- Iraq are a compact, deep, and tough team to play against under coach Graham Arnold.
- Norway are a progressive 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 side with a clear game plan under Philippe Clement.
- Iraq and Norway have identical recent overall form (W6, D3, L1) and look to be very evenly matched.
Tight encounter of two evenly matched teams expected
Iraq will be tough to break down against Norway in what should be a closely fought encounter between two evenly-matched sides in Group I of the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday. Both nations are making their long-awaited return to the tournament after lengthy absences, so there are a few extra nerves on display for this group stage battle.
Graham Arnold, who took over the reins in May 2025, has installed a compact, tough to play against, disciplined style upon the Lions of Mesopotamia that should make them a difficult opponent on Tuesday. Iraq have won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five matches, drawing 1-1 away to Spain and then beating Andorra 0-1 in their last two Friendlies.
Iraq have scored seven goals in their last five home games, but were turned over 0-2 by Venezuela in their most recent fixture at Al Thawra Stadium. Aymen Hussein is the target man up top in Arnold's system and can be a focal point for set pieces and counter attacks while Ali Adnan provides width and the set-piece delivery from deep for a team that will do its best to frustrate and hit on the counter or from set pieces.
Norway have the power to unlock Iraq's defence
However, Norway have a little bit more in their locker than Iraq and the 1.23 favorites can break through the opponent's defence at Boston Stadium. Norway's form is mixed with two wins, two draws and one defeat in their last five, but they have played some good football at times, particularly in their 3-1 home win over Sweden and 1-1 away draw with Morocco.
Head coach Philippe Clement has developed a clear style of play since November 2025 that focuses on playing an aggressive 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 system where they press high and play a more vertical, risk-taking brand of football. Martin Ødegaard is the creative hub, but Erling Haaland is the focal point of the attack and the player Norway will look to feed through on and around the edge of the Iraq defence.
Jørgen Strand Larsen has added another dimension to the frontline with three goals in the last five and Norway's 2.00 average goals per game away from home in all competitions gives them the quality and statistics to come out on top of this tight clash.
Draw odds are generous
The 6.8 odds for another are very generous given the match odds for Norway are 1.23. The Draw no Bet market looks safe here given the evidence from the last few games of these two very evenly-matched nations, but we're going to take the higher risk of the win at slightly greater odds because of the attacking quality, depth and form of the Norwegians.
The 'over 2.5 goals' market is also attractive at 1.59, especially given the scoring form of Norway, which should be good enough to see them through in this clash of two compact, tough to beat units.
