World Cup qualification
Debacle instead of miracle: Norway sends Italy to the playoffs
Updated 11/16/2025 – 10:51 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
It was already clear before the game: Italy would only qualify for the tournament directly with a miracle. Norway did not take part.
Star striker Erling Haaland and Norway have brought Italy a final humiliation – and thus deprived the “Squadra Azzurra” of the last chance of direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup. With a brace, Haaland sealed Norway’s fifth World Cup participation in a 4-1 (0-1) win in Milan and sent Italy into the playoffs.
Gennaro Gattuso’s team now has to fight for a ticket to the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the USA in March in order to take part in a finals for the first time since 2014.
Even before kick-off, Norway’s first participation in a World Cup finals in 28 years was practically impossible. Norway entered San Siro in Milan with a comfortable lead of three points and 17 goals. A football miracle was needed for Italy, but “winning 9-0 is impossible,” Gattuso had already predicted in advance.
Italy started energetically and dominantly. The early lead by Pio Esposito (11th) and Norway’s initially passive performance created a euphoric atmosphere. But after the break, Norway became significantly better and was able to equalize through the strong Leipzig professional Antonio Nusa (63′).
Haaland finally turned the game around with his 15th and 16th goals in qualifying (78th/79th). Jørgen Strand Larsen scored in stoppage time to make it 4-1 and make it the eighth win in the eighth match. By the way: Haaland equaled Robert Lewandowski’s goal record (2016/17) with 16 goals from ten games in World Cup qualifying.
Italy is now threatened with a horror hat trick: the four-time world champion had already missed the last two World Cup finals in Qatar in 2022 and Russia in 2018. Back then, too, Italy had to make it to the playoffs – and failed miserably in each case. The draw will take place on Thursday in Zurich.