Erling Haaland, ‘the man with golden feet’, steered his country to the finals of the 2026 World Cup after a gap of 27 long years! Norway qualified for the World Cup finals 2026 on Sunday, drubbing Italy 4-1 in its final qualifier, leaving the host in deep trouble to push them into the playoffs, which it has missed out on in the last two editions of the tournament.

Norway ended qualifying with eight wins, finishing six points ahead of four-time World Cup winner Italy, which will compete in the playoffs for the third consecutive time.

Needing a nine-goal win because of Norway’s superior goal difference, the Italians started aggressively and scored first when Francesco Pio Esposito finished from close range just after the 10-minute mark.

The host was dominant until the last minutes of the first half and went close to a second goal several times, with Norway having only a half-chance when a shot from Antonio Nusa went over the bar.

However, it was a completely different Norway in the second half, and Nusa equalized in the 63rd minute with a left-foot finish from inside the box.

With Norway in control in the closing stages, Italy paid the price for leaving Haaland unmarked in the box in the 78th minute as he met a cross and volleyed home with ease.

Haaland then wrapped up the match with a second goal a minute later, taking his tally for the campaign to 16.

Jorgen Strand Larsen scored the fourth in stoppage time for the visitors, who showed they would be no pushovers at next year’s tournament.