After decades of waiting, Iraq and Norway will return to the World Cup when they face one another in Boston.
Group I
Kick-off time
Wednesday,17 June | 06:00 (GMT+8)
The match
Two sides who have been made to wait for their respective FIFA World Cup™ returns will lock horns in Boston. Iraq haven’t played at the finals since a 1-0 defeat to the hosts at Mexico 1986, and are looking to mark their comeback by banking a first point. Norway, for their part, haven’t touched World Cup turf since a 1-0 loss to Italy in the last 16 of France 1998, a result which followed a heroic group-stage campaign in which they defeated Brazil in Marseille.
Possible Iraq starting XI
Hassan; Ali, Younis, Hashem, Doski; Farji, Al Ammari, Sher, Bayesh; Hussein, Al Hamadi
Possible Norway starting XI
Nyland; Ryerson, Ajer, Heggem, Moller Wolfe; Bobb, Berge, Odegaard, Nusa; Haaland, SorlothWhat they said….
“I feel we are the superior team. But we know Iraq is a strong side with a lot of strong players. You see with the Spain-Cabo Verde game, every game is difficult. We need to be at our best.” Patrick Berg, Norway midfielder
Boston Stadium
Boston Stadium, which is home to MLS side New England Revolution and NFL outfit New England Patriots, underwent huge renovations in order to be ready for World Cup 2026. Now complete with a 22,000-square-foot video board and a 22-story lighthouse, the venue is in pristine condition and ready to host seven matches at the finals.