Haaland turns every group into a "group of death" at the 2026 World Cup

Erling Haaland is in good form at both national and club level.

However, one factor is almost certain: the group with the presence of Erling Haaland and Norway will immediately become the "group of death".

Norway entered the draw in an unlikely position: having completed the UEFA regional qualifying campaign with an eight-game winning streak, but only seeded in Pot 3 due to their FIFA ranking of 29th. This paradox has experts warning that any team drawn in Norway's group will face a huge risk.

“They are much stronger than a Pot 3 team,” said US soccer legend Landon Donovan. “They are not Pot 1, but they are definitely Pot 2. Their form has only recently come, so the rankings have not caught up.”

Norway’s focal point, of course, was Erling Haaland. The 1.96m striker finished the qualifiers with 16 goals, equalling Robert Lewandowski’s record for most goals in a single World Cup qualifying campaign. The gap between Haaland and the rest is telling: the man behind him, Marko Arnautović, has just… 8.

Facing Haaland in a World Cup, according to Donovan, is “a real nightmare”, especially in one-on-one situations.

But Norway has more than just Haaland. They have a generation of players called “golden” with Odegaard, along with wingers Antonio Nusa and Oscar Bobb. American legend Cobi Jones said the duo “explode in 1v1 dribbling”, while Odegaard brings a superior level of organization.

So, the group could be called easy, until the draw with Norway's name appeared in Pot 3. From that moment, all calculations changed.

Source: https://znews.vn/haaland-bien-moi-bang-dau-thanh-bang-tu-than-tai-world-cup-2026-post1608607.html