Norway vs Senegal Prediction: World Cup 2026 Match Preview

After getting off to contrasting starts in their respective FIFA World Cup openers, Norway and Senegal will meet in New York in what is sure to be a high-octane clash. Look ahead to Monday’s match with our match prediction and preview.

Norway vs Senegal: The Key Insights

• After an emphatic 4-1 opening win over Iraq, Norway walk into this contest as favourites with the Opta supercomputer handing them a 44.7% win probability to Senegal’s 30.5%. 
• Monday’s clash will mark the first time Norway and Senegal meet in the World Cup. 
• After losing just one of their first five World Cup matches against European opponents (W3 D1), Senegal have now lost each of their last three.

Norway marked their long-awaited return to the World Cup finals with a dazzling 4-1 win over Iraq and will look to maintain their perfect start when they face Senegal at New York New Jersey Stadium on Tuesday. 

The Vikings’ tournament opener in Boston was certainly impressive, with Erling Haaland netting his maiden World Cup goals before Leo Østigård also found the net, while a late Aymen Hussein own goal rounded off the win. 

That result moved Norway to the top of Group I, level on points with pre-tournament favourites France.

It also extended their remarkable run of form, with Stale Solbakken’s side having now won each of their last 11 competitive matches, scoring exactly 50 goals and conceding just seven in that run. 

Indeed, their last loss dates back to a 5-1 defeat to Austria in the UEFA Nations League back in October 2024. 

There may also be a little piece of history within reach on Tuesday. Norway have never won more than one match at a single World Cup tournament, with this year’s competition only their fourth appearance in the finals. 

Senegal, meanwhile, endured a near-opposite start to their campaign as they were comfortably beaten 3-1 by France in their opening fixture.

Kylian Mbappé and company proved too strong in New York, though Ibrahim Mbaye’s stoppage-time consolation goal at least gave Senegal something to build on. 

At just 18 years and 143 days old, the Paris Saint-Germain starlet became the youngest African player to score in World Cup history. 

With their toughest group stage fixture now out of the way, Pape Thiaw will want his side to bounce back and put up a good fight against Norway to keep their tournament alive. 

The Opta supercomputer currently gives the Lions of Teranga a 56.5% chance of progressing, while Norway, owing to their strong start, are shown a 98.6% probability.

If Senegal are to turn their tournament around, Thiaw must look for solutions to a leaky defence, especially ahead of a meeting with an in-form Haaland. 

Of the 48 teams competing at this year’s World Cup, only Saudi Arabia (17, prior to their Matchday 2 fixture against Spain) are on a longer run without a clean sheet than Senegal. 

Indeed, they have conceded in each of their last 12 World Cup matches – a run stretching back to their debut in 2002, when they opened with a 1-0 win over France. 

This statistic will certainly encourage Haaland, who has already set a strong marker at the World Cup. 

The Norwegian powerhouse has scored in each of his last 11 competitive appearances for Norway and has netted more than once in each of his last five. Since the start of 2023, he has scored in 17 of his 20 international appearances. 

And with quality service behind him from Martin Ødegaard, Senegal could be in for another difficult evening. 

Eight of Norway’s 62 line-breaking passes against Iraq broke the opposition’s defensive line, with captain Ødegaard responsible for half of them (4/8) – as many as the entire Iraq team combined. He misplaced just one of his 42 passes and completed all 16 of his passes in the final third, suggesting limiting his influence could be key to Senegal’s hopes of a result. 

Norway vs Senegal Head-to-Head

Tuesday’s contest will be the first meeting between Norway and Senegal in the men’s World Cup, and their first overall in over 20 years. 

The last time these two sides met was a friendly back in March 2006, where the Lions of Teranga triumphed 2-1 in Dakar. 

Norway have faced African opposition just once before at the World Cup, coming from behind to draw 2-2 with Morocco in 1998. 

Senegal, meanwhile, started well against European sides on the big stage, losing just once from their first five meetings (W3 D1). But they have since lost each of their last three, including their opening-matchday loss to France. 

Norway vs Senegal Prediction

The Opta supercomputer predicts a close contest in New Jersey, with marginal favourites Norway winning 44.7% of its 25,000 pre-match simulations. 

Senegal triumphed 30.5% of the time, while a draw was shown a 24.9% chance. 

Norway vs Senegal Squads

Norway: Ørjan Nyland, Sander Tangvik, Egil Selvik, Kristoffer Ajer, Leo Østigård, David Møller Wolfe, Fredrik Bjørkan, Marcus Pedersen, Torbjørn Heggem, Sondre Langås, Henrik Falchener, Julian Ryerson, Morten Thorsby, Patrick Berg, Sander Berge, Martin Ødegaard, Fredrik Aursnes, Kristian Thorstvedt, Thelo Aasgaard, Antonio Nusa, Oscar Bobb, Jens Petter Hauge, Alexander Sørloth, Erling Haaland, Jørgen Strand Larsen, Andreas Schjelderup.

Senegal: Yehvann Diouf, Édouard Mendy, Mory Diaw, Mamadou Sarr, Kalidou Koulibaly, Abdoulaye Seck, Ismail Jakobs, Moussa Niakhaté, Antoine Mendy, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Idrissa Gueye, Pathé Ciss, Lamine Camara, Krépin Diatta, Pape Matar Sarr, Habib Diarra, Bara Sapoko Ndiaye, Pape Gueye, Assane Diao, Bamba Dieng, Sadio Mané, Nicolas Jackson, Cherif Ndiaye, Iliman Ndiaye, Ismaïla Sarr, Ibrahim Mbaye.

Norway vs Senegal Predicted Lineups

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