There are several intriguing matchups in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16, but few are as fascinating as Norway and Brazil, where Erling Haaland will try to stop Vinícius Júnior from continuing his impressive tournament.
The most remarkable aspect of this rivalry is its history. Norway are the only national team to have never lost to Brazil despite facing them on multiple occasions, an unusual record against the most successful nation in World Cup history.
The two countries have met four times, with Norway holding the advantage through two victories and two draws. They will now try to preserve that unbeaten record in their biggest meeting in nearly three decades.
The most important meeting
Of the four matches between Norway and Brazil, three were friendlies. While remaining unbeaten in those games is already impressive, the most memorable meeting came in a World Cup match in 1998.
Norway made history in 1998 (Stu Forster /Allsport)
Brazil had already secured first place in Group A after winning their opening two matches, while Norway entered the final group game needing a victory after drawing against Morocco and Scotland.
see also
How many World Cups has Brazil won? History, titles, and best finishes
Despite already qualifying, Brazil fielded a strong lineup and took the lead through Bebeto. Norway responded with an equalizer from Tore André Flo before Kjetil Rekdal converted an 89th-minute penalty to complete a famous 2-1 comeback and send his team into the Round of 16, where they were later eliminated by Italy.
The most recent match
The rivalry began in 1988 when Norway earned a 1-1 draw after leading for most of the match. They followed that with a 4-2 victory in 1997, inspired by Tore André Flo. After their famous World Cup match in 1998, the teams met most recently in 2006, when they played to another 1-1 draw.
