Women’s World Cup 2023: Everything you need to know about Norway

Norway World Cup 2023 fixtures, betting odds and statistics

[STATISTICS]

You can read all about New Zealand, Switzerland and Philippines by clicking on their names here.

How did Norway qualify?

Norway qualified by finishing top of UEFA Group F, above Belgium, Poland, Albania, Kosovo and Armenia, winning nine of ten matches, their only dropped points coming in a goalless draw in Łódź.

Norway’s major tournament record:

World Cup

Best World Cup result: Winners- 1995.

European Championships

Best Euros result: Winners- 1987 & 1993.

Olympic Games

Best Olympics result: Gold Medalists- 2000.

Norway at World Cup 2023

(Alamy Stock Photo)

Norway are one of the pioneers in women’s international football, so will they recapture former glories this summer?

Norway also won the European Championships in 1987 and 1993, picked up Olympic bronze in 1996 and gold in 2000, one of just four Gold Medals the country picked up in any sport in Sydney.

However, in more recent times, their record has not been quite as impressive.

Across the last three World Cups, they’ve won just one knockout match, ousted by England in both 2015 and 2019.

Meanwhile, despite having reached at least the semi-finals at nine of the previous ten Euros, Norway have since suffered back-to-back group stage exits.

Last summer, they beat Northern Ireland in their opener, were then embarrassingly smashed 8-0 by England, their heaviest defeat of all-time, before being eliminated by a very mediocre Austria, defeated 1-0.

This saw Head Coach Martin Sjögren fired, with the aforementioned Hege Riise taking over, having previously been in charge of Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics.

During her 14-year international playing career, Riise won 188 caps for Norway, scored 58 goals and won the World Cup, the Olympics and the Euros; not a bad person to lead this team.

Norway will be involved in the World Cup’s opening match on 20 July, facing co-hosts New Zealand in Auckland, before taking on Switzerland and then debutants Philippines.

The Nordic nation have, by some considerable distance, the most-talented squad in Group A, so should cruise through the knockout stages, where they are also capable of making serious progress.

Norway team news

Manchester United defender Maria Þórisdóttir will miss this tournament due to a foot injury suffered in an FA Cup victory over Lewes back in March.

Her club teammate Lisa Naalsund as well as Elisabeth Terland of Brighton and Tottenham’s Celin Bizet Ildhusøy all didn’t make the 23-player squad.

Norway′s key players: Maren Mjelde

(Alamy Stock Photo)

Captain and centre-back Maren Mjelde is the fourth-most capped Norwegian women of all-time, with her tally of 163 leaving her 25 short of the record, held by her manager Hege Riise.

This’ll be the fourth World Cup, and eight major tournament, at which Mjelde has represented her country, having featured in all 29 matches since her tournament debut 14 years ago, starting 28 of them.

The 33 year old will be deployed at centre-back, possibly alongside Guro Bergsvand, although it was Mathilde Harviken did partnered Mjelde in both friendlies in April.

During a seven-year spell with Chelsea, Mjelde has been a key figure for Emma Hayes’ side, making 118 appearances, winning five FAWSL titles as well as seven other major honours.

In early June, she signed a one year extension, which is a massive boost for the champions of England.

Norway have plenty of attacking talent in their ranks, which we’ll come onto in a second, but it might be up to Mjelde to make sure they don’t ship too many goals at the other end.

Norway′s key players: Caroline Graham Hansen

(Alamy Stock Photo)

Undoubtedly, one of the very best wingers in world football is Caroline Graham Hansen.

As recently as 3 June, she started for Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League Final, as her team fought back from 2-0 down to beat Wolfsburg 3-2.

This saw Graham Hansen get her hands on the Champions League trophy for the second time, taking he own personal major honours count up to 23: five with Stabæk, eight with Wolfsburg and now ten during four seasons at Barça.

Since arriving in Catalonia in 2019, the 28 year old has scored 45 goals in just 108 appearances, including 13 in 19 this season.

Despite having not played for the national team for a year, since the Euros in fact, Graham Hansen will return to the fold in time for the World Cup, which is a major boost.

Norway′s key players: Ada Hegerberg

Another star player who’s previously taken a break from international action is the undisputed star of this team Ada Hegerberg.

Between 2017 and March 2022, the inaugural Ballon d’Or Féminin winner refused to play international football, protesting against the way the NFF undervalued women’s football, thereby sitting out the 2019 World Cup.

Her five-year exile did come to an end last year, scoring a hat-trick on here return against Kosovo, before starting all three European Championship matches.

Despite going five years without pulling on the national team jersey, Hegerberg has scored 43 goals in only 76 appearances, netting against Thailand and then Côte d’Ivoire twice at the 2015 World Cup.

Since joining current club Olympique Lyonnais Féminin in 2014, she’s won eight Division 1 titles, six Coupe de Frances and six Champions Leagues, scoring in three different UWCL finals, including a hat-trick in 2019.

Overall, Hegerberg is the Champions League’s all-time top-scorer, with 59, having scored 194 goals in 170 appearances for Lyon across all competitions.

This is all despite spending 21 months out injured, rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament in January 2020.

Hegerberg has come back from that injury even stronger and is one of the superstars of this entire tournament, so will be key to any success Norway can potentially have.

Norway′s possible starting line-up for World Cup 2023

Norway′s full squad for World Cup 2023

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Forwards

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Group A table