It’s been almost 28 years since the last time. Let it sink in for a moment. The last time Norway played in the World Cup, Kjetil Rekdal knocked in a penalty kick against Brazil, and most of us followed it on a TV with an antenna. Now we’re back. The summer of 2026 will be the football summer Norwegian fans have been waiting for for an entire generation, and this time we are not just spectators.
The World Cup will be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. 48 teams, 104 games, brand new format. It’s big in every way. We have followed the World Cup material closely all the way, and when the interest first takes off, there are two things people wonder: who will actually win, and where to play if you want a little extra at stake when Norway is on the field.
Who will win the 2026 World Cup?
The bookmakers have fallen in love with Spain. Odds of around 5.50 make the reigning European champions the clear favourites, and no wonder. The squad is simply deeper than everyone else’s, and in Lamine Yamal they have an 18-year-old who already decides big games on his own. The only small question mark is the lack of a world-class nine. But who needs that when the edges do the job?
Behind Spain are France and England, both with odds in the range of 6.50 to 7.10. France have Mbappé in the hundred after a crazy season at Real Madrid and an attacking squad so long that they could field two national teams. England is England. Lots of quality, Harry Kane scoring on autopilot, and the eternal feeling that it will unravel in a quarter-final on penalties. I am not fooled until I see them lift something.
Then we have the champions. Argentina are around 9 in odds, and yes, Messi turns 39 in the middle of the tournament. But write them off at your own risk. That team knows how to win, and it counts more than people think when the nerves show up in the playoffs. Brazil, with Ancelotti on the bench and Vinícius Júnior up front, are the other team I wouldn’t bet against in a single game.
If you want better odds, you have to go further down the list. Germany and Portugal are somewhere between 12 and 20. Neither of them are favourites, but both have enough players to mess it up for the big ones. Portugal is admittedly struggling a bit with a Ronaldo who is no longer a given, and a squad in transition, but there is nothing wrong with the talent. And in a World Cup, sometimes one warm week is enough.
Norway: dream big, tip smart
For us, this World Cup is about something very special. Ståle Solbakken has actually managed it. We’re in.
Erling Braut Haaland scored 16 goals in eight qualifying games. Sixteen. It equalled the European record, and it is almost unbelievable. Add Martin Ødegaard, and Norway has two players who would have started for anyone. The problem is the rest of the map. The group with France, Senegal and Iraq is hard work, although some believe Norway can actually beat France, and winning odds of anything between 25 and 80 remind us that fairy tales and favourites are not the same.
My advice, if you absolutely want a Norway coupon: drop the pure World Cup winner. Instead, look at “Norway through from the group” or “Haaland top scorer”. Therein lies the sensible value. The dream of gold only costs you money. It all starts against Iraq on the night of 17 June Norwegian time, so set your alarm clock.
The new format turns everything upside down
48 teams and twelve groups means more games and more paths into the playoffs. For the favorites, the journey will be longer and tougher. For the small teams, opportunities open up that did not exist before.
For those of you who bet, this is actually good news. The group stage becomes less predictable, and “progressing” bets on half-sized nations can pay off nicely. At the same time, the top nations are wearing out more than they are used to, and the heat in the United States and Mexico in the middle of summer is unlikely to make matters better. A World Cup is rarely decided by who has the best team on paper. Form, form and a bit of luck in a single match mean just as much, if not more.
How to Find Betting Sites That Are Worth Your Time
As a World Cup approaches, it rains bonuses and offers. Most of it is noise. If you want to find World Cup betting sites you actually bother to use throughout the tournament, there are three things I always check first.
Odds, obviously. The difference between 5.55 and 5.20 in Spain looks trivial, but if you play evenly for five weeks, it will be noticeable on your bankroll. Compare before you put the coupon, not after.
Breadth of the games. The best sides have much more than pure match winners. Group winners, top scorers, number of goals, first goalscorer, anything you can think of. The more markets, the more ways to make an otherwise sleepy 0-0 game a little more exciting.
And then the boring stuff that suddenly becomes important: fast payout, an app that doesn’t collapse ten minutes before kick-off in the opening match, and a customer service that responds when you actually need them. You don’t think about it until something goes wrong. Then that’s all you think about.
The top scorer match and the fun side bets
The Golden Boot is almost as fun to follow as the trophy itself. Three names stand out: Mbappé, Kane and Haaland. Mbappé was the top scorer in 2018 and piled in a hat-trick in the final in 2022, so the man delivers on the big stage. Kane usually fills the scoresheet early in a tournament. Haaland is possibly the world’s best striker right now, but is at the mercy of Norway going far enough for him to get games to score.
Outside the obvious often lies the best value. Which team will be the dark horse of the tournament? Morocco showed in 2022 that a semi-final is not reserved for the very biggest, and with the new format, more can follow. The favorites are usually priced correctly. It’s on the underrated teams, or a striker in form no one is talking about yet, that the odds pay off.
A final word before the referee blows the whistle
The World Cup comes every four years. Enjoy it. But keep your tongue in your mouth: gambling should be the spice of the experience, not a plan to get rich. Determine an amount you can lose with a shrug, stick to it, and see any win as a bonus on top of it all. All games are valid for you over 18, and the serious players always give you the tools to set limits yourself. If you feel that gambling is getting out of hand, you can talk to the Helpline completely anonymously.
Norway in the World Cup for the first time in a lifetime, Haaland in a goalscoring mood and a completely new format. You will have to look for a better framework for a football summer for a long time. Find the sides that suit you, tilt your head, and enjoy every second.
