Norway earned a perfect 8-0 record in UEFA World Cup qualifying, scoring 37 goals while conceding just five, with Erling Haaland netting 16 to secure their first appearance since 1998. This form lifted them to around 31st in the FIFA rankings and positioned them as a dark horse, though they drew a brutal Group I alongside France, Senegal, and Iraq. Trader consensus reflects the group-stage challenge, with limited recent match data against top opposition and questions over defensive depth and squad depth beyond Haaland and Odegaard contributing to modest implied probabilities for advancing past the round of 32. Historical patterns for similar European sides in expanded 48-team formats reinforce expectations of an early exit despite the qualifying momentum.