled for next March. Italy, which has won the World Cup four times, started the match strongly and opened the scoring early through Francesco Pio Esposito in the tenth minute, putting Norway under great pressure. However, Antonio Nusa managed to equalize for Norway in the 63rd minute. In the second half, Norway controlled the course of the game and took advantage of the lack of defensive marking on Erling Haaland, who scored two consecutive goals in the 78th and 79th minutes, raising his tally to 16 goals in the qualifiers. Jørgen Strand Larsen completed Norway's quartet in stoppage time. With this victory, Norway confirms its strong presence in the 2026 World Cup, while Italy faces the qualifying play-offs again after missing the World Cup in the past two editions, amid an atmosphere of sadness and resentment in the country where football is a great passion.