Iraq vs. Norway Prediction, Picks, Lineups for World Cup 2026

Iraq and Norway will square off in their group-stage opening match on Tuesday, June 16, at 6:00 p.m. ET in English on FOX and in Spanish on Telemundo and Peacock. This game will be played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

According to PrizePicks Team Picks, Norway is a heavy favorite with a 1.16x payout to secure a win.

Ahead of the second World Cup match on Tuesday, Norway returns the second-lowest payout (3.7x) to win Group I, while Iraq has the highest (33.33x) on PrizePicks Team Picks. France is the favorite to win the group, and Senegal should not be overlooked as a team that could qualify for the knockout stage.

Below, we’ll break down our Iraq vs. Norway prediction and picks for Tuesday night’s World Cup 2026 match, including the spread, total goals, and key player picks for PrizePicks.

Make your Iraq vs. Norway prediction and World Cup picks on PrizePicks now!

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Iraq vs. Norway World Cup 2026 Prediction, Spread, Total Goals – Tuesday, June 16

How to watch Iraq vs. Norway: FS1 (English) / Telemundo and Peacock (Spanish)

Kickoff Time: 6:00 p.m. ET

Venue: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts

Group: Group I

Iraq is playing in just their second World Cup, making their first appearance since 1986. Manager Graham Arnold coached the Australian national team in the 2022 World Cup, and he's faced a ton of pressure to help Iraq qualify for this year’s tournament since being hired in May of last year.

Arnold’s side may not have the ball much, so they’ll need to prioritize maintaining their stamina and energy on the defensive end to create opportunities. Getting any result — whether it be a draw or a win — would be quite the feat.

Before both of these teams play their first match of the tourney, our power rankings have Iraq at 45th and Norway at 18th.

Plenty of people who look at Norway view them as the team with Premier League star F Erling Haaland, but they have more talent than just him.

Along with Haaland leading an aggressive attack for Norway, manager Ståle Solbakken’s squad has F Alexander Sørloth, MF Martin Ødegaard, MF Antonio Nusa, and DF Julian Ryerson (among others).

Despite the Norwegians laying waste to teams in qualifying and having lofty expectations, they face a stiff challenge in Group I alongside France and Senegal. Norway last played in the 1998 World Cup, when they advanced to the Round of 16, and they have hopes of another deep push here.

Currently, Norway is considered a bit of a dark horse to win the 2026 World Cup, carrying the 10th-lowest payout (22.22x) to win it all, via PrizePicks Team Picks.

Iraq vs. Norway: Favorite to Win, Spread, Total Goals – Tuesday, June 16

Norway enters Tuesday’s game as the favorites, returning a 1.16x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks Team Picks. Meanwhile, Iraq could need to turn defense into offense due to a lack of possession.

Here are the full payouts for the Iraq vs. Norway match on PrizePicks.

• Winner Payout: Norway – 1.16x | Tie – 6.25x | Iraq – 11.11x
• Spread: Norway -1.5 (1.56x Payout) 
• Total Goals: 2.5 (Over – 1.53x)
• Both Teams to Score: Yes 2.43x | No 1.51x

Payouts show potential returns on correct Team Picks predictions. A 2x payout returns $200 on a $100 entry. Lower multipliers reflect outcomes users are picking as more likely. Payouts are live as of writing and subject to change.

Make your Iraq vs. Norway prediction on spread or goals on PrizePicks Team Picks — available in 35 states!

Iraq vs. Norway Prediction on Spread for World Cup 2026 

Here are the key stats and trends for Iraq vs. Norway before making your World Cup 2026 predictions on PrizePicks.

• Norway was one of just two teams to go 8-0-0 in UEFA World Cup qualifying. Additionally, they won seven of those contests by 2+ goals.
• During UEFA WC qualification, Norway had the most goals per match (4.6), xG (26.9), and big chances created (48), per FotMob.
• After losing to a talented Netherlands team in their first international friendly match, Norway has gone 1-2-0 in their last three friendlies against formidable teams like Switzerland, Sweden, and Morocco.
• Iraq isn’t entering this match in the greatest form, having lost to Venezuela 2-0 in their international friendly on Wednesday.
• Plus, Iraq has struggled to score in their last three friendly matches since May, totaling 2 goals during that span.

Lock in your Iraq vs. Norway prediction for the 2026 World Cup now!

Iraq vs. Norway Lineups for World Cup 2026 – Tuesday, June 16

Here are the projected Iraq vs. Norway lineups for Tuesday's World Cup group stage match. Lineups are not official and are based on historical data.

Iraq Lineup vs. Norway Today

Projected Formation: 4-1-3-2

• Goalkeeper: Ahmed Basil
• Defense: Merchas Doski, Akam Hashim, Zaid Tahseen, Hussein Ali
• Midfield: Zidane Iqbal, Ali Jasim, Amir Al Ammari, Marko Farji
• Forwards: Aymen Hussein, Ali Al Hamadi

Norway Lineup vs. Iraq Today

Projected Formation: 4-3-3

• Goalkeeper: Ørjan Nyland
• Defense: David Møller Wolfe, Torbjørn Heggem, Kristoffer Ajer, Julian Ryerson
• Midfield: Patrick Berg, Sander Berge, Martin Ødegaard
• Forwards: Antonio Nusa, Erling Haaland, Alexander Sørloth

Iraq vs. Norway Picks, Player Stats for World Cup: 6/16/26

Here are some of the top Iraq vs. Norway player picks to target on Tuesday, June 16. Today’s World Cup 2026 picks are headlined by Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard.

Norway F Erling Haaland vs. Iraq 

Erling Haaland Projections via PrizePicks: 0.5 Goals (Goblin), 5.5 Shots, 0.5 Fouls Drawn (Goblin)

• Putting the ball in the net is never an issue for Erling Haaland, as he scored at least 1 goal in all eight WC qualifying matches.
• Haaland is coming off another Premier League campaign in which he led the league in goals (27) and goals per 90 minutes (0.82).
• Norway needs to take advantage of this favorable matchup, and Haaland tallied 6+ shots in four of his last seven qualifying games.
• Slowing down Haaland is easier said than done, and he’s been fouled in each of the last two qualifying matches.

Combine Norway + Erling Haaland World Cup picks for bigger payouts on PrizePicks.

Norway MF Martin Ødegaard vs. Iraq 

Martin Ødegaard Projections via PrizePicks: 3.5 Shots Assisted, 0.5 Assists (Demon), 79.5 Passes Attempted

• During World Cup qualifying, no one had more chances created (25) on Norway’s roster than Martin Ødegaard.
• While Ødegaard played in just five of Norway’s eight qualifying matches, he delivered at least 1 assist in four of them. He led the team with 7 assists.
• Norway should dominate possession in this game, and Ødegaard had 92+ passes in his final two WC qualifier appearances.
• On an Arsenal squad that won the EPL this season, Ødegaard posted the third-most chances created (39) and 2.6 chances created per 90 minutes despite injuries limiting him to 24 matches.

Combine Norway + Martin Ødegaard World Cup picks for bigger payouts on PrizePicks.

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Make Your Iraq vs. Norway Prediction for World Cup 2026 on PrizePicks

Norway has a tough draw in Group I, but they have their sights set on making some noise in their first World Cup since 1998. Will they take care of business against Iraq on Tuesday?

Don’t wait until lock. Make your Iraq vs. Norway picks on PrizePicks now and earn real money if you’re right on every World Cup game.

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