Norway had a chance to make a real statement at the World Cup.
Instead, they are choosing to look scared.
According to ESPN, Erling Haaland is expected to start Norway’s massive Group I match against France on the bench, with manager Stale Solbakken reportedly planning to rest 10 players. That is pathetic.
This is not some meaningless friendly. This is the World Cup. Norway is already through to the round of 32, but this match still matters. France leads the group on goal difference, meaning Norway likely needs to win to take first place. Winning the group could help Norway avoid a tougher knockout path, including a possible round-of-16 matchup with Brazil.
And yet Norway is acting like the job is already done.
That is the difference between teams that believe they can win something and teams that are just happy to be here.
Haaland has four goals in this tournament and is right in the Golden Boot race with Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi. This was supposed to be one of the biggest star matchups of the group stage: Haaland vs. Mbappé, Norway vs. France, first place on the line. Instead, Norway is taking the cowardly route.
Yes, resting players matters. Yes, staying fresh for the knockout stage matters. But there is a fine line between being smart and being soft. Norway resting nearly the entire team against one of the best nations in the world sends the wrong message.
It tells France that Norway does not believe it can beat them.
It tells the rest of the tournament that Norway is not serious about making a deep run.
Most importantly, it tells Haaland that even with one of the best strikers on Earth, Norway still does not have the mentality of a real contender.
This is why smaller soccer nations stay smaller soccer nations. When the moment comes to prove they belong with the elite, they back down. Norway could have gone after France, tried to win the group, and shown the world they were more than just Haaland and vibes.
Instead, they are choosing survival over ambition.
That might keep legs fresh, but it also kills momentum.
If Norway gets a brutal knockout draw and crashes out early, nobody should feel bad for them. They had a chance to control their own path. They had a chance to show courage. They had a chance to let Haaland go head-to-head with Mbappé on the biggest stage.
And they blinked.
For a team trying to prove it belongs among the World Cup’s serious threats, this is embarrassing.
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