Norway will play Brazil next on Sunday in New Jersey after Erling Braut Haaland struck four minutes from the end to seal a 2-1 win over Côte d'Ivoire in Texas.
That is the question driving the search now: who does Norway play next, where is it being played, and what is at stake if Ståle Solbakken’s side keeps going in the FIFA World Cup. Norway’s answer is Brazil at MetLife, with the winner more than likely to meet England in Miami in the quarter-finals on July 11, then Argentina in Atlanta after that.
Antonio Nusa had given Norway the lead on the cusp of halftime, and it looked set to be enough until Côte d'Ivoire found an equalizer with a quarter of an hour left. For a moment, extra time felt likely. Then Haaland arrived at the far end of the move and poked Patrick Berg’s cross over the line, turning a match that had slipped into doubt back in Norway’s favor.
The goal carried more than one result. Haaland became the first man since Sándor Kocsis of Hungary in 1954 to score in each of his first three World Cup appearances. It also pushed Norway into a game that now looks like the clearest test of how far this team can go. Brazil have already shown they can fight back from behind to beat Japan, and Gabriel Martinelli’s late knockout-stage winner earlier in the tournament has only underlined how little room there is for error on this side of the draw.
That draw matters. Norway and Brazil are on the more open side, which is why the winner’s route suddenly feels possible rather than merely theoretical. Norway may be heading into what could be its first major tournament for 26 years, but the way Solbakken’s team closed out this match suggests it will believe it can beat anyone. Brazil comes next. If Norway gets through that, England in Miami would be waiting, and the tournament would suddenly look very different.
