Norway edge Senegal in a tightly contested Group I battle.
Norway Form and Insights
Norway return to the World Cup stage for the first time since 1998, and Stale Solbakken’s side have wasted no time making their presence felt. They qualified with eight wins from eight UEFA matches — scoring 37 goals and conceding just five — and backed that up with a commanding 4-1 win over Iraq on Matchday 1 to sit top of Group I. Erling Haaland, already with two goals in this tournament, is the attacking threat Senegal must solve at MetLife Stadium, and a second straight win for the Norwegians would put them on the brink of the knockout round.
- Goals scored: 1.8 per game
- Goals conceded: 1.0 per game
- Win rate: 40.0%
- Both teams score: 80.0% of games
- Clean sheets: 20.0% of games
Senegal Form and Insights
Senegal carry the weight of a Matchday 1 defeat to France into this fixture and know that a second loss would leave their round-of-16 hopes hanging by a thread. Pape Thiaw’s side have shown in previous outings that they can counter with pace and directness, and Ibrahim Mbaye — already on the scoresheet this tournament — offers a focal point in attack. The Lions of Teranga carry a stronger recent World Cup scoring record across five matches than their Matchday 1 result suggests, and they will need a disciplined, focused effort to pull anything from this game.
- Goals scored: 1.6 per game
- Goals conceded: 1.4 per game
- Win rate: 40.0%
- Both teams score: 60.0% of games
- Clean sheets: 40.0% of games
Head-to-Head Statistics
There is no World Cup head-to-head record between these two sides, so history offers no reliable guide. The H2H signal is absent, meaning Matchday 1 form and overall Elo strength must carry the weight of the preview.
Norway
Senegal
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
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Our Prediction
Norway hold a meaningful Elo advantage and have shown the stronger recent scoring trend in this tournament, with the FIFA World Cup 2026 Predictor giving them a 48% win probability against Senegal’s 25%. The draw sits at 28%, which is a live outcome — Senegal’s counter-attacking threat means Norway cannot simply turn this into a training exercise. Solbakken’s men are the lean, but the margin is narrow enough to keep caution in check, and an AI Prediction Football assessment of this fixture underlines just how competitive Group I has become.
Back Norway to win, but the draw at 28% is a genuine risk worth respecting given how motivated Senegal are to stay in the tournament.
Match Details
- Date23 Jun 2026
- Kick-off08:00 MYT
- CompetitionFIFA World Cup
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