Norway beat Senegal 3-2 in a key Matchday 2 showdown, securing their passage to the Round of 32 in the 2026 World Cup thanks to a brace from Erling Haaland. The result leaves a highly complicated scenario for Senegal, which will have to fight Iraq in the final matchday for third place while depending on other results.
Following the victory, Norway definitively secure at least second place and will battle France for the top spot on the final matchday. This validates their great performance to advance as the absolute leader of their sector. If they secure the top spot, the pairing criteria dictate that they will face one of the second-place teams from other groups or one of the best third-place teams. This theoretically more accessible path opens up a wide range of national teams from various continents.
World Cup simulations point to Norway‘s main opponent in the Round of 32 being none other than Sweden or Japan of Group F, depending on their result in the match. The Swedish squad is currently stalled in third place in Group F with three points after recently falling at the hands of Netherlands. This takes into account that the best position Viktor Gyokeres and company could opt for would be second place, right behind group leaders the Netherlands.
How the best third-place teams will be decided in the final Matchday
To define the best eight nations that finish in third place in their group during the 2026 World Cup, the following criteria will be used:
Erling Haaland #9 of Norway during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I match.
- Highest number of points obtained in matches between the national teams in question.
- Greatest goal difference in matches between the national teams in question.
- Most goals scored in matches between the national teams in question.
In case they remain tied after applying the first three criteria, these same criteria will be considered in which each team has faced the remaining national teams. If it remains unresolved, the following will be considered:
- Greatest goal difference in all group matches.
- Most goals scored in all group matches.
- Most points obtained for sporting conduct.
The final step will be to define a tiebreaker according to the position of the national teams in the latest FIFA ranking. This setup will result in a more than interesting Matchday 3, which will feature simultaneous games to avoid conflicts. We are talking about 6 games per day.
How Norway defeated Senegal
Norway beat Senegal thanks to a goal from Holmgren Pedersen in the 43rd minute, followed by Erling Haaland, who scored a brace at the start of the second half. Haaland netted in the 48th minute and, just 10 minutes later, closed his brace in the 58th minute. He now has 4 goals in the World Cup and remains firmly in the hunt for the Golden Boot. Ismaila Sarr pulled a brace for Senegal in the 53rd and 90+3 minutes.
