Iraq lost 1-4 to Norway in their opening Group 9 match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, played at Gillette Stadium in Boston. It marked only the second World Cup appearance for the "Lions of Mesopotamia," 40 years after their debut in 1986.
Despite the defeat, Iraq put in a relatively solid performance and were competitive for long stretches, but a drop in form midway through the second half proved costly.
Norway owed much of their victory to star striker Erling Haaland, who scored twice and created a third goal for the "Vikings."
Haaland opened his World Cup scoring account when he converted a left-flank cross directly into the net past goalkeeper Jalal Hassan in the 29th minute, giving Norway the lead.
Iraq drew level through a goal from striker Ayman Hussein after a well-organised attack, as he rose to meet a cross from Ibrahim Bayesh and headed it beautifully to the left of the Norwegian goalkeeper in the 39th minute.
The Iraqi joy was short-lived, however, after a mistake by defender Zaid Tahsin played the ball back to goalkeeper Jalal Hassan, which Haaland capitalised on in the best possible way to score Norway's second goal in the 43rd minute.
Ibrahim Bayesh and Ayman Hussein came close to levelling for Iraq before the end of the first half, but both spurned clear-cut chances, and the half ended with Norway leading 2-1.
At the start of the second half, Iraq looked the sharper side and were the more attack-minded team, but they lacked the necessary cutting edge in front of goal.
Against the run of play, Leo Østigård ended Iraq's hopes of a comeback by heading in Norway's third goal in the 76th minute.
Kristian Thorstvedt added a fourth in the 97th minute, with an assist from Haaland, before the referee blew the final whistle to confirm Norway's 4-1 win.