Why Erling Haaland Didn’t Play for Norway vs. France—2026 World Cup

Erling Haaland’s absence from Norway’s starting XI in the decisive final game of Group I against France came as a shock to many, but Ståle Solbakken had warned that tough decisions would have to be made in this “pressure cooker” of a World Cup tournament.

A pair of victories against Iraq and Senegal guaranteed Norway a spot in the round of 32, an enormous achievement for a nation which hadn’t previously qualified for a World Cup group stage during Haaland’s life. France matched those results, setting up a straight shootout for top spot on Friday in Boston which would theoretically provide an easier route through the knockout stages.

However, that’s not quite how Solbakken saw it.

“It is an important game [against France],” the Norway boss told assembled media before the match, “but the most important is the round ​of 32.”

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“Knowing the prerequisites,” Solbakken continued, “we don’t know how many games we will get. It is 100% certain that we will need to be rested for the round of 32 mentally and physically. It could be that we ​have to play 30 minutes of extra time or penalties [in the knockouts].

“There is an argument that these players are ​used to playing every three days but here [there] is so much pressure. It is like a pressure cooker.”

France certainly skewered a Norway side which wasn’t only lacking Haaland. An entirely changed defense was torn to shreds by Ousmane Dembélé and Co. to secure top spot and send Solbakken’s side towards a round-of-32 tie with Côte d’Ivoire.

Norway Confirmed Lineup vs. France

Solbakken made an outrageous 10 changes to the starting XI which romped to a 3–2 win over Senegal four days earlier. The entire frontline alongside Haaland was dropped to the bench while the nation’s captain and creative talisman Martin Ødegaard also found himself among the substitutes.

The central defensive pairing of Torbjørn Heggem and Kristoffer Ajer was swapped out, weakening arguably the most vulnerable aspect of the team even further. It showed.

Unlike his Norwegian counterpart, Didier Deschamps went with his first-choice France lineup, starting Kylian Mbappé, Désiré Doue, Dembélé and Michael Olise against the unassuming center back duo of Genoa’s Leo Østigård and Henrik Falchener of the Norwegian top flight side, Viking.

Haaland Not Concerned by Golden Boot Race Chase

Haaland’s goals are fundamental to Norway’s collective success and his own personal ambition of claiming the World Cup Golden Boot. However, Solbakken insisted that his star striker was not distracted by singular targets. “He ⁠is not ​focused on being the top scorer,” the 58-year-old sniffed.

“He is focused on the ​team and he is a team player who is happy when a teammate scores. He has the killer instinct and wants ​to score but his greater strength is that he puts the team first.”

In the eyes of the cynical manager, Haaland’s talents will be best saved for the round of 32. “We ⁠are very happy having six points,” Solbakken warned. “We should not become too greedy. We have to ​be more smart ⁠than greedy.” Only time will tell if it will prove to be a savvy call.