Norway vs Senegal FIFA World Cup 2026 Preview: Everything you need to know

World Cup - Grp. I

New York/New Jersey Stadium

Norway vs Senegal will kick off on 22 Jun 2026 at 20:00 EST and at 00:00 GMT.

Match context

Norway picked up an impressive 4-1 win against Iraq in their World Cup opener, with prolific Manchester City man Erling Haaland scoring the first two of those.

Senegal's Lions of Teranga provided plenty of counter-attacking threat in their opener against 2022 runners-up France, but eventually went down 3-1 to the 2018 world champions. They can be quietly confident of creating problems for Norway, though, with the direct and pacy attacking trio of Ismaila Sarr, Nicolas Jackson and Sadio Mane.

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Norway's key players and coach profile

Erling Haaland is a Comprehensive match preview of Norway vs Senegal at World Cup 2026. We talk tactics, team news and more.

guarantee to lead the line as the tournament's most feared marksman, with Alexander Sørloth expected to partner or flank him in a deeply physical, high-pressing frontline. Directly behind them, Arsenal's Martin Ødegaard will assume his role as the undisputed creative catalyst, pulling strings from the advanced midfield sector. In the engine room, Sander Berge will provide the tireless defensive shield, while a resolute central defensive pairing of Leo Østigård and Kristoffer Ajer coordinates the backline to protect veteran goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland. Coach Ståle Solbakken deploys an aggressive, high-pressing 4-3-3 setup designed to choke out opposition buildup play and control matches through physical and technical dominance. His tactical identity hinges on absolute positional discipline across the back four, supported by a tireless midfield anchor that allows his advanced playmaker, Martin Ødegaard, complete creative freedom to orchestrate tempos in the final third. 

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Senegal's key players and coach profile

Saudi-based trio Sadio Mane, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy are the experienced spine of a solid Senegal side. Ex-Liverpool attacker Mane, arguably the most iconic player in the nation's history, will be their talisman again. Mendy will wear the gloves, and his former Chelsea teammate Koulibaly will marshal the back four. Also look out for Tottenham midfielder Pape Sarr and Bayern Munich striker Nicolas Jackson; he's been on loan there from Chelsea.

Current coach Pape Thiaw took over from long-serving manager Aliou Cissé in December 2024 and guided the team to 2025 Africa Cup of Nations glory, although the Lions of Teranga forfeited the game due to a walk-off protest, officially awarding Morocco a 3-0 default victory.

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Likely Norway XI

Nyland; Ryerson, Ajer, Heggem, Moller Wolfe; Odegaard, Berge, Aursnes; Sorloth, Haaland, Nusa.

Likely Senegal XI

Mendy; Diatta, Koulibaly, Niakhite, Diouf; Camara, Gana Gueye, Papa Gueye; Sarr, Jackson, Mane.

Norway's 26-man squad

Goalkeepers: Orjan Haskjold Nyland (Sevilla), Egil Selvik (Watford), Sander Tangvik (Hamburger SV).

Defenders: Julian Ryerson (Borussia Dortmund), Marcus Holmgren Pedersen (Torino), David Moller Wolfe (Wolverhampton), Fredrik Bjorkan (Bodo/Glimt), Kristoffer Ajer (Brentford), Torbjorn Heggem (Bologna), Leo Skiri Ostigard (Genoa), Sondre Langas (Derby County), Henrik Falchener (Viking).

Midfielders: Martin Odegaard (Arsenal), Sander Berge (Fulham), Fredrik Aursnes (Benfica), Patrick Berg (Bodo/Glimt), Kristian Thorstvedt (Sassuolo), Morten Thorsby (Cremonese), Thelo Aasgaard (Rangers).

Forwards: Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Alexander Sorloth (Atletico Madrid), Jorgen Strand Larsen (Crystal Palace), Antonio Nusa (RB Leipzig), Oscar Bobb (Fulham), Andreas Schjelderup (Benfica), Jens Petter Hauge (Bodo/Glimt).

Senegal's 26-man squad

Goalkeepers: Edouard Mendy (Al-Ahli), Yehvann Diouf (Nice), Mory Diaw (Le Havre).

Defenders: Krepin Diatta (Monaco), Antoine Mendy (Nice), Abdoulaye Seck (Maccabi Haifa), Kalidou Koulibaly (Al-Hilal), Moussa Niakhate (Lyon), Mamadou Sarr (Chelsea), El-Hadji Malick Diouf (West Ham United), Ismail Jakobs (Galatasaray).

Midfielders: Idrissa Gueye (Everton), Habib Diarra (Sunderland), Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham), Pape Gueye (Villarreal), Lamine Camara (Monaco), Pathe Ciss (Rayo Vallecano), Bara Ndiaye (Bayern Munich).

Forwards: Sadio Mane (Al-Nassr), Bamba Dieng (Lorient), Iliman Ndiaye (Everton), Nicolas Jackson (Bayern Munich), Assane Diao (Como), Ibrahim Mbaye (Paris St-Germain), Cherif Ndiaye (Samsunspor), Ismaila Sarr (Crystal Palace).

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Team news & squads

Norway vs Senegal Probable lineups

Norway

NOR

Formation

Senegal

SEN

Senegal

SEN

Manager

• S. Solbakken

Norway head coach Ståle Solbakken has not confirmed a projected XI ahead of the match, and no injury or suspension concerns have been reported within the squad. Updates will be added closer to kick-off as the team picture becomes clearer.

Senegal coach Pape Thiaw has similarly not released a probable lineup, and no injuries or suspensions have been confirmed at this stage. Further information will be provided as it becomes available.

Form

Norway have won two, drawn two, and lost one of their last five matches. Their most recent outing was a 1-1 draw against Morocco on June 7, coming off the back of a 3-1 win over Sweden on June 1. Earlier in that run, they drew 0-0 with Switzerland in March and beat Italy 4-1 in World Cup UEFA qualifying in November 2025. Their only defeat across those five games was a 2-1 loss to the Netherlands in March. Norway scored 13 goals and conceded four across the five-match run.

Senegal have won two, drawn one, and lost two of their last five. Their most recent result was a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia on June 9, following a 3-2 defeat to the United States on May 31. Earlier in the sequence, they beat Gambia 3-1 and Peru 2-0 in March. Their heaviest result in the run was a 3-0 loss to Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations in January 2026.

Head-to-Head Record

NOR

Last match

SEN

0

Wins

0

Draws

1

Win

• Senegal

  2

  -

  1

  Norway

1

Goals scored

2

Games over 2.5 goals

1/1

Both teams scored

1/1

The available head-to-head record between these two sides contains just one previous meeting. Senegal beat Norway 2-1 in a friendly on March 1, 2006, with Senegal as the home side. No further meetings between the two nations are recorded in the dataset.

Standings

In Group I, Norway currently sit third and Senegal fourth in the table heading into this fixture.