The first round of the 2026 World Cup revealed that Arab football is no longer merely a spectator when it comes to the major powers, but at the same time it showed that the gap with the world’s elite remains evident for some teams.

Amidst results that sparked optimism and others that called for urgent reassessment, the Arab teams presented a mixed picture that held many implications ahead of the tournament’s continuation.

World Cup: strong start

Morocco was the biggest Arab winner and perhaps one of the biggest beneficiaries of the entire opening round. The draw against Brazil was not merely a positive result, but a continuation of an upward trajectory that began at the Qatar World Cup in 2022. The Moroccan team played with the confidence of a side that believes in its ability to take on the big names, and succeeded in imposing its style against one of the most successful teams in history. The point earned by the Atlas Lions may seem ordinary on paper, but in practice it confirmed that Morocco is fast becoming a fixture on the world stage.

The Egyptian national team, for its part, put in a performance that reflected the experience of a side that knows full well how to handle major fixtures. The draw with Belgium did not come about through complete retreat or a purely defensive approach, but rather through a clear balance between tactical discipline and the ability to threaten the opposition. Egypt emerged from the first round with a clear message: they will not be mere passers-by in the tournament.

As for Saudi Arabia, they continued to cement their image as a team capable of surprising everyone at major tournaments. The draw with Uruguay gave the greens a huge morale boost and confirmed that the team possesses the organisation and character to compete with the big names. Most importantly, the result kept their fate in their own hands ahead of the next two matches.

Meanwhile, the Qatari national team succeeded in confirming the progress it has made in recent years. The draw against Switzerland earned Al-Anabi a valuable point and demonstrated a greater ability to cope with pressure compared to the previous edition. The performance was not perfect, but it was enough to confirm that Qatar is now better prepared to take its place on the world stage.

The disappointment of the opening match and the quest for redemption

Despite the 1–4 defeat to Norway, the Iraqi national team was perhaps the Arab side that came away with the greatest morale boost despite losing. The scoreline seemed harsh, but the details of the match told a very different story. Iraq showed attacking courage and clear character at various stages of the match, and managed to hold their own against a side featuring some of Europe’s top stars. Defensive errors cost them dearly, but the performance offered positive signs to build on, particularly as the team appeared capable of creating chances and refusing to give up despite falling behind.

As for Jordan, they faced their first-ever World Cup qualifier against Austria. Despite the defeat, the ‘Al-Nashama’ put in a creditable performance for a side embarking on a new experience at this level. The gap in experience was evident at crucial moments, but their fighting spirit and discipline have given the Jordanian side a foundation from which to build in the coming rounds.

Algeria faced one of the toughest possible tests against Argentina. The 3–0 defeat highlighted the gulf in class against a world champion of exceptional quality, but at the same time it left the Algerian side needing to quickly regain their composure, as the upcoming matches will be even more crucial in determining their fate.

Tunisia’s shock and the sacking of the manager

Meanwhile, Tunisia were the most worrying story of the first round. The heavy 5–1 defeat to Sweden was not merely a stumbling start, but a technical earthquake that prompted the Tunisian Football Federation to act swiftly and make a change to the coaching staff by appointing the Frenchman Hervé Renard.

The decision reflects the scale of the shock caused by the match, but it also reveals a clear desire to salvage the campaign before it is too late. All eyes will be on the reaction of the ‘Eagles of Carthage’ in the second round to see whether the change is capable of putting the team back on track.

With the first round now over, it is fair to say that Morocco has deservedly taken the lead in the Arab scene, whilst Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have strengthened their chances and demonstrated their ability to compete. Conversely, Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan and Iraq have entered a phase of real testing; the difference, however, is that some defeats have exposed a crisis, whilst others have revealed a project capable of rising to the challenge. Between these two extremes, the second round looks set to paint a clearer picture of the future of the Arab dream at the 2026 World Cup.

Featured image via the Canary

By Alaa Shamali

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The world’s richest man’s new company — SpaceX — may have counted many a chicken before they hatched.

China’s chokehold on solar cells and equipment, tungsten, indium, yttrium, and other critical materials should cast doubt on the prowess of American industry, defence and SpaceX alike.

The Washington Post’s recent report on the stalled SpaceX-Suzhou Maxwell negotiations shows that all is not well behind the showmanship of American industrial power under Trump and Musk.

China is quietly expanding its export control regime against the U.S. and American allies, reaching beyond rare earth minerals to pinch choke points that affect key U.S. industries, according to investors, business leaders and supply chain analysts. https://t.co/sq1VJE8LUD

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 17, 2026

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In March 2026, Chinese authorities told Suzhou Maxwell, one of the world’s most advanced producers of solar cell manufacturing equipment, to pause negotiations with Musk’s companies and not to sell them machinery according to the Post.

This is a spectacular roadblock for the company that wants to deploy 100 gigawatts of solar-powered artificial-intelligence data centers into orbit every 12 months by 2030.

Nevertheless, SpaceX’s valuation rose as high as $2.97tn on Tuesday, eclipsing the market value of Amazon and Microsoft of $2.64tn and $2.93tn, according to the Financial Times (FT).

The initial public offering (IPO) of the rocket and AI company has made Musk, who owns just over 40 per cent of it and has a large stake in Tesla, the world’s first trillionaire.

According to Bloomberg:

China dominates the large-scale manufacture of key technologies, including gallium and solar polysilicon, which could be a problem for SpaceX given its contracts with the US military and the strategic logic driving the rise of satellite mega-constellations.

Jim Chanos, the founder of the investment firm Chanos and Company, who predicted the 2001 collapse of Enron, said:

It really does feel very much a ‘don’t look at the man behind the curtain’ situation

It is, isn’t it? A $2.97 trillion valuation built on a supply chain that China controls — and a company that cannot admit it, because to do so would be to admit that the American space age rests on China’s permission.

SpaceX and the US military — Same story

One of the reasons that tungsten prices are soaring currently, according to Gracelin Baskaran, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a think tank funded by arms companies among others, is because of the US war on Iran.

She told the former UK intelligence chief Richard Dearlove, in an interview recently that there was a “crucial shortage” of tungsten in the USA, a key raw material for the US military following use of munitions during the war on Iran.

US strategy mirrors the British Empire

The threat of China is bringing out the worst imperial tendencies of the United States.

Writing in Le Monde, Evgeny Morozov notes that without mentioning the Bengal famine or Plassey, Trump cronies are now boasting about modeling U.S. agencies on the British Empire.

George Kollitides II, the Pentagon’s principal advisor on economic competition, said the quiet part out loud at the Milken Institute conference in May 2026:

The British Empire really modelled it,” pointing to “privatised companies like the East India Company, which were really public-private, government-driven organisations largely built around commerce and economics.

Morozov documents U.S. activities that include:

• The Pentagon taking equity stakes in private mining firms like MP Materials and Vulcan Elements

• The Development Finance Corporation investing in Congolese copper and cobalt, and Angola’s Lobito rail corridor

• The Export-Import Bank locking allied producers into U.S.-centered supply chains through guaranteed offtake contracts

• Project Vault building a $12 billion strategic stockpile of 60 critical minerals with fixed purchase prices

• Conditional loans and health aid used as leverage to extract mineral access from countries like Zambia

He says:

Arsonists playing as firefighters

Both Morozov and Alami and Riofrancos highlight a deeper rot: the people now running U.S. industrial policy are the same ones who profited from its decline. 

Morozov traces that the Pentagon’s Economic Defense Unit is staffed by alumni of Cerberus, Apollo, and Cantor Fitzgerald, private equity firms that built empires on the ruins of American manufacturing. For instance, Cerberus ran Chrysler into the ground.

Cantor Fitzgerald, run by Commerce Secretary Lutnick’s sons, backed USA Rare Earths, a company with no proven track record. Donald Trump Jr.’s 1789 Capital invested in Vulcan Elements months before it secured a $620 million Pentagon loan.

Alami and Riofrancos add that this private equity mindset focuses on low-hanging fruit and quick wins, not the long-term planning necessary to rebuild industries in secular decline.

SpaceX cannot build its orbital data centers without Chinese solar equipment. The Pentagon cannot replenish its munitions without Chinese tungsten. The people trying to solve these problems are private equity hacks, boasting about being the East India Company, subjugating the global South again, and using the China bogeyman to justify it all.

Featured image via the Canary

By Nandita Lal

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Whilst the world’s attention is focused on stadiums across the United States, Canada and Mexico to follow the 2026 World Cup, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are experiencing a completely different way of watching the biggest football event on earth, amidst an ongoing war that has left widespread destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in its wake.

Despite mass displacement, power cuts and a lack of basic services, the World Cup atmosphere has not been absent from the Strip. With the start of the tournament – which features a record number of Arab teams – Palestinians have found various ways to follow the matches and engage with them, in an attempt to cling to some semblance of normal life amidst a reality dictated by the war in every detail.

More than two million Palestinians live within a narrow coastal strip, most of whom are currently residing in displacement tents or in homes and buildings damaged by the war. This has made following a global event on the scale of the World Cup a daily challenge dependent on the availability of electricity, communications and alternative power sources.

From tents to markets… A passion for football defies the war

In the displacement areas scattered across the south and centre of the Gaza Strip, the tents have been transformed into something resembling small stands. Dozens sit in front of modest television screens or simple projectors to watch the matches, whilst others take turns providing the power needed to run the equipment amid an almost complete power cut.

In refugee camps, World Cup matches have become a daily event eagerly awaited by young and old alike, with neighbours, friends, and families gathering around a single screen to support their favourite teams and discuss match results and the stars’ performances.

These scenes were not confined to tents alone; some local markets and cafés that are still open have also seen crowds gathering to watch the key matches. At the Al-Nuseirat market in the centre of the Strip, dozens of people gathered in front of a screen set up specifically to broadcast the matches, whilst video footage from Khan Younis captured scenes of collective celebration following the Egyptian team’s goal against Belgium, with cheers and applause filling the air in a scene that reflected the depth of the Palestinians’ connection to the Arab teams participating in the tournament.

The owners of some cafés also sought to overcome the electricity crisis by providing alternative solutions to ensure the matches could continue to be shown. Some cafés were equipped with backup power lines and extra batteries, allowing broadcasts to continue even after the fuel-powered generators were switched off during the night, so that fans could still follow the tournament’s matches.

The World Cup: a window of escape from the harsh reality in Gaza

For the people of Gaza, following the World Cup is not merely a sporting interest or a passing form of entertainment; rather, it provides a psychological respite amidst the immense pressures that the war has imposed on all aspects of life.

As daily suffering continues – from the loss of homes and loved ones to the difficulty of obtaining basic necessities – the World Cup matches offer Palestinians a few hours to focus on something else. For ninety minutes, conversations shift from news of bombardments and displacement to team line-ups, tactics, goals and results.

Many Palestinians rely on batteries, solar panels and small generators to power their televisions and set-top boxes, whilst others watch the matches on their mobile phones when internet and network conditions allow.

However, watching the matches is not without risk, as Palestinians are aware that being in public gathering places carries constant concerns given Israel’s bloodthirsty tactics. Despite this, many continue to head to cafés, squares and tents set up to screen the matches, clinging to their right to experience moments of normality, even if only for a few hours. For them, neither fear nor the circumstances around them can dampen their passion for football or prevent them from sharing the tournament’s atmosphere with others.

These scenes reflect sport’s ability to offer people a temporary escape from the harshness of reality. Amidst the rubble and tents, cheers still ring out with every Arab goal, and discussions of the game continue to fill displacement camps and shelters – a testament to the fact that the passion for life remains unbroken, despite all the suffering surrounding the Strip.

Whilst the war continues to impose its challenges on the minutiae of daily life, Palestinians carry on pursuing the joy of the 2026 World Cup in their own way, affirming that football is still capable of bringing people together around moments of hope and joy, even in the most suffering places on earth.

Featured image via the Canary

By Alaa Shamali

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Lionel Messi has spent two decades bending World Cups to his will, but in Kansas he delivered something special even by his standards: a first World Cup hat-trick, a place alongside Miroslav Klose on 16 all‑time tournament goals, and a performance that felt like a personal highlight reel stitched into Argentina’s opening win. At 38, he is still untouchable. Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria was dominant, but the night belonged entirely to their star No 10.

A masterclass from minute one

Argentina settled instantly, with Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister and Rodrigo De Paul snapping into midfield control. But everything revolved around Messi, who drifted, dictated and destroyed. His first goal arrived after 17 minutes, shaped beautifully beyond Luca Zidane after De Paul sliced Algeria open with a cutting pass. It was the kind of finish that looked inevitable the moment the ball reached him.

There was controversy soon after. Messi escaped punishment for a clumsy rake down Aïssa Mandi’s calf, a moment that could have changed the tone of the night. Referee Szymon Marciniak gave a foul but no card; VAR didn’t intervene. Algeria protested, but the game rolled on, and Messi rolled with it.

Second-half surge

Argentina tightened their grip after the break. Alexei Mac Allister’s low strike forced a parry, and Messi reacted first, steering home with his right foot, the weaker one, supposedly, to double the lead on 60 minutes. By then, Algeria were stretched, chasing shadows, and Messi was operating in full flow.

His third was the pick of the bunch: a curling, bending, low strike from the edge of the box that kissed the inside of the post. A hat-trick completed in style, a stadium on its feet, and a moment that felt like a closing chapter written by the greatest to ever do it.

He was substituted soon after to a standing ovation from a crowd overwhelmingly draped in sky blue and white. Even Algerian fans applauded. You don’t witness history every day.

The goals came exactly 20 years after Messi’s World Cup debut against Serbia and Montenegro, a match he also scored in. Two decades later, he is still rewriting the record books. He is now the oldest player to score multiple times in a World Cup match, surpassing Roger Milla’s long‑standing mark.

Should he have seen red?

The debate will linger. IFAB rules state a player should be sent off for a tackle that endangers an opponent. Messi’s challenge on Mandi was clumsy and high, but Marciniak judged it careless rather than reckless. VAR did not intervene. Messi stayed on, and the rest is history.

Argentina begin their title defence with authority. Messi begins his final World Cup with a statement. With three goals in game one, the race for the Golden Boot  is officially on. The one major World Cup award he has never won.

Messi took six shots, had the joint-most touches in the Algerian box, and still found time to graft. Only De Paul and Fernández made more tackles. He won duels, threaded passes, and worked like a player half his age.

His 200th international cap became a celebration of longevity, brilliance and a footballer still capable of elevating a team and a tournament. If this is the last dance, he’s starting it with fireworks.

A perfect start

Argentina leave Kansas with three points, three goals, and a reminder that their captain remains the sport’s defining force. Algeria were game but outmatched. Messi was simply too much.

A hat-trick, a record equalled, a legend still expanding. The World Cup has its storylines, but it appears Messi is continuing to write his own.

Featured image via Al Jazeera

By Faz Ali

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Green leader Zack Polanski has called for ‘immediate escalation’ from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan over clearly “unlawful activity” at the Great Israeli Real Estate event. Jewish anti-Zionists had joined protests outside the London event on 14 June to oppose its attempts to sell land in the illegally occupied Palestinian territories.

Polanski: ‘No impunity for hosts of deplorable Great Israeli Real Estate event’

In a letter to Khan, Polanski insisted that there had already been “substantial evidence ahead of the event” suggesting wrongdoing, and that authorities should have never allowed it to take place. But following the event, he stressed:

It has since come to light that materials handed out at the ‘Great Israeli Real Estate’ event included properties in Ma’ale Adumim and Givat Zeev in the West Bank and Ramat Eshkol and Givat HaMatos in East Jerusalem. [1] These settlements are illegal under international law.

He added that this is something the UK government itself accepts, saying:

The UK Government has repeatedly affirmed that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.

In 2024, the International Court of Justice clarified that:

Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is illegal

There is now clear evidence that the Great Israeli Real Estate event had unlawful activity at it.

I've written to the Mayor of London to ask what he intends to do about it.

This needs to be escalated immediately. pic.twitter.com/dnFhkP4XXt

— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) June 16, 2026

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Edgware United Synagogue hosted the invite-only event. But activists managed to gain access, and they shared images with the media that show the marketing of property in illegal Zionist settlements in Palestine.

REVEALED: Jewish activists @JAZA_UK have shown us material from inside an Israeli property event in London yesterday, which shows that illegal settlements on Palestinian land were on sale in the UK.

Activists gained access to the event, spoke to numerous developers about the… pic.twitter.com/WsJ1hC1GlZ

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— Declassified UK (@declassifiedUK) June 16, 2026

Looks like the Board Of Deputies should apologize for this denial below and the fake ‘refutation’. https://t.co/lbB5h4r0fe https://t.co/5p3PpL7Xme pic.twitter.com/IojypnmbZP

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) June 16, 2026

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Utterly disgraceful: yet again the government of @Keir_Starmer ignores International Law and the @ICJ_org and sides with the oppressor & occupier against the subjugated & occupied https://t.co/kU4yQRU0Uv

— William Dalrymple (@DalrympleWill) June 15, 2026

Considering the increase in Zionist settler terror against Palestinians since Israel’s genocide escalated in 2023, Polanski argued that:

With horrific settler violence against Palestinians on the rise, it’s more important than ever that those involved in hosting this deplorable event in our city are not allowed to act with impunity.

Others agreed that there must be consequences:

There’s a serious case to be made that selling or facilitating sales of property in West Bank settlements amounts to aiding & abetting a war crime (transferring population to an occupied territory), punishable in UK law (ICC Act 2001)@SadiqKhan can’t just shrug this off https://t.co/DLvWNTAKsj

— North Herts Palestine Solidarity Campaign (@NHertsPsc) June 16, 2026

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And Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer wondered if Khan would have been so permissive if the event had been selling Ukrainian land under Russian occupation:

Imagine for a second that a real estate conference took place in London where Russian occupiers sold stolen Ukrainian land and property.

You have to imagine, because that rightly wouldn't have been allowed. If it's stolen Palestinian land though, that's apparently totally fine. https://t.co/ooPmInhuzu

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— Ross Greer (@Ross_Greer) June 16, 2026

Colonialism continues with “Anglo-communities” in Palestine

A Jewish Anti-Zionist Action member who got into the event told Al Jazeera that she’d heard no mention of Palestinians. When real estate agents mentioned illegally occupied Palestinian territory, meanwhile, there was talk of:

“Anglo-communities” where English-speaking people from the United States, the UK and South Africa could relocate to.

Amid Israel’s genocide in Gaza and violent rampage throughout the Middle East, she said a “popular selling point” was that real estate prices had fallen and buyers might get a discount.

As Polanski pointed out to Khan:

The Proceeds of Crime Act makes it illegal for promoters and estate agents operating in the UK to facilitate the sale of land acquired through illegal conduct.

He added that:

This needs to be escalated to the Metropolitan Police Service immediately, anything less fails to reflect the seriousness of the situation.

He also pushed Khan on whether police:

will be investigating the unlawful activities that took place on Sunday.

And considering the new evidence of illegality, he asked:

what action will you now take?

Khan had previously expressed his concern about the event. But now, as Polanski argued, Khan must go beyond words and take firm action.

Featured image via the Canary

By Ed Sykes

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The Israeli occupation’s Supreme Court has rejected Dr Hussam Abu Safiya’s appeal against the extension of his detention. No criminal charges have been brought against him.

Dr Abu Safiya has spent more than 500 days under arbitrary detention

Dr Abu Safiya is a Palestinian paediatrician and the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, in Beit Lahia, Northern Gaza. He was intentionally targeted by the occupation. He was a key source of information on the collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system, consistently providing updates on medical conditions in North Gaza. This was especially true after Israeli occupation forces imposed a siege on the governorate in October 2024.

Despite the loss of his son in October 2024, Dr Abu Safiya continued his work, caring for injured children and documenting the realities faced by healthcare workers and patients in the area. He has been arbitrarily detained since December 2024, when he was abducted by Israeli occupation forces along with other medical staff while on duty, after refusing to abandon his patients.

Israeli occupation tortures Gaza paediatrician

Abu Safiya has suffered ongoing torture and neglect since being detained, and by January 2026, he had lost 40kg because of prolonged food deprivation.

Today, according to his lawyer, Nasser Odeh, Dr Abu Safiya is held in solitary confinement in Nafha Prison. Conditions are degrading and harsh, and his health is deteriorating. He is suffering torture and is showing signs of scabies — a highly contagious skin disease. But he continues to be denied the necessary medical care since his arrest, and his detention files remain secret.

The first image of Abu Safiya since his illegal imprisonment by the Israeli occupation emerged on 10 June. He appeared in Jerusalem’s Supreme Court, via video link. He was shackled and handcuffed, and appeared exhausted, with visible signs of mistreatment and torture.

After his hearing, on 10 June, Abu Safiya said:

I am a paediatrician. I provide medical service and care to patients, the injured, and the vulnerable in the Gaza Strip. I carried out my work in accordance with international law and humanitarian standards. My arrest is unjust and arbitrary, and I demand that the court release me immediately.

Dr Abu Safiya’s continued detention “A profound moral and legal failure”

Abu Safiya remains imprisoned under the “Unlawful Combatant’s Law”, which grants the Israeli occupation’s military sweeping powers. They can detain anyone from Gaza they claim to suspect of engagement in hostilities against “Israel” or who pose a threat to state “security”. Detention is for indefinitely renewable detention periods and no evidence needs to be produced to back up the claims.

The decision to continue his detention has been condemned by a multitude of human rights organisations.

Naji Abbas, Director of the Prisoners and Detainees Department at Physicians for Human Rights Israel has called Abu Safiya’s continued detention a “profound moral and legal failure.” He said:

 Dr Abu Safiya’s case is not an isolated one. It illustrates how judicial review proceedings for Palestinian detainees from Gaza have, in practice, become little more than a procedural formality. Every month, hundreds of detention review hearings take place, yet to the best of our knowledge, they have not resulted in the meaningful reconsideration or revocation of detention orders.

‘Israel’s’ treatment of Gaza’s medical workers is illegal under international law

The Palestinian Centre for Prisoners Advocacy is calling for Dr Safiya’s immediate release, and an end to the arbitrary detention of medical and humanitarian personnel by “Israel”. The organisation says it holds the Israeli occupation authorities “fully responsible” for his life and safety.

 Doctors and medical personnel have legally binding protections under the Geneva Conventions and International Humanitarian Law. These rules state that medical professionals must be protected in all circumstances. They must also be allowed to treat anyone without discrimination, and never punished for following medical ethics.

Gaza’s healthcare system has been intentionally destroyed by the Israeli occupation, and is at the point of collapse. And the continued detention of Gaza’s doctors such as Abu Safiya, who have no formal charges, prevents any steps towards recovery.

Not unusual — ‘Israel’ has detained and killed scores of medical workers

Since 7 October, 2023, the Israeli occupation forces have:

• killed more than 1570 healthcare workers
• More than 445 healthcare workers have been unlawfully detained
• killed 6 healthcare workers while in detention, and their bodies are being withheld.

5 healthcare workers have also disappeared since 7 October 2023.

Featured image via Amnesty

By Charlie Jaay

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Erling Haaland needed less than half an hour of his World Cup debut to do what he always does: score, settle, dominate. His two first‑half goals set Norway on their way to a commanding 4-1 win over Iraq in Boston, a result that puts Ståle Solbakken’s side top of Group I on goal difference.

The Manchester City striker barely had a kick early on, his only sight of goal a towering header that sailed over. But once David Møller Wolfe squared across the six‑yard box on 29 minutes, Haaland arrived on cue to tap home his first World Cup goal. It was his 51st for Norway in just 56 appearances, another absurd number in a career built on them.

Iraq, though, refused to wilt. Aymen Hussein, who endured a difficult arrival in the US earlier this month after being held and questioned for hours, powered in a brilliant header ten minutes later. It was Iraq’s second-ever World Cup goal and their first in four decades.

World Cup: Norway restore control before the break

The equaliser didn’t last long. Just before half-time, Haaland pounced on a weak back-pass from Zaid Tahseen, darting ahead of goalkeeper Jalal Hassan and rolling in his second of the night. Ruthless, instinctive, inevitable.

Norway went into the break with the momentum restored and the sense that more goals were coming, even if the second half never quite matched the first for tempo or jeopardy.

The game drifted for long spells after the restart, the pace dropping to something close to a training session. Iraq carved out half-chances – Hussein twice went close with headers – but Norway always looked the more composed side.

With 14 minutes left, substitute Leo Østigård made sure of the points. He charged unmarked into the box to meet Martin Ødegaard’s corner and thumped a header into the far corner. Simple, direct, decisive.

Norway weren’t done. Deep into stoppage time, Haaland rose for another header at the back post. His effort was drifting goalwards when Hussein, stretching desperately, diverted it over the line for an unfortunate own goal. A harsh end for Iraq’s standout performer, but a fair reflection of Norway’s control.

Haaland’s impact

Haaland finished with just 20 touches, yet shaped the entire match. That’s the paradox of his game, he doesn’t need volume to be devastating. Two goals, involvement in the fourth, constant threat. The World Cup has a new heavyweight, and he looks entirely at home.

At 25, he is already among the favourites for the Golden Boot. With Norway back on the biggest stage for the first time since 1998, he has the platform, and the numbers, to chase down records. Sixteen World Cup goals is the all‑time mark. You wouldn’t rule out a serious tilt.

Meanwhile, Norway’s win puts them top of Group I after France beat Senegal earlier in the day. Solbakken’s side looked sharp, organised and dangerous, with Ødegaard dictating and Haaland finishing. Iraq showed heart and moments of quality, but defensive lapses cost them.

Group I already feels like a battle for second place behind France and Norway. Iraq will need something special to stay alive.

Featured image via the Canary

By Faz Ali

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