World Cup 2026: Norway Must Be Ready To Match Ivory Coast’s Physical Football –Solbakken

Norway head coach Ståle Solbakken has described Ivory Coast as the most physically formidable opponent in the FIFA World Cup 2026.

He cautioned that if Norway fails to withstand and match their strength, it will be a challenging night at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Read Also:World Cup 2026: Why I Benched Neymar Against Japan –Brazil Coach

While Solbakken acknowledges Norway’s evolution into a possession-based, Guardiola-school style of play, he insists that this approach must be combined with hard-nosed defensive organisation to counter Ivory Coast’s attacking pace and physical dominance.

“They are a very, very physical team, very strong, and that’s the first thing we have to match,” he said.

“And if we match that, then we can keep our identity defensively and offensively, we have a chance.

“But I think it will be a very even, tight game where it can go either way in terms of who is the match winner, who has a little bit of luck on their side.”

Solbakken hailed 25-year-old Haaland, who scored four goals in the group stages, as a “powerhouse” forward.

“He’s a great leader for us, he leads by example on the pitch,” he said. “I think that also he gets great physicality from his mother or his father, maybe his mother.

Read Also:World Cup 2026: I Am Ready To Step Up My Game Against DR Congo –Madueke

“He has something that maybe you can’t train so much to reach it, the sniff for goals, the feeling that the ball will land at your feet or in that movement and I think that is his biggest strength, together obviously with his explosions, his physicality.

“That combined, and the understanding that he is a good teammate on and off the pitch, makes him one of the best players in the world.”