Iraq v Norway: World Cup 2026 line-ups, stats and preview, TV channel, live online stream and prediction

Iraq and Norway get their World Cup 2026 campaigns underway on Tuesday when they meet at Boston Stadium in Group I.

France are expected to be favourites to top the group, making this contest potentially decisive in the battle for second place.

Iraq are appearing at only their second World Cup finals and their first since 1986. The Lions of Mesopotamia endured a difficult qualification route, changing managers midway through the process before Graham Arnold guided them through the latter stages and eventually into the inter-confederation play-offs, where victory over Bolivia secured their place in North America.

The Asian side have shown flashes of promise in recent months, including a creditable 1-1 draw against Spain in a pre-tournament friendly.

Norway, meanwhile, are back on the World Cup stage for the first time since 1998 after an outstanding qualifying campaign. Stale Solbakken’s side won all eight of their qualifiers, scoring 37 goals and conceding just five in the process.

Led by Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, Norway possess one of the most exciting attacking units at the tournament and will believe they have a genuine chance of reaching the knockout rounds.

Their recent form has been mixed, but the quality throughout the squad means expectations are high heading into their opening group fixture.

World Cup 2026: Iraq v Norway team news

Iraq captain Jalal Hassan is expected to start in goal and could earn his 103rd international cap in the process.

The experienced goalkeeper should be protected by centre-backs Zaid Tahseen and Rebin Sulaka, while Amir Al-Ammari and former Manchester United midfielder Zidane Iqbal are likely to anchor the midfield.

Aymen Hussein is expected to spearhead the attack, supported by Ibrahim Bayesh, Ali Jasim and Stoke City forward Ali Al-Hamadi.

For Norway, Erling Haaland will lead the line as he looks to continue the prolific form that helped his country qualify for the World Cup.

Captain Martin Odegaard is set to start in midfield alongside Sander Berge and Fredrik Aursnes, while Antonio Nusa and Alexander Sorloth are expected to provide attacking support.

Defensively, Kristoffer Ajer is likely to partner Torbjorn Heggem in central defence, with Leo Skiri Ostigard also an option if Solbakken opts to rotate.

Iraq v Norway World Cup 2026 predicted line-ups

Iraq starting XI: Hassan; Ali, Tahseen, Sulaka, Doski; Al-Ammari, Iqbal; Bayesh, Jasim, Al-Hamadi; Hussein

Norway starting XI: Nyland; Ryerson, Ajer, Heggem, Wolfe; Odegaard, Berge, Aursnes; Sorloth, Haaland, Nusa

Where to watch Iraq v Norway: TV channel, live online streams

Kick-off on Tuesday is at 23:00 BST (18:00 ET / 15:00 PT). In the UK, live coverage is on BBC One.

Fans can stream the action on a vast range of devices through the BBC iPlayer app or BBC Sport website.

World Cup 2026: Iraq v Norway stats

• Iraq’s previous World Cup appearance was in 1986, losing to Paraguay (1-0), Belgium (2-1) and Mexico (1-0)
• Only Canada and El Salvador have played more games at the World Cup with a 100% losing rate (6/6 each)
• From the third round of qualifying for the AFC World Cup qualifiers, eight of Iraq’s 15 goals came from set-pieces (four from free-kicks, three from corners and one penalty)
• In the fifth round of AFC qualifying and inter-confederation play-offs, Amir Al Ammari was involved in three of Iraq’s five goals (1 goal, 2 assists). Across all of qualifying, only Aymen Hussein (9) had more goal involvements than Al Ammari’s seven (2 goals, 5 assists)
• Graham Arnold, Iraq’s head coach, will be overseeing a side at the World Cup for the second time, after guiding Australia to the round of 16 stage for the second time in their history in 2022, losing 2-1 to eventual champions Argentina
• This will be Norway’s fourth finals appearance and their first since 1998, when they produced their best campaign by reaching the round of 16 before being eliminated by Italy
• Norway featured in 1994, which was the only previous time the tournament was hosted by the US. All four teams in their group finished level on four points and identical goal difference (0) – still the only instance of its kind in World Cup history – but Norway ended up bottom because they scored the fewest goals
• Their two wins at the World Cup came against Mexico in 1994 (1-0) and Brazil in 1998 (2-1), making them the last European nation to beat Brazil in the group stages of the tournament
• With 4.6 goals per game in European qualifying (37 goals in 8 matches), Norway achieved the best average ever for any European nation in a single World Cup qualifying campaign with more than four games
• Erling Haaland scored 16 goals in eight matches in qualifying, which was double the number of any other European player at an average of 2.04 goals per 90 minutes
• Stale Solbakken is at his first World Cup as head coach and featured in the 1998 edition as a player, featuring in three matches in Norway’s most recent appearance at the tournament

World Cup 2026: Iraq v Norway prediction

Iraq have shown signs of improvement under Graham Arnold and should be capable of making the contest competitive, particularly with experienced players throughout the spine of the team.

However, Norway’s attacking quality is difficult to ignore. With Haaland, Odegaard, Nusa and Sorloth all capable of creating and converting chances, the Europeans should have enough firepower to secure an important win in Group I.

Prediction: Iraq 1-3 Norway