Norway’s World Cup qualifying campaign is going smoothly as they sit at the top of Group I ahead of their home match against Israel.
Norway have won all five of their qualifiers so far, scoring an impressive 24 goals and conceding just three. Nearly half of those goals came in their most recent match, an 11-1 thrashing of Moldova at home, though surprisingly, that wasn’t their biggest win in history. That result extended their current winning streak to eight matches, and another victory here would match their all-time record for consecutive wins. They’ve also been unbeatable at home, winning seven straight games in Norway since June 2024, underlining their strong form.
Meanwhile, Israel’s focus may be understandably affected by the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Still, qualifying for their first World Cup since 1970 would be a major achievement and a welcome moment of national pride. They’ve performed respectably in Group I so far, with three wins and two defeats, and sit just outside the top two. A draw or win in Norway could see them move into one of the qualification spots, at least until Italy play later in the day. Israel shouldn’t be underestimated either, having won both of their away games so far in this qualifying campaign.
These two sides have only met three times before, with Norway leading the head-to-head two wins to one. That includes a 4-2 win in the reverse fixture back in March.
Norway tend to start fast, having scored before half-time in seven of their last eight matches. However, they also concede late, with seven of their last eight goals against coming in the second half. As for Israel, five of their six matches in 2025 have seen over 2.5 goals, and they’ve scored after the break in each of their last seven games.
Star striker Erling Haaland has been in unstoppable form, scoring in nine matches in a row for club and country. He scored five times against Moldova and is now just two goals away from reaching 50 for the national team. For Israel, Dor Peretz is one to watch, he scored in both of their September games, and seven of his nine international goals have come after half-time.
Norway will be without their captain Martin Ødegaard and defender Leo Skiri Østigård due to injury. Israel will be missing Sagiv Yehezkel.
