It is clear that national team manager Ståle Solbakken has to build up some kind of tension and claim that the World Cup qualification is tough, but it is really really simple.
Both Germany and Italy – we meet one of them – are weakened and not at all as tough as before, it is the rest of the field that makes it easy. – We can come in second place and still qualify for the World Cup. – We get Israel, Estonia and Moldova, who we should all beat with our arms in the sling and blindfolded.
Julian Nagelsmann has a rather lax history as national team manager of Germany and really should have found something else to do a long time ago. Has more faith in Italy’s national team manager Luciano Spalletti, but leading Italy is very difficult these days, to bring out a Norwegian image. “Leading Italy is like carrying a stake”.
“It’s hard” says national team manager Solbakken in TV 2’s studio about Germany or Italy.
Norway ended up in Group I and will face either Germany or Italy from seeding level 1. Germany and Italy will meet in the quarter-finals of the Nations League on March 20 and 23, 2025. Norway meets the loser, we in Sporten think it will be Germany. It will be a group of five teams for Norway.
Germany’s national team coach Julian Nagelmann would prefer to avoid ending up in Norway’s group, according to the newspaper Bild.
“Norway is a good opponent with many good and experienced players. Group A is probably a little nicer. To get into that group, we first have to beat Italy,” says Nagelsmann.
Norway got Estonia from level four and Moldova from level five.
“It was pretty tough from both level 1 and 3. But I see it a bit like that it’s an advantage that the best team has to do well away from home, and then we have to do our job. We have to beat Germany or Italy at Ullevaal, says national team manager Solbakken.
Group A:
Winner of Germany/Italy*, Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg
Group B:
Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo
Group C:
Taper Portugal/Denmark*, Greece, Scotland, Belarus
Group D:
Winner of France/Croatia*, Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan
Group E:
Winner of Spain/Netherlands*, Turkey, Georgia, Bulgaria
Group F:
Winner of Portugal/Denmark*, Hungary, Ireland, Armenia
Group G:
Losers of Spain/Netherlands*, Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta
Group H:
Austria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino
Group I:
Loser of Germany/Italy*, Norway, Israel, Estonia and Moldova
Group J:
Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein
Group K:
England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra
Group L:
Loses France/Croatia*, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar
