Norway’s Erling Haaland aims to kick off his World Cup campaign against Iraq on Tuesday. The towering striker scored 16 goals in Norway’s eight qualifying matches and netted an unmatched 27 Premier League goals for Manchester City last season.
Backed by Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard, Antonio Nusa, and Oscar Bobb, Haaland hopes to secure the Golden Boot award against Iraq, who are making their World Cup debut after a 40-year absence. The match also sets up a potential showdown with Kylian Mbappe when Norway faces France on June 26.
Iraq, under coach Graham Arnold, will be looking to advance despite their grueling qualifying campaign and recent red cards. Aymen Hussein, the goal scorer in Iraq’s qualification match, is expected to put up a strong fight against Haaland.