FIFA 2026 World Cup - Iraq vs. Norway (Group I) Tips

Match Details

Date: 17/6/26 8:00AM

Venue: Gilette Stadium, Boston, Massachusetts.

Current Betting Odds

Iraq: $15.00

Draw: $7.50

Norway: $1.16

Iraq vs. Norway Preview

Iraq have made their first World Cup in forty years, Norway is also making its return to the tournament, absent since 1998.

Iraq is being led by a very familiar face for Socceroos fans, Graham Arnold, who has done wonders in making this football program competitive.

Norway is on a rocket like trajectory, much thanks to Erling Haaland. The Manchester City striker is one of the biggest names in football and has fifty-five goals from just fifty international starts.

Best Bet

Norway

Win

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$1.22

I can’t see Iraq holding out Norway for the entire game. Arnold will have them heavily structured and they have had plenty of time to prepare for this match, but the offensive power for Norway will be too great.

Norway sent a warning to the world when they beat the Italians back in November 4-1. 3-1 over the Swede’s and a draw with Morocco lay claims that Norway are better than their FIFA ranking suggests.

The 48^th FIFA ranked nation in October 2024, now they sit 30^th overall. This team is full of English premier league talent from teams like Arsenal, Fulham and Crystal Palace.

Same Game Multi Bet

Goals Over 2.5/ Norway -1.0/ Over 6.5 corners

SGM

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$2.84

If Norway can dismantle the Iraq defence early, Arnold won’t just lay down and cop a 0-1 loss. This group game means more so than the others, the equivalent of a final for Iraq. With France and Senegal completing the group, Iraq will not enter a game where the odds suggest a chance. Norway is the lesser of those three nations but again, it’s not by much.

Iraq won’t care, they have been against the odds throughout the whole qualifying process and not just on the pitch.

The journey to their final match to qualify involved a 12-hour drive from Baghdad to Amman, airspace closures and a 17-hour flight to Mexico just to play. This team is resilient.

Value Bet

Martin Odegaard

To score or assist

Bet Now

$1.91

The Arsenal attacking midfielder has a knack of carving up the most solid defences and Norway will need his best here. With all eyes on Haaland, it will be Odegaard that can create for him and also off of him, if he is playing in a crowd.

In 24 premier league games he scored once but assisted on seven goals. He has the ability to find the gap in Iraq’s wall and can work in a phone box. He is Norway’s creative heartbeat and can create magic from set pieces.

His strengths are his through balls and key passes and they will both be needed to topple Iraq. In Norway’s World Cup qualifying run, Odegaard scored once and assisted on seven goals in just 5 matches. He played 100% of the possible game time and is integral to their offence.

Sports Journalist

David Gibson

David is Betseeker's expert NBA and NBL tipster. With more than a decade of experience working in the Australian wagering industry, David has a particular knack for picking winning NBA SGMs.