Iraq — Norway. On the eve

In the first round of Group I of the 2026 World Cup, Iraq, who are back at the World Cup for the first time in 40 years, will try to create a sensation against an ambitious Norway, which has brought to North America its strongest generation in decades. Considering that the quartet also features France and Senegal, the price of each point at the start of the tournament is extremely high. IRAQ — NORWAY WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 01:00 ▪️ JILLETTE STADIUM, FOXBOROUGH ▪️ HEAD REFEREE — PIERRE ACHO (GABON) ▪️ LIVE ON MEGOGO For the Iraqi national team, the very fact of participating in the World Cup was a historic achievement. Graham Arnold's team completed the longest qualifying journey of all the participants in the tournament, having played 21 matches on the way to the final part. It culminated in a dramatic success in the intercontinental play-off against Bolivia, where team leaders Aymen Hussein and Amir Al-Ammari played a crucial role. Arnold, who already has World Cup experience with Australia, has built a highly organized squad with a clear structure to the game. The Iraqis do not have a star-studded squad, but they make up for it with dedication, discipline and well-worked command mechanisms. Special attention should be paid to the standards - during the Asian qualification, the team scored more than half of its goals precisely after drawing standard provisions. However, Norway approaches the tournament as one of the most dangerous "dark horses". After a 26-year absence from the World Cup, the Scandinavians are returning with a generation that is quite capable of achieving great things. Under the leadership of Stole Solbakken, the Norwegians went through the qualifying cycle flawlessly, winning all eight matches and scoring a fantastic 37 goals. The main striker is, of course, Erling Holland, who scored 16 goals in qualifying and is among the main contenders for the title of the tournament's top scorer. But it would be a mistake to reduce all the power of Norway to the forward of Manchester City. Martin Edegaard directs the play in midfield, Alexander Serlot adds power in attack and Antonio Noosa is able to tear apart any defense with one burst. Combined with a solid defensive line, this makes the Norwegians a very balanced team. Iraq is expected to rely on a compact defense and quick counter-attacks down the flanks, while Norway will look to seize control of the ball immediately and impose their high tempo. One of the key duels of the evening will be Aymen Hussain's confrontation with the Scandinavian central defenders, as well as the midfield battle between Amir Al-Ammari and Martin Edegore. On paper, of course, Norway looks like the favorite, but the opening matches of the World Cup often give unexpected surprises. 👑 betking offers to bet on the victory of Iraq with a coefficient of 15.0, and the probable success of the Norwegian national team is estimated at 1.22. A draw in regular time is given odds of 6.66. WC2000 — 2000₴ free bet to all new and existing players for betting on the World Cup 2026 📋 GUIDELINES IRAQ : Jalal Hassan - Hussain Ali, Zayed Tahsin, Rebin Sulaka, Merhas Doski - Amir Al-Ammari, Zidan Iqbal - Ibrahim Bayesh, Ali Jasim, Ali Al-Hamadi - Aymen Hussain NORWAY: Newlan - Ruerson, Ayer, Heggem, Wolfe - Edegaard, Berge, Eursnes - Serlot, Holland, Noosa ⚔️ PERSONAL MEETINGS 📊 CURRENT FORM forecast 1:4 21+ ADVERTISING PARTICIPATION IN GAMBLING CAN CAUSE GAMING ADDICTION. FOLLOW THE RULES (PRINCIPLES) OF RESPONSIBLE PLAY betking is a licensed bookmaker that is part of the King Group and operates in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine. betking offers a wide range of services in the field of sports betting and online entertainment, focusing on innovation, transparency and the principles of responsible gaming. betking actively contributes to the development of sports in Ukraine: it supports professional teams, implements partnership projects and implements initiatives aimed at fans and the sports community. "Slots UA" LLC: License for the organization and conduct of casino gambling activities on the Internet dated 26.04.2021 (KRAIL Decision No. 150 dated 12.04.2021), License for the organization and conduct of bookmaker activities on the Internet dated 05.12.2024 (KRAIL Decision No. 559 from 21.11.2024).